AN: Okay, guys. You may find this chapter a little bit boring since there's virtually no action whatsoever and a lot of talking and magical theory, but I still love it with all my heart.

I hope you'll find it interesting as much as I do.

And, please, do let me know your thoughts afterward!

— - : - —

Magic

The next morning Severus woke up with his head already buzzing with questions. He still used Potter's Dreamless sleep at night, which is why he was mostly in such a good mood these days, but it seems his mind never stopped thinking, even if Snape himself didn't notice it while slept like the dead. Interesting effect, certainly worth a discussion.

The professor grudgingly opened his eyes and yawned. The already endless list of topics for a discussion grew exponentially, it was depressing. Severus was used to figuring out things on his own, but not now. Now all he could possibly do was speculate without being able to reach any solid conclusion. It was a far too similar feeling… Dumbledore used to do this a lot, with his annoying habit of talking in riddles and keeping things secret. At least Potter did answer questions… Otherwise, Severus would have exploded long ago. He got up and stretched. Yes, today he definitely would be getting some answers.

With this happy thought, Snape made his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day. It's a good thing the man basically had the whole floor for himself, if he was forced to share it with someone, things would get ugly very soon. It turned out that if Severus Snape actually slept at night, he was not a morning person.

Half an hour later, Severus arrived at the kitchen not at all surprised to see Potter already there. The boy ("the man", Snape corrected himself again) was caught up in some book, absently playing with a cup of coffee with his left hand.

"Good morning," he said quickly glancing at Snape and returning his gaze to the book.

"Good morning," drawled Severus, making a cup of strong black coffee. "What are you reading?"

Harry inhaled, intending to answer, but froze, and for five long seconds, no sound escaped him. "It's just a muggle novel," said Potter finally.

"I see," Severus eyed the thick volume. "Which one?"

"Stephen King's 'The Shining'. A horror story" laughed Harry. "Have you heard of it?"

"I have, yes. Never read it."

"Wanna try?"

"Not particularly, no. I'm not a fan of fiction."

Harry eyed the professor. "Pity. There are some really good ones."

Severus just shrugged, not bothering to reply.

"You know, I was planning to make changes in the house, and I thought maybe you have some ideas about your floor."

"It is not my house, Mr. Potter, therefore, it's not my place to do anything with it," said the professor raising an eyebrow.

"Thank you for pointing that out, professor Snape," smirked Harry, "but I'm afraid I must insist. You do still want to learn the art I'm using, right? We'll turn redecoration into the exercise, so think about what you want to do, okay?"

Severus refilled his cup and nodded. "About that. When shall we start? Professor," added he mockingly, and Harry laughed softly.

"Start what?" asked Draco, walking in the kitchen and yawning.

"Mr. Potter here is going to teach me some useful things," replied Snape, looking at Malfoy around his shoulder.

"Can I watch?"

"Um…" sighed Potter, "Sure, why not. But just so you know, we're going to be taking or sitting motionless with our eyes closed, so you won't be able to see anything exciting."

Draco shrugged. "I'll bring a book for the boring parts, then."

"Fine. Give me an hour to prepare, and then we'll start." Potter stood up and went to the sink to wash his cup, lost in thoughts.

"Where are others?" asked Draco.

"Hm?"

"The Weasleys and Granger," specified Malfoy. "Are you with us?"

"Sorry," smiled Harry. "They already left. I'll see you both in an hour in my study. It's on the fourth floor, the door on the right." And he walked out of the room, leaving the book on the table.

Draco glanced at it and curiously scanned an open page. "What the hell is that?" He asked Snape, surprised.

"It's a muggle fiction, Draco. A horror story."

"They write horror stories? Why?"

"For fun," smirked Snape, seeing the puzzled expression on his godson's face. "They write all kinds of stories."

"Can I borrow it?" Draco liked to read, but all books he ever lay a hand on were textbooks, designed for studying, not having fun.

"It is not my book, but I don't think Potter would mind if you read it," said Severus.

Precisely an hour later, both Slytherins stood outside the door of Potter's study, which swung open before they could knock.

"Don't just stand there, come in," invited Harry.

The room was almost as big as the lab in the basement. Surprisingly, walls were not lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. Well, not all of them, only one to the left. And strangely, these shelves were hidden behind glass, Snape noticed. But looking closer, he understood why. All the books he was able to see in there were about dark magic. Probably warded. On the wall opposite the door were three large windows with light green curtains on either side of each. The walls themselves were covered with warm light wood. Two soft armchairs and a small round table stood in the corner on the brown fluffy round rug. Harry sat behind the big table made of dark wood on the right side of the room, already buried under piles of papers and parchments. Two comfy chairs stood opposite each other near the table. Along the wall were placed three enormous cabinets with various contents, much of which were closed behind the cabinet doors. The fourth wall was empty, except for the picture frame with no one in it.

Potter got up and relocated himself on one of the chairs in front of his desk, gesturing Snape to the other one.

"Harry, may I borrow your book?" asked Draco, lifting 'The shining' up for Potter to see.

"Sure, I read it already a few years ago. Just put it back in the library afterward, okay?" Draco nodded. "You can sit on the armchair over there."

Snape confidently strode to the pointed chair and sat down, looking Potter in the eyes. The last hour the professor spent worrying (which was foolish and useless) but something in the casual posture and calm face of his former student finally made him relax, and Snape sighed.

"So," smiled Harry, "Severus. I've been thinking a lot about how we're going to work this all out, how to start, what to do next, and so on. Today's somewhat improvised, but starting tomorrow, we will meet here every day after dinner for at least three or four hours. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes," Snape nodded.

"Good. As you're no doubt know, the best place to start is the beginning, so today we will mostly talk. I'll ask you a few questions about your magic, and magic in general, because I need to know what you know, your level of awareness of yourself and everything around you. Please, try to answer as fully as possible, even if the question seems stupid and obvious. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. If you find yourself struggling to describe something properly, we could use legilimency, so I would see how you sense things for myself. It's not necessary but would make everything much easier. You will also spend a lot of time inside my mind throughout these sessions, but I don't think we'll get to that point today. Questions?"

Severus thought for a moment, absorbing everything he was told just now. He was far from fine with legilimency when it was used on him, but there wasn't much of a choice. "Not a question, a request," he said. "If you do legilimize me, everything you see stays between us. I do not want anyone to know anything about me and my personal life."

"Of course. Don't worry about that, I value privacy as much as you do."

Snape looked at Potter for a long moment and then nodded, apparently satisfied with what he saw. "Apart from one time before Draco's treatment started, have you ever invaded my mind?"

"No. I do have a link with your mind for many years now just for emergencies, but I've never used it," said Harry, noticing the slightly alarmed expression on Snape's face and explained further, "I made it when you went to the first meeting after Tom returned just in case something went wrong, so I'd be able to find and rip you away from his clutches."

Severus truly did not know what to say to that. He still found it hard to come to terms with the knowledge that someone did look after him all those terrible years, after all, and tried not to think about it.

Harry saw Snape's eyes become distant and glassy and decided to drop the obviously uncomfortable subject. "Anyway, if you don't have any other questions, it's time I ask mine. First things first. Magic and magical core. Or the 'Power Palace', if you like," he smiled warmly. "What can you tell me about it? What does it look like? Where is it? How does it work? How does it feel? That kind of stuff. Not the theory that every first-year knows, we're talking about your magic specifically. Don't try to analyze it or make conclusions, just tell me how you feel it."

"Well," Severus sighed and thought for a while. "Magic is energy, so, obviously, I feel it as energy, but without any specific location. It just is, everywhere."

"Are you talking about energy as a muggle physical term?"

Severus raised an eyebrow and asked mockingly, "You know muggle physics?"

"Don't you?" shot Harry right back and shook his head in amusement. "Is it warm? Cold? Does it tickle maybe? Does it feel light or dark? Neutral? Indifferent? Rough or gentle? Is it easy to control?"

Snape smirked. "It is hard to say. I've never paid much attention to it, in all honesty. It's not cold, nor is it warm. Not light, not dark, not anything. It doesn't have any specific properties… Neutral, I'd say. I cannot say anything about control either, there's nothing I could possibly compare it to."

"Okay. What about your magical core?"

"I can't feel it usually. Only when I'm truly drained."

"What does it feel like?"

"Just tightness in the chest and exhaustion."

Harry thought for a second and placed an anti-magical ward around Snape. "Do you feel any different?" he asked.

Severus tensed, momentarily recognizing the sensation. "Yes, I do, in fact. Before you ask, it feels exactly like last time, as if something's missing, but I can't tell what or where. Very unpleasant, though."

Harry nodded and lifted the ward, making Severus shiver when his magic flooded him once more.

"What's easier: defensive or offensive spells?" Harry asked after another moment.

"There isn't much of a difference, really."

Potter leaned back and stretched his legs, holding his wand in one hand. "Disarm me. And pay close attention to yourself while you do this."

Severus wanted to remind the brat of his place and opened his mouth, but suddenly remembered Potter's conditions and grabbed his wand to grudgingly do as he was told and cast the spell. The matter was not worth fighting over. As per usual, the barely noticeable flow of energy ripped from his chest through the right arm to the wand, and the next moment Potter's wand flew high into the air towards Severus, but to everyone's surprise, it vanished in mid-air, instantly reappearing in Harry's hand.

"Now, cast any other spell at me, please."

"Any?"

"Yes. Well, except Avada, of course. Change the color of my t-shirt. And then tell me if you felt any difference," smiled Harry.

Severus concentrated and pronounced the correct words with a mischievous spark in his eyes. Potter's t-shirt instantly became bright pink and glittering, but to everyone's amusement, the spell rebounded and colored Snape's shirt too. Draco nearly fell from his armchair from laughter.

"Oh, come on. How are you doing this?" asked Snape, exasperated.

Harry grinned cheekily. "Magic, professor. Just magic. So, did you feel any difference between the spells?" he asked, canceling the effects.

"None whatsoever," replied Snape after a second. "Do you feel the difference?"

"I do," said Harry. "So can you describe what's exactly happening when you cast a spell?

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Pay attention to yourself, that's all," repeated Potter.

"Oh, just like that? Really?" told Snape sarcastically and sighed. "I felt a small impulse of magic rip from my chest to the wand. The stronger the spell, the more energy it requires, and the bigger said impulse become. Other than that, nothing changes. Any more questions?"

"Well…"

"So did I pass your test, professor?"

"It wasn't a test, professor. I'm merely collecting information about your magic," he shrugged.

"In that case, I too would like to collect some information about your magic."

"Shoot."

"Answer your own questions," said Snape and shifted slightly on his seat to take a more comfortable position, and narrowing his eyes a bit.

"Uph, that will take a while, but okay, fine. Draco, you can move over here if you want."

Malfoy walked closer to them and sat on the chair behind Harry's desk, clasping his hands together.

Harry continued, "First of all, magic is not the energy. Not in a physical sense that you meant, Severus. It only acts that way when you use a wand and precisely for that reason. Kids usually don't feel anything at all at the beginning, though, everything they do just happens if they say the right words. In reality, things are a little bit different and slightly more complicated."

"I'll explain on myself. Magic is a part of me. It's a part of every cell, every tiny particle of my body, a part of my DNA if you want. It's also a part of my soul. This is why muggles can't become ghosts after they die. Magic can't be divided or removed from me in any way, under any circumstances, ever. What you considered 'magical core' is, in fact, a soul intertwined with magic. It's not substantial, which makes it more concentrated, so if I'm gonna use some particularly strong spell, it will affect my soul more, than any part of my body. Therefore, tightness in the chest. What was next?"

Severus opened his mouth to reply, but Harry interrupted him. "Oh, yes, I remember. How does it feel like… It's hard to explain, really. You won't notice it until you lose it. Or use it," smiled Potter. "When you cast a spell with a wand, you order your magic to do something, at the same time directing it towards your wand, then through it, and only then on the object or person. We'll talk about the next steps later. All this, in my humble opinion, is quite tiresome, absolutely unnecessary, and sometimes downright stupid. Wandless magic is far less complicated in that regard. But it's also a subject for another discussion. Um… Back on track. You were right about the impulse, though, Severus. But it's almost never neutral. You sensed the power with which you pushed the spell through the wand, but you didn't sense the intent behind it. All spells are different because there are different intents behind each of them. Offensive spells always feel rougher, for example. Shields are soft and warm like a blanket. There's no point in going into specifics right now, but I suppose you got a general idea."

"Yes, I did," replied Snape.

"You're good at explaining stuff, Harry. How do you know all this?" asked Draco, looking confused more than anything.

"I feel all this and much more. You'd feel it too if you tried hard enough."

"Wow. So I could learn this stuff too?"

Potter and Snape glanced at one another. "Sorry, Draco, but I don't think it's a good idea," said Harry tentatively. "This is dreadfully hard to handle, especially when you have to break all your habits and instincts, and aren't adept at wandless magic and mental arts. I honestly don't see any point in even trying. You don't need it. If you're bored to death, consider reading some school materials for the next year. I can help you with practice. Or there's a lot of muggle fiction you can read. Or go find a hobby."

"But you're teaching Severus anyway," drawled the blond suspiciously.

"Harry was not happy when I approached him with this request, I assure you. But I have my reasons, Draco, and they are quite valid."

"I see," said Malfoy and got up. "May I be excused?"

"Certainly," replied Snape and both he and Harry watched silently how Draco marched toward the exit with his head held high, clutching 'The Shining' to the chest.

Severus ignored his godson, lost in thoughts. Even the boy had noticed… Maybe his mad idea wasn't so mad, after all.

"Severus. Are you still here?" chuckled Harry.

"Potter. I have a very important question for you. But, please, think about it properly before you decide."

Harry's grin faded a little. What's the matter? He had an idea, but…

"Tell me, since you refused to go back to Hogwarts for your seventh year, what are you going to do instead? Any plans?"

"Um… Kind of, yes, a few," he paused for a second. "Nothing concrete yet." To be honest, Harry planned to do absolutely nothing, except travel around the globe for a few years, relaxing and working on his magic occasionally. Maybe try and increase the distance of his jumps in time. It always interested him, and now, when Dumbledore's gone, there's nothing to stop him.

And then he remembered their mysterious Tinky-winky and sighed. There wasn't likely to be any piece whatsoever until he dealt with them. May as well accept Snape's offer, whatever it is.

"What would you think if I invited you back to school but as a Defense professor? I'm absolutely sure you won't have any problems with your NEWTs this month, you're more than of age, you obviously know about magic more than anyone could possibly imagine. Besides, with you there I could better protect the students. I've already harmed them enough…" he added quietly, looking Harry straight in the eyes. "I'm not demanding an immediate answer from you, think it through. I planned a few interviews for the DADA and Muggle studies posts on Thursday and a staff meeting on Friday. You have until then."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just looking calmly at each other. Snape had a point. But Harry was never really interested in a teaching career. Truth be told, he didn't know what he was interested in. And Draco was right, Harry was good at explaining. And had endless patience. And as Severus pointed out some time ago, Harry did drag the man back into the snakes' nest and now simply must help him get through the worst of it at the very least. There won't be many problems with protection from the distance, but it would definitely be an easier task if he did it directly from the castle.

"Alright, I agree. Let's discuss the details later, okay? We should get back to the lesson," said Harry, and poorly hidden relief flooded Snape's eyes. He won't be left alone with the vultures.

"Thank you, Harry."

Severus was thinking about it for a while now but wasn't sure if he could actually ask. His relationship with the Golden boy vastly improved over the last several weeks. The man still wasn't sure if he liked this new version of Potter, but it definitely was better than the old one. It didn't remind him of Lily or James, which made looking at their son considerably easier, especially after all those years. This unbearable annoying itching to pay the debt died with Voldemort, giving him the opportunity to finally start breathing again. And love… Severus couldn't decide if he imagined it all or actually felt, so much time had passed.

"Severus… Five points from Slytherin." joked Harry.

"...What?"

"You're daydreaming again."

Snape chuckled. "Excuse me, professor. I was just thinking how radically one's life can change in a mere month. If at the beginning of May I knew what I'd be doing now, I'd have to check myself into the St. Mungo…"

"Guess, you're right," laughed Harry. "Everything did change rather dramatically for you. Anyway, let's get back to business, shall we? We have some things to discuss about magic in general, and we have some meditation to do. In which order is up to you."

Severus thought for a second. "Let's keep talking."

"Okay. So, the most basic stuff, then. Spells. What is it?"

Snape quirked an eyebrow. Really? First-year Charms, lesson one.

Harry grinned. "Humor me."

Sighing, Severus drawled, instantly switching into the teaching mode, "Spell is a controlled manifestation of magic. In order to succeed in casting spells, one needs to meet four factors: wand movement, incantation, concentration, and intention. Noting that spells could also be performed without a wand and/or speech, I would point the concentration out as the most important factor."

"Why? I mean, the intent is very important too, isn't it?"

"It is," said Snape. "But it is not enough to simply want to do something. Things don't just happen."

"They do sometimes. If I'd suddenly attack you, you'd automatically protect yourself. You'd need to concentrate to maintain the shield, but not to conjure it in the first place."

"Well, life tends to be harder than necessary for me. It is not the case with most of the other's, though."

"We're not talking about others, we're talking about you. Here, now."

"And I do concentrate on every spell I produce. I'm just not doing it intentionally sometimes," argued Severus.

"Yes, you do, but… Okay, an example," The room suddenly became pitch black. Harry held his wand in front of him, saying "Lumos", and a small ball of white light appeared at its tip. "It was too dark, so I wished for light, said the correct word, at the same time concentrating on delivering my command to the wand, and flicked it a bit. And — voila — we have some light. This is the conventional way of things."

Harry held his still lightened wand to Severus, who took it without comment, and the room went dark again.

"However common and regular that way is, it's not the easiest. Now I do not have a wand, therefore, no need to concentrate on it or to flick it. I won't say or even think the incantation, so I don't have to waste the energy to converging my wish into words. But look…"

The exact moment when Potter stopped explaining, the whole room filled with blinding white light for a fraction of a second, it was so bright, their eyes hurt.

"And this is what happens when I just wish for things to happen. The pure intention, without restrictions. If you would simply sit here and concentrate on magic, all you could possibly achieve would be the ability to sense its presence within you. We'd be doing it too, of course, but a tad later."

The room returned to its normal state, and both men blinked, while their eyes adjusted to the light again.

"So, do you see what I'm talking about? The intention is the most important thing, and in the beginning, we will be focusing on it for the most part. I meant what I said to Draco, you'll have to destroy all your previous habits and do things with a different approach. The exact opposite, actually. Be prepared to struggle with the simplest things. It is not difficult to make your magic do something, you only have to wish for it, after all, but controlling it during the process is much harder. You need to be aware and in control of every step you're making, every tiniest change."

Severus only nodded. What the hell he dragged himself into? He was perfectly happy with the amount of power he already possessed and didn't need more. Maybe he should relax and let Potter keep protecting them all. The boy obviously knew what he was doing. And now, when he agreed to work with Snape, the headmaster didn't need to learn anything. He would never become good enough in the short time they had anyway.

But it all was so interesting. The nerd inside Severus thrived and cheered. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he would never have it again.

Harry watched his new employer, while the man pondered everything carefully. For a second Potter thought that Snape finally understood the sheer complexity of what he tried to get into headlong and would shut the whole thing down, but then something sparkled in his eyes, and Severus relaxed, apparently coming to a decision. Harry gave him another few moments and continued their lesson.

"Now. We're gonna move to the practical part. Do you have any questions about all this before we start?"

"You said that the magical core is, in fact, a one's soul," Potter nodded. "How did you know this? Can you sense your soul?"

"Oh, thank Merlin, I can't. It must be so crippled after all those years that I should be in constant agony. You don't want to know, believe me," he added when Snape inhaled, preparing to ask about it. "No, I figured that part out after my encounters with dementors," he shuddered. "Horrible creatures. Very creepy. The soul-sucking process becomes unbearably unpleasant and painful when you can actually sense what's going on. I don't care for the bad memories, God knows I've been living in them for years, but when a dementor comes near and starts feeding, it literally ripping your soul apart in the process. I suppose it's difficult to do from the distance, and that's why they can only tear away fairly small portions of a soul at one go, and that's why they need a kiss to have the whole thing, but it explains a lot why people who've been in Azkaban for a long time are unable to recover completely. It has nothing to do with the absence of happiness, though, that doesn't help matters either."

Snape watched Potter almost cheerfully explain how dementors tear apart souls and couldn't help but feel bad. "What have you done to your soul, boy?" he asked very quietly. He truly never considered that possibility.

Harry's eyes turned cold instantly. "Don't ask, Severus. I've done many things, and some of them weren't…" he paused, "We all did what we had to in the circumstances we did not choose. Live it be."

They fell silent for a long moment eyeing each other.

"You described how one's magic delivers spells to their destination, but you never said what a spell actually is. From that art of your's point of view, I mean."

"The definition of a spell you used is correct, it is a controlled manifestation of magic. I suppose you're asking about the exact mechanics of it, but I'm afraid we shall discuss it at another time. It's simply too big and complicated to dive into right now. Do you have other questions?" replied Harry, relieved that Snape dropped the subject of souls.

"No, nothing comes to mind right now."

"Okay, to the practical part, then. I'm gonna assume that you have been meditating every night of those past weeks, as we discussed, so you won't have any problem with it now. We'll start working on your awareness of your own magic. The exercise is simple. You need to choose a spell that you'll have to maintain. A Protego, for example, or Lumos. You conjure a spell, and you keep it during the whole exercise, eventually using it as an object for your meditation, trying to find and concentrate on the flow of magic inside of you, feeling it, adjusting to the sensation, memorizing it. Don't start occluding, though. This is not about mind, it's about physical sensations. Don't look for them, allow your body to relax, it's all there, you're just too tense and preoccupied to feel it. I think it would be better if you relocated to one of the armchairs over there, they're a lot more comfortable. And forget I'm here," smiled Potter also getting up and walking around the table to take the seat behind his desk once more.

Severus grunted in response, walked to the other side of the room, sat down comfortably, and conjured a ball of light in front of him. It was far easier to maintain subconsciously. Closing the eyes, the man took a few deep breaths to calm down and started his usual process, concentrating first on the air floating in and out of his lungs. Keeping his head empty was a bit more difficult this time with blasted Harry Potter in the room, but Snape managed fine for the most part. Yes, the boy proved to be a good teacher. Severus did not regret his previous decision to hire Potter as a Defence professor. Pity, the students didn't have him before, maybe there wouldn't be so many casualties among them if Potter were to teach them properly back then. Wait… Stop this.

Cutting his straying thoughts off, Severus returned his attention to breathing. In… Out… In… Out…

In…

Out…

After a while and two more internal monologues, Snape finally reached that state of simple existence he was aiming for. There was nothing and no one but himself there. His heartbeat in the rising and falling chest. Cool air traveling down the throat. Aching shoulders, neck, and back. Slightly stiffened butt. Warm wood in the right hand. The overwhelming flow of cold energy directed to his hand from every corner of his being.

Surprised by this sudden revelation, Severus startled and dropped his wand, instantly opening the eyes. Still remembering the odd sensation, the man shuddered and glanced at smiling Potter.

"You've felt it, I assume," said Harry, laying the quill down. "Congratulations, my friend. Welcome to our ranks."

Snape smirked. "Why, thank you."

"It was a good start. You've achieved a great deal in less than an hour and a half, you know. It's very impressive. You did great," praised Harry quietly. "And on this cheerful note, we'll conclude our session for today. I have a few letters to answer, so I'll see you later."

Severus nodded and got up to leave.

"Don't forget to repeat the exercise before you go to bed, okay?" added Potter, and after receiving one more nod from the doorframe, returned to his writing.

It indeed went well. Far better than he ever hoped.