Chapter 4

Severus held the teen, understanding the need for the cathartic tears. He recognised that Harry had not been allowed time to deal with the loss of his godfather, and mentally cursed Albus' bad timing.

Albus had told him about the teen's reaction to the prophecy when he had arrived to help repair the damage to the office. Severus himself knew parts of the prophecy. He felt that the news could have been delivered at a less emotional time, when Harry had been more prepared to deal with the burden placed on him by the prophecy, and had told Albus as such. The annoying Headmaster had replied that Harry was strong willed, and that he was certain Harry would pull through. Sometimes, reflected Severus, Albus forgot that Harry was still emotionally a teen. It was clear that Albus had hoped to protect Harry's childhood, but the Headmaster seemed to have forgotten about treating Harry as an adolescent, by instead immediately treating the teen as an adult. It was clear that nobody seemed to understand how to deal with Harry.

'Except for you,' whispered a voice in his mind.

Severus growled mentally at the annoying voice that he thought had disappeared long ago.

'Who are you?' he questioned, not for the first time. He heard only a peal of laughter.

Putting the mystery aside for the moment, he focused on Harry, who had subsided into the occasional sniff. Severus realised that Harry was clutching his robes in a death grip, attaching himself firmly to his professor. Rubbing soothing circles on Harry's back, he reached out mentally towards him.

Harry recognised the mental contact and released his shaky barriers. The professor was like a guiding light in his mind's eye, showing him how to form a mental bond. A link was formed between his magical core and his mind, which then linked into the professor's mind. It resembled a bridge, glowing with the intertwined threads of magic from the two people. Snape then sealed the bond to prevent any outside minds, before sending a small wave of magical power through to Harry. With his professor's help, Harry efficiently constructed his occlumency barriers, in particular, the barriers that dampened his link to Voldemort.

Severus observed the building barriers with interest. The barrier resembled nothing that he had seen before. There seemed to be chambers, images, and strange patterns built into the now formidable defences. Sending a generalised query through their mind link, he received an invitation to enter Harry's mind, which he accepted.

He found himself in a comfortable room, with rich mahogany furnishings and plush deep green armchairs. Harry was lying down on one of the couches near the fireplace, eyes closed. Severus sat on the chair next to him.

"Thank you for your help professor," said Harry, eyes still shut.

"Don't mention it Harry," replied Severus. "But I admit Harry, I am curious about your occlumency barriers. They are different to anything else I have seen before."

"I don't really know how I made them, Professor. I just wanted to protect my mind and everything that is important to the war. I imagined it like a fortress, and then I thought about what would be in the rooms, the corridors and so on. It just…seemed to come together," Harry said.

He was careful not to mention the unknown voice that had suggested the method in the first place. As Ron had said in their second year, hearing voices was not a good thing.

Some bit of information tugged at Severus' mind. Harry's description seemed familiar, but it was not anything recent. Mulling over the information, the answer seemed to suddenly appear in his mind.

"Harry, I don't mean to upset you, but your method of occlumency was long thought lost to the time of the Founders. It was developed by Ravenclaw, who was a master at mind magic," said Severus. "Usually when we form occlumency barriers, they are simple walls, not chambers, and definitely not colours or furnishings like you have in this room. Speaking of which, what is this room?"

Harry's eyes had popped open in surprise, but now he seemed somewhat resigned.

"This is…I suppose you could call it my sanctuary. It's where I retreat to after a bad vision, or when I black out. It's the most protected part of my mind."

Severus didn't see anything that needed protection in the room, and told Harry as such. The teen laughed.

"Of course you don't see anything. It's all hidden away. Although, I can show you…"

Harry hissed in parseltongue, and the shelves covering the walls of the room shimmered into existence. A table in the centre appeared, with a series of charts on it. Now moving off the couch, Harry indicated the charts.

"This one is a map, that shows me the layout of my mind and who is in it."

There seemed to be an enchantment that prevented Severus from reading the map clearly, as the image shifted unceasingly. He tapped the chart to the right.

"This one?"

"That monitors my health, which is particularly important after a vision, as it shows me how badly the curses have affected me. When the nerve damage reaches a certain point, I need a potion urgently. It also tells me when I'm about to pass out…like earlier."

"And yet, you were brewing a potion instead of resting?" enquired Severus, one eyebrow raised.

Harry blushed in embarrassment.

"I ignored the warnings," he admitted.

Seeing the teen was uncomfortable, Severus changed the topic.

"I am satisfied that your barriers are sufficiently strong, but I don't understand why you are still receiving visions," said a confused Severus.

"I think I might have an answer to that, Professor. You see, I found my link to Voldemort bypasses the shields because it is rooted in my scar, which is part of my body. Also, Voldemort took some of my blood in the third task, so we share a blood link. All I have managed to do is suppress the link, but it requires active awareness. When I sleep, I'm unable to suppress it, instead, I contain it away from my mind but I still see what he is doing."

Harry's explanation was clear and logical to Severus, who was dismayed that Harry would continue to see the Dark Lo-Voldemort's activities. He resolved that he would help the teen through this issue, especially as his spying duties were now over. A little voice reminded him he had yet to thank Harry for saving his life.

"Harry…I have to thank you for preventing me from going back to the Dark Lo-Voldemort."

Harry seemed genuinely puzzled.

"Why do you need to thank me? All I did was report back to the Headmaster – just report, like I do after every vision."

Severus sighed. The teen was so selfless sometimes. Most people would have used the information to blackmail him later.

"Understand this Harry. Not everyone would have done what you did, particularly considering the way I have treated you these past years."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement. He supposed it was his 'saving people thing' that Hermione had berated him for. Or maybe he wasn't quite as Slytherin as he thought. A hysterical giggle bubbled to his lips causing him to firmly clamp down on his wayward emotions. The pain must have affected him more than he thought, he mused. He turned back to Snape.

"Professor, are we going to keep this mental bond?"

"Call me Severus, Harry. I think it would be prudent to have an alternative method of communication," replied the man. "And I am not pleased with how your preciousrelatives have been treating you."

"Please don't make a big deal out of it!" said Harry apprehensively. "I have to stay here for their protection."

"Theirprotection?" Severus said disbelievingly. "I believe the wards are placed here for your protection."

"Well, I suppose they would be safest if they never knew about me, but Voldemort knows they're my relatives, and I…I don't want to cause another person's death," finished Harry in a whisper.

Severus fixed him with a piercing glare.

"Repeat after me. I…did…not…kill…them," he said slowly.

Obediently, Harry repeated the phrase, but it was evident to Severus that Harry was still partly blaming himself. He wanted to take the boy away from this terrible environment to get Harry some support, even if it meant putting up with the entire Weasley family. He knew, however, that Harry would, like a foolish Gryffindor, place the security of his family and the blood wards above his own wellbeing.

"I expect to hear from you everyday via the bond, and you willtruthfully tell me how you are being treated. You will tell me what happens in your vision and how it has affected your health. You will tell me if there is any trouble with your relatives or if you need any assistance of anykind. Do I make myself clear?"

He was in full Professor Snape mode, dark eyes flashing dangerously at any hint of a refusal. Harry nodded, although he was no longer intimidated by the infamous glare. The pair withdrew from their minds, and blinked as reality returned.

Harry blushed as he realised he was still clinging to the front of his professor's robes, but couldn't help but feel comforted and secure in the embrace. Exhausted from the events of the past few days, his eyes slipped shut of their own accord. A potions vial was placed at his lips, and he swallowed obediently, gratefully falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When he woke, late next morning, still groggy from the potion, he found that Professor Snape had left him a gift of sorts. The room was completely transformed into a comfortable bedroom, and a large supply of potions waited for him on his desk, along with food; enough to last him weeks. A single note was on the desk.

Harry,

Remember your promise.

S.S.

A/N: I know I haven't update in a while – I'm sorry. As I told some of you, I was separated from my computer for over a week, and then had a case of writer's block. This chapter will probably be rewritten in the future, as I'm still not happy with it. Thank you for your reviews and support. Please review!