Title: A New Teacher

Author: Azure K Mello

Part number: prolog.

SPOILERS: HBP

Pairing: Draco/Harry

Summery: Can Harry accept his new occlumency teacher and find what he needs to learn or will his own preconceptions tear them apart?

Harry stood looking at the portrait of Hogwarts finest headmaster and said softly, "The eyes aren't right."

"No?" asked an interested voice from behind him.

"They aren't busy enough. Your eyes were never that unoccupied," he said as he turned to look at Dumbledore behind him. "The painter didn't get it."

"I was never good at faces," said Dumbledore with a slight shrug.

"Oh, Professor, I didn't realize. You painted this? It's fantastic," said Harry trying to make amends.

"It's alright, Harry. I can take criticism, especially from those I respect."

"Sir, why am I here?" asked Harry slowly.

"In my office? Perhaps you're looking for my sherbet lemons, Minerva has yet to find them."

"No, I'm asleep and we aren't really talking, are we?" It was the first night Harry had been able to really sleep since witnessing Dumbledore's death.

Dumbledore studied the boy for a moment and said, "You are sleeping, but we are most definitely talking."

"Your dead, sir."

"Yes, but, Mr. Potter, there is still much we need to discuss. For one thing I shouldn't have been able to get into your mind. You need a new occlumency teacher."

"Snape-"

"Professor Snape," interrupted Dumbledore, "will not be teaching you." He paused and said slowly, "You know, Harry, were you anyone else I would have taken your recent thoughts on Severus to be conceited and arrogant. You believe my trust in him was ill placed? You think that you now see him more clearly than I did? Don't be foolish."

"He killed you."

"I asked him to. I asked him to protect two of my favourite students. Do you honestly believe that he didn't realize you were there? He was protecting you from having the Death Eaters discover you. He was protecting Draco from doing the unforgivable. Even before school started I knew about Draco's supposed desire to kill me and I knew that Severus had made the Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa, the man told me himself. That made what had to be done much simpler: Severus was not only expected to kill me but duty-bound to as well.

"Now, do you truly think Voldemort cares who kills you? If you die then Voldemort is out of peril. He may have said he wants to kill you himself but that is merely pride speaking for he knows how much safer he would be if one on his minions killed you for him. Yet how many times did Severus tell the Death Eaters that you were not to be hurt? He saved both you and Draco and now he is acting as the ultimate spy, for besides you and me, no one knows his true allegiance. He will be your greatest ally when the time comes for you to stand against Tom Riddle. Never doubt the faith I put in him. He will protect you with his life, Harry, he's always been willing to do so."

Harry said nothing it was all too much sudden information so instead he asked softly, "Who should I be learning occlumency from? I'm not going back to school, not yet anyway."

"No, I didn't think you would be going back there, someday maybe, perhaps when the school needs a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" he chuckled to himself and said, "I'm afraid you will like this teacher being in your mind even less than you liked Professor Snape being there. What have I always told you your greatest weapon against Lord Voldemort was?"

"Love," said Harry softly.

"Yes, love. He will never understand it. Which is why it is so important for you to find Draco Malfoy and forgive him for what he almost did. Forgiveness is simply an extension of love. Voldemort has not been able to forgive Draco and so he has lost a very powerful ally. Only through forgiveness and love can you forge new paths. He is by far the best person to teach you how to shut your mind off from the world. He is alone, has been kicked out of the Death Eaters for his failure to kill me, and is ready to be led back to his right path. I'm sure you heard of Narcissa's death? All he wanted was to protect her and as Draco failed to complete his task Voldemort took away his reward, his mother's safety."

"I cannot believe you want me to forgive him! He wanted to kill you and protect himself."

"He had no desire to kill me and he certainly didn't care about his own safety."

"You heard him saying that if he didn't kill you they would kill him!"

"That wasn't his motivation. Think, Harry, all this year you've noticed how pale and thin he was becoming. If he cared so much for his welfare would he have allowed himself to become so ill and unkempt? He was trying to protect his mother and father. Anything else was a bonus. If you were given a way to save your parents would you not take it? I know you too well, Harry, we both know you would try to do it, damn the consequences. Draco and you are so much more alike than you think. He isn't evil. He would never have been able to do it. Now he needs your forgiveness so that he might forgive himself. You will find him at Malfoy Manor, much the worse for wear, you must go there and together, you can mend this rift."