Draco and Harry walked back to Spinners End eventually, putting as much room on the narrow pavement between them as possible. The streets were quiet and their footfalls were audible against the hot sidewalk. The blond had rolled his black sleeves up past his elbows and looked as though his fair skin was turning increasingly pink. He rubbed his warm forehead free of sweat and tried to make passive aggressive conversation. "So Potter, what have you been doing with my godfather this summer besides sleeping in my room?"
Harry rolled his eyes internally, as if he wanted to be there, sleeping in the bedroom of the enemy. "I'm learning occlumency." He shrugged.
"How often do you practice?" Questioned Draco with a slight frown.
"On the evenings most days, but by myself only when I need to calm down desperately."
"Do it more."
"Why? It won't make a difference." The green eyed boy scoffed.
"Yes it will, stop feeling sorry for yourself Potter, this is bigger than you." Malfoy said earnestly as he stopped waking and turned to face the other boy.
"Hey, I faced Voldemort a month ago in case you'd forgotten!" Harry replied hotly.
"And they say I'm the cocky one. bullshit" Draco said, rolling his cold grey eyes and continued walking up the street. Harry scowled but said nothing. When they arrived back at the house they each felt a buzz through their bodies as the wards recognised and accepted them. The raven haired boy took out his key and unlocked the front door before running up past Snape to his room and shutting the door firmly.
Several hours later Harry heard the flames of the fireplace roar which indicated Draco's departure. He crept downstairs and slipped into the kitchen quietly to eat a very late dinner. Snape was fiddling with the record player in the living room and only glanced at him before picking up a potions journal. Snape flipped through the pages and shouted out to the next room: "Don't think you've gotten out of occlumency Potter. Be ready in thirty minutes!" Harry groaned petulantly but didn't otherwise argue.
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"1, 2, 3, legilimens!" Snape penetrated Harry's mind once again and broke down his mental shields with rather a lot of difficulty, he then saw the boy's memories flowing past him in a constant stream of colour and light. The potions master latched onto a memory of a seven year old harry being forced into a dark and dusty space, too small to be considered a room. Next was the memory of a house elf arriving at Privet Drive before Harry's second year, Snape recognised it as the previous Malfoy servant. He also saw the amount of locks and bolts on the bedroom door, and the iron bars on the window. The teacher then felt a pull dragging him out of Harry's mind, it got stronger and stronger until Snape was dragged out entirely.
He opened his eyes to see Potter in a heap on the ground clearly exhausted. "You're improving." Severus said softly. Harry's face split into a tiny smile all the while he was heaving for breath. He slumped over to the couch and sat ungracefully down. "That's enough for tonight I think Potter."
The pounding in Harry's head was awful and made him nauseous. It always happened after occlumency but he realised that Snape was bringing up the power of his attacks the further they got into the lessons. It was difficult for the boy to keep up with the fast pace his teacher was setting. "Does it always hurt so fucking much?" Harry said while cradling his head in his hands.
"Language Potter." The teacher reprimanded hypocritically.
"Honestly? Coming from you sir that seems a bit ridiculous."
"Okay fine you can swear." Snape relented with a sigh and a thin quirk to the lips, too small to be considered a smile. "Yes, it always hurts that much."
"Shit." He replied in an attempted neutral tone, it finished more as a yawn than a word but the message was still understandable. If that was what Voldemort did to Snape, it was a surprise the potions mater could walk, let alone function properly.
"Don't get carried away Potter." Snape ordered sharply. Harry smiled in a tired way, can't push him very far then. Harry's eyes were drifting shut slowly when his teacher shook his shoulder roughly causing him to jolt awake.
Snape sent Harry off to bed, the boy was clearly mentally exhausted. Potter's bedroom door thudded closed and Severus made his way outside. He was sitting outside on the back porch with a cigarette in his hand watching the smoke coil through the crisp summer air when his left forearm erupted in a searing pain. Disposing of the fag, he hurried for his mark and robes before sweeping out of Cokeworth to see the dark lord once again.
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Few death eaters were summoned to the meeting, it consisted of the inner circle exclusively. There was talk of a small raid on a muggle town in whales which Snape had avoided attending, even after Lucius mentioned it to him in passing well before Draco visited Spinner's End. Even when Snape was a junior death eater, the idea of taking another persons life didn't particularly appeal to him.
The spy was called back by the dark lord to talk privately and Snape braced himself. He was lead to a small library in Riddle manor. It was dark and dusty somewhat like Severus' own living room but more decrepit. He kneeled in front of his second master's feet and bowed his head submissively, feeling slightly irritated when he noticed that he'd need to wash the trousers of his robes free of dust after the meeting. His inky black hair covered the white skin of his face like a curtain.
The slit nosed man stood in front of the man he considered one of his most loyal subjects. If not most loyal, certainly most useful. "How does Dumbledore fare these days Severus?" He said with a voice expressing his malice toward the old man.
"The irritating goat is still alive and chirpy, unfortunately sir." Severus cringed internally at saying that but kept his straight face and his mind utterly still. He felt cold fingers touch his face softly and reach under his chin, his head lifted to meet the dark lord's scarlet red eyes.
"Has the order called any meetings?" Voldemort inquired, keeping his hand rested on the side of his servant's angular face.
"They have had no use for me as of late but I imagine that the silence won't last long. With the ministry ignorant there is little they can accomplish." Snape replied, sincerely hoping that his pain would be short. His answer was truthful though, the longer Fudge denied the truth the longer the dark lord had to become stronger. Voldemort raised his wand with his available hand as if to cast a crucio but thought otherwise when the curse was poised on his non existent lips. Severus' eyebrows twitched ever so slightly in confusion.
"Perhaps not," He muttered quietly while tucking his wand back into his sleeve. "I am however disappointed in you Severus, what is the purpose of having a spy if they deliver no information?" Voldemort moved his hand to rest on Snape's shoulder to which the younger man was thankful for.
"No point, my lord."
"No indeed. I expect you to be of more use in future." Snape heard the looming threat in his master's voice and nodded curtly before he was dismissed.
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Harry was in the kitchen wearing old pyjama pants and an enormous greying t-shirt that belonged to Dudley. He put the kettle on the muggle way and rubbed at his temples. His bare feet were cold against the white tile of the kitchen floor. He hadn't had a vision or nightmare that vivid since his occlumency shields had started improving. It wasn't that he saw anything awful, like Cedric dying or Snape being tortured, it was merely the fact that he felt his mind and Voldemort's connect again. He didn't see the whole meeting, just snippets. That was certainly an improvement. He just needed to learn how to keep his defences up when he was defenceless. Maybe Malfoy was right about needing to practice more after all.
The kettle whistled and Harry made two cups of tea just in case. He began sipping on his and accidentally spat some out when it burned his mouth. The clock read that it was just past one in the morning. The door rattled and opened. It looked like nothing was there until Snape removed the Disillusionment charm and strode in. He was still holding his bone white death eater mask and his robes were the same glossy black that Harry had seen at the graveyard and after the last death eater meeting. The young wizard handed his teacher the second cup of tea and with a murmured 'thank you' Snape sunk down on the old and squashy arm chair in the living room.
"You don't look injured." Harry said moving to sit down near him on the coach. "Like last time I mean."
"The dark lord was in a good mood." Severus said taking a sip of the hot tea. It singed his tongue and the roof of his mouth but he showed no outward sign of it.
"He has good moods?"
"Well, I am his favourite." Snape said with a lazy smirk. The comment unnerved Harry though. He pretended to keep sipping his drink but the teacher noticed his discomfort and added an afterthought. "Funny thing abut having no sense of friendship in ones life, their loyalty is very easily misplaced."
Harry smiled softly and gulped down the rest of his drink. "Did you see any of it? The meeting?" Snape inquired softly.
"Yeah but only snippets, Its still not good enough though is it?" Harry asked in a sad tone.
"You're getting better, Potter, soon enough you'll be ready." They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Harry was still fiddling with his mug while Snape drank. "Go to sleep, its late." The potions master ordered more quietly than usual. As he put the mugs in the sink he heard Harry patter upstairs.
"Are you going out again sir?" The boy asked, pausing half way up the narrow staircase. Snape was surprised for a moment until he realised that the question was particularly idiotic considering his habits during the Hogwarts break.
"No Potter, I doubt I could put up with anymore socialising for a while." Harry nodded and ran up to his room. He collapsed on the lumpy mattress and fell into a dreamless sleep.