Severus remained seated on the couch in his office. The girl had fallen asleep on him. He felt uncomfortable touching her, knowing that her small body lay against his after what had been done to her. Every time he closed his eyes, he pictured the child, Lily's child, pinned underneath of that buffoon of a man.
He remembered how innocent Lily had been at this age, sheltered, but not as sheltered as her daughter. He was almost glad that Lily wasn't here now. He shuddered to think of what she would do to him if she found out that her daughter had been abused and violated for months under his nose, under his protection.
Severus understood that he had promised the girl the memories of what had happened to her, but he wasn't sure that he could collect them without committing murder in the process.
Albus was upset with him and Severus knew why. He knew that Albus wanted Potter to forget what had happened, but Severus knew that she never would. Instead, she would be haunted day in and day out with the knowledge of what had happened to her, but without the memories to back it up.
It was brilliant really; what Lockhart had done. If Severus were to ever sink as low as that man had, this is exactly how he would have done it. Lockhart obviously hadn't been aware that he was an expert in legilimency and bound to protect the Potter girl.
Severus took some comfort in knowing that he served as the hitch in Lockhart's plan. The girl moved against him again and he flinched. This innocent interaction felt impure. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel the way his colleague had.
Albus kept his eyes trained on Severus and the child draped across his body. Severus knew what he was thinking. He had made such a mess with this child. He had tormented and bullied her in the middle of this ordeal. He knew that Albus would be disappointed in him.
"I think you handled that very well Severus." Albus said solemnly. He sounded defeated.
"What can be done about Lockhart?" Snape asked coolly. "We can't very well convene the Wizengamot in this. The entire wizarding world will bare witness to those memories. There won't be a pureblood male in Europe that hasn't seen that girl's naked body. Think about it Albus, think of the torment that she would endure."
"I understand my boy. I will have him out of the castle by the end of the Christmas break."
"I need to get those memories for Potter, but I need to be accompanied to do so. If you will, Albus."
"Of course, my boy. Though I still think that there are some stones best left uncovered."
Severus awkwardly cradled the girl's upper body in his arms as he tried to position her horizontally on the office couch. It was the middle of the night still, so he was fairly certain that they could be to Lockhart's chambers and back before Potter woke up again. In the morning they could deal with the memories.
Severus and Albus would view them first, and then one of them would accompany the girl in viewing them.
They walked slowly and in silence up the stairs towards the defense office. Severus grew more and more enraged with every step. Albus stood beside him the whole way, hand on his arm. When they reached the door, they opened it, went inside, and quickly crossed the room to the entrance of Lockhart's chambers.
Stepping in the professor's quarters in the dark, the two men made their way towards the bedroom. Lying there, undisturbed, was Gilderoy Lockhart. Albus held firmly to Severus' arm, which tensed at the sight of the man.
"Gilderoy." Albus stated firmly and loudly into the night.
The man awoke with a start. He sat up in bed and his eyes focussed in on his nighttime visitors. As soon as the light from his wand caught Lockhart's face, Severus caught himself picturing it again.
This man, leering over the girl, sucking on her neck, whispering to her, threatening her, erasing her memory. Severus lunged forward. He pinned Lockhart to the bed by his throat and kneeled over top of him.
"How does it feel to be pinned down by somebody stronger than you Gilderoy?" He sneered as he drove his elbow into the man's chest holding him firm to the bed.
"How does it feel to be powerless? Without your wand… I could do anything I wanted to you. You know what that's like don't you? To do anything and everything that you want with someone?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lockhart choked as Severus' grip tightened around his neck.
Severus pulled from his pocket a small vile of clear liquid. He forced it down the man's throat. Albus watched in silence from behind.
Loosening the grip on the man's throat so he could swallow, Severus asked again, "How does it feel to take power away from someone who is already helpless?"
"It feels good." Replied Lockhart. His voice changed. It became cold and unfeeling.
"What did you do to Rose Potter?" Severus demanded.
Lockhart laughed.
"I touched her, I made her touch me. I held her down. I made her lie there while I did whatever I wanted. She cried and screamed but nobody came running to help the girl who lived. Imagine my elation to find that I had six more weeks with her all to myself.
Severus was shaking with rage now. He tightened the grip once again against the man's throat willing himself to snap his neck like a twig. Albus' presence behind him became more pronounced when he felt the headmaster approach and put his hand on Severus' shoulder.
"Severus, retrieve the memories."
It was only then that he remembered what he was there to do. He held his wand up against the man's head and Albus pulled out an empty vile.
"I want every memory, of every time, of every single word, touch, or thought that you had about or shared with Rose Potter. Now." Severus insisted.
Lockhart struggled to breathe. Severus was choking him, and his now red face was so hot that his eyes brimmed with tears. The tears began to fall as he choked, but instead of clear, they came out silver.
Severus knew these as memories. Albus collected them in the vile. When the tears began to come out clear again, Severus released the struggling man underneath him. He gasped for air and sat up in the bed once again. Albus had pulled Severus off of him and back towards the door.
"Gilderoy, I am officially expelling you from Hogwarts, its grounds, or any affiliations that it may have. I want you to leave the premises by the end of tomorrow, and I want you to never return here. If you do so, your name will be plastered across the front of the Daily Prophet for months to come. Do you understand?" Albus relayed.
"Yes!" Lockhart gasped.
"I have never been so disgusted with an employee in my entire life. You should be truly ashamed Gilderoy." He finished.
Albus and Severus left the man's quarters as swiftly as they had entered them, exited through the office, and walked back to the dungeons together in silence. When they arrived in Severus' office, the girl was still asleep on the couch. She looked peaceful. Albus went quickly to his headquarters to retrieve the pensive, and returned. Together, they poured the memories into the basin, and stepped inside.