Severus looked out at the Great Hall, watching first Lucy, chatting happily with her fellow first years. It was a relief to see, and proof that Smith had taken their little... discussion to heart. Hopefully, he wouldn't need to repeat himself, for the teenager's sake. Then he paned to Harry. He was sitting alone, reading a scroll, half focused on what he was eating with rapidly moving eyes. At some point, he reached up and removed his glasses. Then he seemed to grow frustrated before he dropped the scroll and pulled his hair up into a messy ponytail. When he looked back Severus was struck with an odd sense of deja vu. Harry had never looked more like Lily in that moment. It filled him with a wave of sad nostalgia. Suddenly he found himself walking down the Great Hall towards the boy. As he stopped, hovering, he found once again his words had died. After a moment Harry turned to him, instincts raising alarm bells.

"Yes sir?" Harry asked with a look of slight fear. Severus felt bile rise to his throat. Harry hadn't looked at him like that in years. It was unsettling.

"I... was wondering if you'd like to come have lunch with me in my office." Severus finally muttered out. "It's been a long time since we had a chat." Harry blinked. Then he grimaced slightly.

"Erm... well I'm kind of busy," Harry explained. "I made the lead in our latest play and-"

"Lead? You made the lead?" Severus demanded, a bit of pride bubbling up.

"Yeah. I'm playing Richard the Third." Harry explained cooly. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Bit of a departure for you isn't it? I didn't know you ever thought of playing a villian..."

"You don't know a lot of things," Harry muttered bitterly. Then he stood up, slinging his book bag over his shoulder. "I gotta go. I have at least a hundred lines to memorize by Saturday." Then he walked out of the door. Severus made an uncharacteristic rush to follow.

"Harry!" Severus called fearfully. He wasn't sure why he was so afraid, but something in his very core was terrified. Harry turned back to his father with worry in his eyes.

"Yeah, Dad?" Harry asked, a little more open than he was a moment ago. The relief that flooded Severus was immense. Then he looked down.

"Please... come down to my office tonight. You've skipped the last five sessions. Occlumency is a skill that needs to be practiced as much as possible. I... I'm worried about you." Severus admitted. Harry scowled, looking very much like he wanted to tell him to piss off. But then he took his father's face and seemed to falter. After a few moments of deliberation, he sighed.

"Fine... I'll see you at 8."

"Excellent!" Severus said, with a small relieved smile. But Harry had already turned away. He stared after the teen before he rushed for his quarters

"I only have one shot at this Emmeline," Severus said wearily as he paced in front of her. "If I mess this up... he might never speak to me again."

"Oh don't be so dramatic," Emmeline insisted as she sorted through seating arrangements. "Do you think we should put Minerva with Charity and Bethesda or my parents?"

"Your parents. Rolanda is sitting with Charity and she and Minerva get into too many arguments about quidditch when alcohol is involved." Severus muttered in response. "I don't think I am being dramatic, Emmeline. He has been drifting away from me for months. It's these damned occlumency lessons."

"Those lessons were your idea though!" Emmeline insisted as she looked at the menu.

"We need to take that walnut salad off the menu and replace it. Aurora's husband has a nut allergy." Severus pointed out. "I know they were my idea. But I just can't seem to get through to him! I don't understand it! I'm not teaching him any different than I was taught!" Emmeline looked up and blinked.

"What? Severus, you learned occlumency when you were seven!"

"Exactly! It should be easier for him! It's exactly how my mother taught me!" Severus argued.

"She probably learned when she was four!" Emmeline argued back with a flabbergasted laugh. "From her father who probably was trained before he could even speak!" She took a deep breath. "You probably think that you have a natural aptitude. But not everyone in a family line shares the connection to the old magic. Look at my mother! She can barely ride a training broom! But more than that! He wasn't raised with magic, remember? It wasn't ingrained in him. Those pathways are being forged later than ours were. So of course he hasn't been able to learn it the same way you did!" Severus blinked at her before he sat into his armchair a bit more forcefully than usual and stared at the fire with a melancholy frown 

"So I did bollucks everything up..." Severus muttered pathetically. Emmeline smiled and got up to rub his shoulders.

"You still have time to fix this. You just need a new approach." She hummed in thought. "You need to talk to someone who's trained Harry one-on-one. Someone who knows the best ways to teach him."

"Well, who would that be? He hasn't really done private lessons with anyone... well except-" he trailed off, and his face twisted into a grimace. Then he let out a groan of distaste. Emmeline smiled and chuckled before she leaned down and gave him a gentle Peck on the cheek.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to swallow your pride, my love. After all, it's just like you said, this is your last chance."

Remus Lupin opened the front door of his one-room basement flat, shuffled through the door with an air of utter exhaustion, tossed his keys into the dish by the door, slammed the door closed behind him, and threw himself into the couch he called his bed with a sigh of relief. Within seconds he was asleep, snoring slightly after a very long night. It was a nice, simple job, working as security in a library. Very relaxing. But as the moon drew closer the night grew harder to manage. And his monthly absences were making his boss irritable. Pretty soon he'd been back to soda crackers and watery soup until he found the next job to get fired from. Suddenly the floor flared and he was sitting upright.

"Yes!" He cried, staring at the fire blearily. "I'm up! I'm awake! What do you need, Albus?!" 

"Is this a bad time?" Severus Snape responded as casually as he could. Remus blinked.

"Severus?" He called back before he turned on his lights. "No no! Everything is fine here! Is everything fine there?" He asked, growing worried. It would take a crisis of epic proportions to make Severus Snape call the likes of him. And he meant that in every sense of the word. The potions master responded with an awkward sigh.

"It's not a short discussion," he admitted after a moment of deliberation. "May I come through?"

"Of course!" Remus responded readily. Then he realized what an absolute mess his flat was and frantically scrambled to at least throw some of the scattered take-out containers away. Then he chucked a blanket over the armchair in the corner that currently housed a large pile of clothes he'd been meaning to fold just as Severus immerged from the floo and made a noise of alarm. "Yes, the edge is a bit short!" Remus cried with a wince. Severus had to bend nearly double but he managed to climb out. Until he tripped and nearly sprawled into the floor."Sorry! Forgot about the screen!" Remus cried as he caught the man's arm and pulled him upright. Severus huffed slightly as he dusted himself off. Remus winced and swept away a few embers on his shoulders. "Need to clean the chimney soon..." Severus scanned his surroundings and found his heart squeeze. The Remus Lupin he remembered was eclectic, but organized, with a general rule of reasonable and comfortable clutter. This was absolute chaos. Rubbish and clothes were scattered everywhere, nearly every surface taken up by paperwork and, most distressingly, empty potions viles. He looked down and saw that he had been sleeping on the couch. Then he noted that the flat didn't even have a bedroom. He looked up at the wolf with a questioning look. It was as gentle as he could be. But the silent 'Are you alright?' apparently shone through. Remus immediately averted his eyes and went about shifting things in a futile attempt to make the mess seem more... well not cleaned away but... manageable. Instead, it just made it more obvious. Remus refused to meet Severus eyes again, knowing the pity that would be there. Though he would have surprised to see no pity, but instead worry, and a small morsel of shame.

 "What did you need to discuss with me?" Remus asked after a minute of needlessly shifting his pillow.

"It's about Harry," Severus began wearily.

"Has something happened to him?!" Remus cried worriedly. He cared very deeply for the boy. He meant it when he told Harry he could call him uncle. He saw it as a duty. To make up for how terribly Sirius had turned out. 

"Physically he's fine. Mentally..." Severus trailed off before he sighed. "I've been trying to teach him occlumency."

"That's fairly advanced stuff, isn't it? And doesn't it take years of study?" Remus questioned with a frown as he sat on the sofa. Severus sighed and settled into the armchair adjacent. 

"Usually, yes, but it is vital that Harry learn it as quickly as possible."

"I see. So how's it going?"

"Not good," Severus admitted point blank. "In fact... abysmal comes to mind... a right bloody mess is another good one."

"That bad huh?" Remus asked with a grin. Severus glowered at him, seeing the grin for the cheeky look that it was. "Alright alright... so why are you struggling?"

"It's been months and he still can't clear his mind!" Severus cried in frustration. "I've told him to clear his mind. To control his emotions. To focus. I've explained it to him at least a hundred times! I'm at my wit's end!"

"Have you asked him how he's doing it?" Remus asked casually. Severus blinked.

"What?"

"Have you asked Harry how he's been clearing his mind?" Remus questioned. Severus blinked at him. The werewolf let out an exhausted huff. "Harry learns best when you help guide him to the correct answers with questions. Like when I helped him with the patronus. He was struggling with the shields, so I asked what sort of memory he was using. He said the first time he rode a broom. Not nearly the right sort of emotions. I asked him just that, what he was feeling then. Then I asked him if he felt those emotions were strong enough. Of course, he admitted no. Then I asked him what emotions he thought were strong," at this Remus smiled. "His very first one was love. Very wise. I know what memory he uses for his Patronus. It's very personal. And very very powerful."

"I... would never have thought..." Severus began with a whine. Remus chuckled.

"You're a great lecturer, Severus. One of the best. And you know potions better than anyone I know. But you can be very foolish sometimes." Severus sent him a half-hearted glare before he sighed and looked down at his folded hands "Do you have another lesson tonight?"

"Yes," Severus admitted. "It's why I came to speak to you. I want to get this right."

"Alright. Ask questions. And guide Harry to the right answers by letting him get there himself. He's a very smart young man. He can muddle through almost anything if he puts his whole mind behind it."

"Yes, I have seen that first hand." Severus conceded. He gave Remus a slight smirk. "Has he told you that he and his girlfriend are currently engrossed in a potions venture?"

"I didn't even know he had a girlfriend!" Remus remarked, though his eyes glittered with mirth. "What sort of venture?"

"They sell stain removers to their fellow classmates. It's a modified version of one of my cleanup potions. Very powerful stuff. Managed to clean 20-year-old stains off my training robe from 78." Remus let out a long slow whistle.

"Don't suppose you have a vial? I could use something like that. My best suit has really seen better days." Remus remarked with a chuckle.

"They currently go for 1 galleon a pop," Severus admitted quietly. Davies had upped the piece when they started the refill program. The profits continued to increase despite the price rise.

"A whole galleon?!" Remus cried in shock. "That's..."

"Miss. Davies is also very strict about discounts and freebies," Severus grumbled. "She says that the word of mouth might cut into the positive feedback and drive down prices."

"Talk about harsh business policies..." Remus muttered. Severus nodded before he rose. 

"Anyways! Thank you for the advice, Remus. I shall take it all to heart and action."

"Of course," Remus began before she smiled. "Oh! And by the way! Consider me RSVP'd!"

"Excellent," Severus said with a smile. "Emmeline could use some good news."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"She's become a target of Delores Umbridge's ire, for reasons only that damned woman knows," Severus complained. Remus scowled darkly.

"Don't suppose you could slip something into her morning tea do you? Do us all a favour?" Remus asked bitterly. 

"If only," Severus muttered before he finished his goodbye and returned to Hogwarts in a swirl of green fire. 

Upon arrival, Severus instantly knew that something was wrong. The papers, which had covered the coffee table by the fire in a very chaotic mosaic for days now, were stacked neatly. The throw pillows were organized. There was even a doily under an abandoned cup of tea. Severus felt his blood turn to ice.

A doily?

Oh no...

He bolted from his quarters, running like a madman to the entrance courtyard. He didn't care if any of the students saw him in such a dishevelled state. He just had to be certain! He had to know. The depth of his panic was so great that the heavy metal entrance doors flew open as he approached them, banging against the wall. A few students jumped and turned, and after a moment of panic regarded him with a very grim expression. He moved through the small channel they were forming to the front of the crowd and confirmed the worst of his fears. Filch dropped the last piece of Emmeline's luggage with a grunt as the ex-professor looked on, face of cool disinterest. "Emmeline," Severus called into the silence. The woman turned her head to him and gave a very sad and weak smile.

"MUM!" Harry suddenly cried from the other side of the crowd. Severus flinched as Harry rushed out to her, burying his face into her chest with a sob. He was muttering something to her which she was responding to with soft whispers into his hair. Severus slowly approached, very aware of the Cheshire cat grin that Umbridge currently had. Once he was close enough he sighed.

"Harry," he muttered. The teen turned a fraction but didn't remove his face from his desperate embrace. "Go find your sister and meet me in our quarters. Please." Severus said softly. Harry sighed before he complied, letting go of his mother and stepping away. Severus gave his one last reassuring nod before the teen ran away. "What now?" Severus demanded, eyeing Umbridge with distaste.

"I insisted I wouldn't leave until Albus was made aware of the situation." Emmeline muttered back. Severus nodded and instantly drew himself up to his full height. Several students took unconscious steps back. This was a Severus Snape they recognized from a few years back. The one who had dared everyone to try and kill him.

 A dangerous one. 

The doors to the entrance hall opened again and the faculty rushed out. And it was all of the faculty. Rolanda and Charity looked absolutely livid. The flying instructor came and stood between Umbridge and Emmeline with a firm scowl and even firmer crossed arms. Once again several students flinched back. 

Ref Hooch was scary.

"Don't worry dears! Albus will sort everything out." Charity assured the couple with hard eyes. "And I will personally make Umbridge's life a living hell if he doesn't." She added under her breath.

"You mean if he can't." Emmeline corrected with a flat tone. Severus too felt the dread slowly slip away into a full sense of inevitability. 

They had known this was coming. They'd always known. It was just a matter of when.

This fact was solidified when Minerva and Albus looked up from the scroll Umbridge had thrust at them as soon as they'd come to protest.

"As you can see!" Umbridge began with a self-satisfied smile. "The law is clear. I may not be able to expel anyone who lists Hogwarts as their primary residence. But in the interest of saving costs, I am perfectly within my rights to expel those that don't."

Albus looked over to Severus and gave him the same heartbroken look he had back in June. 

"Severus," Emmeline muttered quietly. He looked down and saw her look of cold acceptance and nodded, stepping back to stand with Rolanda. Then her eyes flicked to Umbridge and scowled. "Take care of him."

"Of course," Severus responded easily with a slightly affronted look. Of course, he would take care of Harry! That was a given!

"I mean no offence dear," Minerva responded with a small smile. "But she wasn't talking to you."

"You have our word," Rolanda responded firmly. "Not a hair off his pretty... er...well... unconventionally handsome head." That rose a slight chuckle from the crowd of students as Rolanda gave Severus a child-like pat on the shoulder.

"And everything will be intact and uncharred upon your happy return!" Charity declared loudly with a wide grin. now Severus really was affronted, giving Rolanda a disgusted look which she took with bland grace. Umbridge scoffed, which ruined the mood.

"Not likely." She said coldly. Severus clenched his fist just as Charity squeezed his arm and Minerva gave a light pat of her own. He was, in fact, slightly comforted. But as Umbridge stepped forward they stepped away. Emmeline stared at her before a slow smile spread across her face.

"I just realized something, Delores."

"What is that?"

"As I am not longer a professor, and no longer a resident of this school, I am no longer burdened to you." She smiled wider. "And that might just have been your biggest mistake."

"Are you threatening me?" Umbridge demanded with her sickly sweet tone.

"Perhaps," Emmeline responded with her sweet voice. And for the first time when interacting with Emmeline Umbridge flinched. That made Emmeline smile wider. "You seem to have forgotten, as much of the world admittedly does, that I was a Slytherin, dear Delores." The woman paled slightly and Emmeline chuckled. "Or perhaps you didn't know at all." Then she turned away, determined as always to have the last word. Then she turned back. "Oh, one more thing!" She said with a sweet smile. "You are the most disgusting person I have ever been forced to share a building with. I hope greatly that I will be there to see your enviable demise. It will be truly a magnificent sight."

And with that pronouncement, she was gone, walking down the long path towards the gates. She didn't look back again, which twisted Severus' heart. But he figured she didn't because then she would never be able to go. And there was no telling what Umbridge would do if she refused.

"Hem hem!"

Six syllables. A soft 'A' followed by five more soft 'A' consonant pairings in iambic rhythm. Two words. Quick jab. He had the hatred. That wasn't the hard part to be certain.

"Hem hem." She repeated, snootier than the first time.

Snap

"Delores I highly suggest that whatever you intend to say you think it through very very carefully!" Severus snarled furiously. Then his rage-shaking hand flew to his face covering his eyes. "In fact. Never mind! I have neither the desire nor the patience to deal with you right now! Now, if you excuse me, I have to go console my children, as you have seen fit, in your infinite wisdom, to expel their mother from the grounds!" And then he was off, tearing into the castle like a demon straight from hell. For once not a single student seemed phased. They were all glowering at Umbridge with disgusted scowls. Then they began to slowly trickle away until the only ones left in the courtyard were Umbridge and Filch, the latter blinking in confusion while the former stared straight ahead, face pale as milk, gently shaking in fear.

Severus took a deep breath as he approached the portrait.

"Severus!" Sir Gedevere said grimly, standing at attention. "That vile woman has come to take poor lady Emmeline away!"

"I am aware."

"You Son and daughter are within." Lady Gedevere said softly, contrasting her cold-looking husband in soft purple robes. "They are beset with rage and sadness."

"I'm aware," Severus repeated, even more exhausted than the first time. It was easy to know who was angry and who was sad. 

"We will refuse entry from all until you emerge, milord." Sir Gedevere promised firmly.

"Blessings of Circe on you all..." Lady Gedevere confirmed before they opened. Severus took one last deep breath and stepped in. Harry was holding Lucy on the couch, rubbing her back and the girl silently cried into her hands. Severus stepped forward and sat down on her other side. Instantly she leaned into him instead, sobbing into his robes instead. Harry didn't look too hurt by it. He was staring down at his clenched fists on his lap.

"We can get through this." Severus declared firmly. "We will get through this."

"It's not fair," Harry growled. "Why is she like this?"

"Because she doesn't have what we have," Severus said softly. Harry looked at him with a confused frown. "She doesn't have kind and loving parents who support her, or an older brother to protect her, or a little sister to drive her mental." At this, Lucy gave a choking sobbing laugh which made Harry smile. "She has no one to love her. And a life without love would make monsters of us all." Severus finished with an air of reminiscence.

"Who said that?" Lucy asked.

"My mother..." Severus murmured quietly. "She was an exceptionally wise woman. Wise beyond her years. And I strive to keep her wisdom with me day after day."

"What else did she say?" Harry whispered quietly.

"Be better than those who would seek to tear you down. Rising to their taunts only makes them succeed." Severus recounted as he looked skyward in his deep remembrance. "Never allow anyone's assumptions of you to become reality. And Always keep a daffodil in your pocket."

"Huh?" Lucy asked in confusion. "That last one doesn't really fit..."

"It's a potioneers thing," Severus muttered flippantly. "Flower symbology is a large part of memorizing the different uses of various herbs and plants."

"What do daffodils mean?" Lucy asked.

"Hope. Recovery. New Beggings." Severus recited. "No surprise, daffodil leaves are a key ingredient in the draught of peace as well as several restorative brews."

"So... always keep a bit of hope in your pocket?" Lucy asked with a little smile. Severus nodded.

"As I said, wise beyond her years," he repeated.

"We're gonna need a lot of daffodils," Harry argued bitterly. Severus gave his son a look before he looked down at Lucy.

"My dear, it is almost time for your curfew." He murmured slowly. "Can you make it to Hufflepuff on your own?"

"Yeah." Lucy accented with a final sniff and rub of her cheeks. Then she took a deep breath and composed herself in a manner so reminiscent of Emmeline it made Severus' heart simultaneously float and clench. Then she was gone. The silence that descended was unbearable.

"Shall w-" Severus tried to begin.

"Dad I don't think I'm going to be much use in occlumency tonight." Harry cut him off with an exasperated huff.

"I'm not either," Severus admitted candidly, running a hand through his hair. "Nothing practical tonight. Just a review of the fundamentals."

"What's there to review? Clear your mind. Control your emotions. You've been shouting it at me for three months!" Harry complained.

"Well, how are you doing it?" Severus asked with a huff. Harry scowled.

"Well, I'm trying not to feel anything, obviously!" He snarled the last bit out with a viscous sneer that gave Severus momentary pause.

Good lord, it was like looking in a mirror!

Albeit a very flattering one that made him look fifteen again...

Hang on...

"What?" Severus demanded with a flabbergasted frown. "Where on earth did you get an idea like that?"

"You told me!" Harry cried with frustration. Severus blinked.

"I said 'control your emotions' and you understood that as 'don't feel anything'?"

"Well... yeah," Harry said his expression softening.

"Harry... that's nigh impossible," Severus said with a tired sigh. "No wonder you've been struggling!"

"But... but you do it all the time!" Harry argued. "When your face goes blank and you don't-" he took in his father's exhausted expression and faltered. "Don't you?"

"Come here." Severus declared as he moved to sit in front of the fire.

"I thought you said nothing practical..."

"Well, now I know what you've been doing wrong, I'm going to teach you how to do it right. I think you'll find it a lot simpler to begin than you thought." As he went to fold himself in a full cross-legged position his knees ached and he let out a grunt of bitter frustration "You're only getting half." He finally declared. Harry joined him on the floor. "You're going full."

"Oh, what?" Harry complained.

"You're a quidditch player! You can handle sitting in a full cross-legged position for a few minutes." Severus snarled crankily. Harry did as instructed, with a bit of muttered grumbles nonetheless. "Forward, so we're knees to knees," Severus said with a gesture before he lay his hands, palms up, on the junctions of said knees. "Hands on mine, palms up." Harry complied looking confused. "Now close your eyes."

"Really?" Harry demanded, starting to get wise to how stupid this looked. Severus sent him a withering raised eyebrow and he huffed before complying.

"Now. Take a deep breath." Harry complied. "hold." Severus counted to five in his head. "And release. Continue this rhythm while I lecture." He waited a few more cycles before he continued. "Now. When I say clear your mind and control your emotions, I mean that you cannot allow your emotions to control you. To do this requires a foundation of calm. Picture in your head a scene which represents calm to you. I use an open field, with wind blowing through the grass. It should be a wide space, with something to help ground your breaths. Wind, a pendulum swinging back and forth. My mother used a metronome."

Harry immediately thought of St. Margaret's beach, with the waves rolling back and forth. He could hear the sound in his ears and it instantly soothed him. "Do you have something?"

"Hmm," Harry hummed, half asleep in relaxation.

"Now... what happens when you think about Umbridge."

The effect was instantaneous. Harry began to seeth with rage at all the terrible things the woman had done. It was so intense he started shaking. 

"What do you feel?"

"Angry. Furious. Like I want to strangle her with a rusty clothes hanger." Harry growled angrily, with eyes squeezed tight. Severus hummed in interest.

"Personally I find imagining drowning her in a cauldron of acid to be a very enjoyable pastime." He admitted with a hint of pleasure in his voice. "Now... let the winds carry your anger away." Harry frowned a bit in effort. That was the hard part. He was so angry he didn't know if the waves could take it all away. But he tried anyway, imagining his anger was a sandcastle and with each wave, a little more of it washed back into the sea. It was... surprisingly difficult and he could feel himself sweating slightly with effort, but eventually, he succeeded.

"Now how are you feeling?" Severus asked. Harry took one last deep breath to smooth the beach out once again.

"Calm." He said truthfully.

"Congratulations, you just did occlumency," Severus said flatly as he pulled his hands out from under Harry's and crossed his arms with a smirk. Harry's eyes flew open and he stared at his dad in shock.

"That... that's it?!" Harry cried in shock. But that was so easy!

"Yes," Severus said firmly. "When someone attacks you, force them to remain as you are. In your calm environment, where the winds hold everything at bay." Harry leaned back and flopped over with a groan. 

"Well that's just brilliant," he complained lightly. "I wasted nearly four months being an idiot..."

"The blame lies with me," Severus insisted cooly. "I should have explained it better. My mother taught me when I was much much younger than you, and it came much more naturally to me. I expected you to be the same. My assumptions have made us woefully behind schedule."

"When can I learn that thing you do where you shut everything down and stay absolutely focused?" Harry asked, lifting just his head with a smile. 

"I have never done such a technique in front of you," Severus said flatly.

"But there is a way?" Harry asked excitedly

"I will not be teaching you that." He declared firmly. Harry blinked before he pouted.

"What not? I thought you said I had to master it."

"Because I'm 35 and look and very often feel 50." Severus declared candidly. Harry blinked. "That technique is... useful when you are in life or death situations where interrogation is a common threat. But it burdens the soul and would lead to darker places than I am comfortable letting you go." Harry frowned a little more worry than consternation.

"But... how do you do it?" Severus huffed.

"I will tell you the very fundamentals. But you are never to attempt it. Understood? Not even if you should find yourself face to face with the dark lord himself." He let out a shuddery sigh. "It is, in fact, the only way to truly stop feeling. A master occlumens will shut himself off completely, surrounding his mind fully in a shroud of impenetrable darkness. In the absence of inner distraction, you become hyper-aware and your senses can become heightened." He levelled Harry with a serious look. "However, only a master should attempt this, as it is possible that attempting to remove the shroud could lead the occlumens to become trapped in their own mind. There is a whole ward in St. Mungo's dedicated to the foolhardy and desperate who are near catatonic, unable to function without aid, due to this technique. And even masters say that every time you do manage to do it successfully, a little piece of you is trapped in the darkness forever."

"So... how many times have you done it?" Harry asked wearily. Severus stared off into space before he gave Harry a very weary look.

"Too many."