Thanks for letting me know about the problems with posting this chapter. The site seems to have deleted it and the link wasn't working. Hopefully this will be working now for those that haven't read it yet. Enjoy. New chapter soon. x

"Potter, a word if you will?"

The other students looked around as Harry hung back after their lesson and sat back down at his desk. She waited for the others to leave and cast a few privacy charms around them.

Harry seemed to know exactly why he was there, and he looked miserable.

"Look, first and foremost, you are here because I would like you to continue occlumency lessons… with myself."

Harry looked up at her in surprise, his eyes wide.

"The only thing I am going to ask you, Harry, is that you don't tell anyone. Not a soul. As far as everyone is aware, Professor Snape is still teaching you. Is that ok?"

"Thank you, Professor Lake," he said gratefully, looking relieved.

"We shall meet on Tuesday lunchtimes in my office. I am not well versed in the world of legilimency, but I am quite a capable occlumens, and I most certainly learnt from the best. I hope I can at least pass on a few basics. In the meantime, it is important that you keep practising the techniques that Professor Snape taught you."

"Yes Professor, thank you," he repeated.

"And now I would quite like to know what on earth happened." she said in the most understanding tone she could muster.

The young boy sighed, and his expression was pained. "I'm sorry, Professor, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to look, I just- it was just sitting right there on the desk and… I just couldn't help myself…"

Serena frowned. "Where was Professor Snape?"

"He'd gone to help Umbridge, there was some sort of noise from upstairs…"

Serena leant against the desk opposite him and shook her head at his stupidity. "You betrayed Professor Snape's trust, and you broke any unspoken rules between wizards about pensieves. You know that?"

"I do, Professor," he said quietly. A long silence stretched out before them, and then the boy looked up at her with desperate eyes. "I just can't believe it was my dad," Harry muttered, looking utterly miserable. "My dad, treating him like that for no reason…"

"Your mum, you mean?" Serena corrected, frowning.

"What? No, she wasn't there," he said distantly. "Just my dad, and… Sirius and Professor Lupin… and the traitor Pettigrew," he finished bitterly.

Serena frowned, feeling utterly confused. Lily hadn't been in the memories? Lily hadn't been what he had been trying to hide from Harry? Lily hadn't been on his mind?

Harry, who wasn't even looking at her anymore and probably assumed she knew the whole tale anyway just ploughed on in his story and she hung onto every word fervently. "-all because Sirius was bored. And they just had him there, hanging upside down, threatening to- well, you know, Professor… and for no reason. Just no reason… Snape's always said my dad was a bully and now… I don't know what to think…"

Serena stared at him incredulously. The memories that had been hidden preciously in Severus' pensieve had not been of Lily at all… but of James? And Severus had rather her think it had been Lily, because the reality was of him being bullied and humiliated by Potter's father and her two best friends, publicly, it seemed, in front of the school. Severus would never admit weakness, she knew that, but this… this was just heart-breaking…

She dismissed Harry almost dreamily. Everything people said was true. Bullied kids never truly recovered. Never.

Two weeks later, Severus was surveying Serena's brewing of a simple pepper-up draught. They both finished early on a Wednesday as exams were soon to be starting and Serena's extra curriculum classes had been reduced to one hour a week.

Severus sighed as a knock on the door startled Serena and she almost added too many jellyfingers.

"Do try not to burn my classroom down," he drawled sarcastically, not seeing her supress a laugh behind his back as he strolled to the classroom door.

"Yes?"

"Er, Professor Snape, sir, Professor Umbridge wants you... someone has turned the fourth-floor corridor into a swamp, sir."

"Is that so?" Severus said in a rather humorous tone. "Perhaps a job for the Charms Mistress?" He opened the door wider and Serena spotted a first year Hufflepuff standing there.

She raised her eyebrows at Severus' baiting and smirked, "I seriously doubt it, swamp charms are much too complicated for me." She couldn't quite hide the sarcasm from her voice.

He rolled his eyes, picked up his cloak and gestured for her to go before him. She sighed and cast a stasis charm on her potion. "Very well, lead the way Avis." She glanced at Severus as they followed the child up the dungeon corridor. "You owe me one for this," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

As they reached the Entrance Hall, it appeared that the situation was much graver than just a swamp. It was almost like the night where Sybil had been fired; students lined the halls, Umbridge stood on the stairs and in the middle of all the commotion was… Fred and George Weasley. Serena felt her heart sink and her mind flew to how Molly would react if they got into serious trouble.

She grabbed a seventh year Hufflepuff and asked what was going on.

The boy shrugged, "they put a portable swamp in the East Wing professor, and Umbridge has said she's going to whip them in front of the whole school."

"Jesus," she breathed under her breath, looking at Severus who had heard everything and was clearly thinking very rapidly, trying to find a solution.

She turned her head as Umbridge's words resonated out over the hall. "You two are about to find out what happens to wrong-doers in my school."*

"You know what? I don't think we are."* Fred said much too cheerfully for students cornered and being threatened with whipping. She watched with a mixture of pride and horror as they summoned their brooms and kicked off into the air. She remembered how she had taught them that summoning charm the previous year.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves!"*

Through the cheers of the other students, and perhaps some teachers (Serena swore she saw Minerva on the opposite side of the hall punch her fist into the air), Fred and George flew around the hall and then zoomed straight out of the front doors whilst Umbridge screamed angrily at Filch behind them.

"How exciting," Severus drawled loudly, causing several students to scatter as they realised who was standing behind them. "And now I suggest you all get to your final class of the day, unless any of you fancy a whipping?"

The effect was immediate, and within a minute the entrance hall was empty.

"Thank you, Severus," the red-faced Umbridge click-clacked along the hall towards them. "Although I am rather disappointed you did not get here earlier. Ah, Professor Lake, your services will be needed in the East Wing of the castle. I trust you can get rid of the swamp?"

Serena raised her eyebrows and counted to five in her head. There were many things she would like to say to Umbridge but all she allowed herself to do was nod silently and make her way up to the fourth floor. It was a brilliant piece of magic, she had to admit, the charm was well-executed, and she thought proudly of how far they had come. She was quite confident the charm would hold for at least a few weeks and didn't even blush when she reported to Umbridge later that evening that she clearly did not have the skills to undo it. Furiously, Umbridge ordered Filch to punt the students back and forth to classes until she had found a solution.

"Molly, I really did everything I could," Serena said guiltily, as the red-eyed Weasley looked at her with accusative eyes. "I mean, honestly, if they really have a shop in Diagon Alley, then they have been clearly planning this for a while. And truly, just because they don't finish their studies it's not the end of the world for them. I mean, look at me, I don't even have any OWLs never mind NEWTs."

Molly sniffed and her silence clearly showed what she thought of that. Serena looked at Remus for help and he put an arm around Molly and pulled towards a chair.

"Hello beautiful."

She rolled her eyes as Sirius appeared behind her, a smirk on his face. "You've been scolded too, have you? She's blamed everyone she's set eyes on since Tuesday, don't worry."

"And the twins?"

"Confined to their room when they're here, they're only allowed down for meals. But most of the time they're in Diagon Alley, just like they said."

Serena shook her head. "Honestly, you should have seen Umbridge's face."

"You should have seen Molly's when they showed up here," he smirked.

"Oh god, I'm glad I wasn't here actually."

"Yeah, she woke up my blasted mother and even made Vinnie cry. That did calm her down a bit though, she felt a tad guilty I think. Anyway, I think it was genius."

"Yes, well, you would," she smirked.

"Where's your bodyguard, anyway?" Sirius asked, biting into a chocolate biscuit.

"Severus has been summoned," she said quietly, subconsciously playing with her wedding ring. "He got called this afternoon, he wasn't expecting it so I don't know when he'll be back."

Sirius had the decency to give her a sympathetic look. "Well, don't worry too much, he always manages to crawl back out of whatever hole he falls into. And we've got a nice bottle of Bailey's chilling in the fridge for tonight, Samuel bought it."

She chuckled. "You're all bloody alcoholics in this house."

"Yes we are," he grinned.

"Sssseverusss… come forward…"

Severus approached the Dark Lord who sat, bare foot on a throne-like chair in the middle of a marbled-floor room. He made sure he kept his head bowed and his posture humble. He was on high alert and his muscles were as tense and ready to spring as his mind was. He did not like being called unexpectedly.

He clocked that Lucius was standing to the Dark Lord's left side, and two masked Death Eaters he noted to be Goyle and Avery from their size and weight, were flanking the door to the right. His fingers flexed tensely as he stood before the Dark Lord and bowed low, trying not to look at the disgusting feet that poked out from the black robes that covered his thin unhuman body.

"My lord," he purred, summoning his Death Eater persona from the depths of his mind palace. You're his servant. He's your master. You're his servant. He's your master.

"Stand, Severusss," the Dark Lord hissed, and Severus straightened. "I have good news. Lucius has made progress in the Ministry of Magic. I shall be sending a spy tomorrow evening to follow the path I must take to acquire what I need…"

"Positive news, my lord," he said quietly, finally daring to look into the red eyes that stared out from his snake-like face. He could feel the Dark Lord penetrating his mind, checking for any signs of disloyalty behind his dark orbs. He would find none. Severus was sure of that. "How may I serve you? How can I help?"

"You, Severus, shall occupy Dumbledore… I do not want him in the Minisssstry. You will keep him occupied and at Hogwarts all night."

Severus bowed low once more. "Yes my lord. Consider it done."

When he looked back into the Dark Lord's eyes they were gleaming triumphantly. "Very well!" he hissed eerily. "We shall celebrate. Lucius! Bring me Bellatrix… and find a friend for you and Severus…"

"Certainly, my lord," came Lucius' excited whisper.

They both bowed low and Severus followed Lucius out of the grand hall through the pair of double doors flanked by the two men. He noticed that Goyle was rubbing his thigh. An injury? Was it a potential weak area? He added it to his mental notes about the Death Eater. Noting their strengths and weaknesses was an important part of being a spy.

As they walked through the narrow corridor they crossed many men with silver masks and black cloaks. Severus heard shouts of pain or pleasure coming from several of the private rooms and felt dread in his stomach as he knew what would be asked of him. What could he do? How could he stop this?

You can't. Not this time. And he knew it was true. He pushed those thoughts down into the depths of his mind palace and pulled his Death Eater persona a little tighter around his body.

Lucius nodded to Crabbe and the larger wizard stepped away from a wooden door, allowing the two men access.

Two muggles huddled on a bed in the middle of the room. They were partly clothed, freezing and terrified. His mind started racing. If only he knew where they were he could try and send a rescue party, but he always apparated to an unknown location, not even Lucius knew where it was! Stop it! He thought desperately, you're a Death Eater.He felt his lip curling and made care to project a look of appreciation as his eyes roamed the bodies before him.

"I'm not sharing," he sneered at Lucius.

"Then take your pick, brother," Lucius smiled dangerously at the two girls and Severus looked at them more closely.

The girls whimpered as Severus' flat gaze slipped over their bodies. One looked no more than sixteen, a small girl, with long brown hair and blue eyes that were full of tears. The other was older, perhaps twenty, he thought. She looked defiantly at him and Severus found himself begging her in his head. Don't fight. Don't fight it.

"Her," he muttered, nodding towards the younger girl who immediately began to sob. "And I'll keep the room."

Lucius chuckled, "I think not. The Dark Lord would very much like to watch the show, Severus, you know that."

Severus' teeth clenched. It had been worth a try. He marched over to the young girl and grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly to her feet.

"No!" she shrieked hysterically, "please, please mister-"

"Shut up you filthy slut," he spat at her venomously, ignoring Lucius' cold laugh. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her out into the corridor, marching her down towards the throne room. He whispered a few spells to numb pain, but he could not risk trying to calm her down. She would be expected to scream.

He dragged her into the room and was sickened to see the Dark Lord's eyes gleaming with arousal.

"Excccelent," the Dark Lord hissed. "You will enjoy this present I give to you, Severus, and not forget it."

"Thank you, my lord," he said quietly, "you are most gracious."

He didn't turn around when Bellatrix cackled behind him, nor did he look when Lucius entered with the second girl.

"That's right, you filthy slut," he said loudly, pulling the girl a little further away from the others and turning her back to them, so that she would focus on only him. "You are my reward, an object, and I shall use you as I see fit. Now kneel."

In a whisper he had given them more privacy with a very subtle spell that had taken him months to perfect. When he whispered, only she would hear him.

"Do as I say and you may get out of here alive," he whispered through his teeth, undoing his belt rather dramatically as she looked up at him with wide, confused eyes. "Trust me. Now scream and protest."

She stared at him in fear as he undid his belt and trousers and pulled out his limp, flaccid cock.

"Now!" he hissed and she screamed. The sound, just as he had wished, pulled everyone's attention over to them, and he knew they were all watching as he grabbed her face and thrust his cock into her mouth. It would have looked a lot worse from the Dark Lord's viewpoint, and Lucius was too far away to have seen that Severus wasn't even hard. By all means, it would have looked as though he was gagging the girl with his cock. Tears were streaming down her face, but Severus didn't care. Now came the hard part. Now he had to get an erection.

"Suck it slut," he said loudly, gripping her hair tight and forcing her to move backwards and forwards. "You're nothing but an object to me, do you hear? I will do things to you that you can only imagine."

Was she a virgin? He found his overactive mind asking. Was this to be her only sexual experience? He couldn't let her be penetrated, he would do everything to stop it.

"Do what I say and I will try to save your life," he breathed, and he hated how seeing her look up at him with young, innocent eyes, her mouth buried deep up to his balls, her hands clutching his calves tightly, finally made his cock start to grow. He hated himself as he grew harder in her mouth, hated how her eyes bulged as she struggled to take the whole length of him, and how it made his cock throb harder still. This was wrong, so wrong.

"Keep it up," he whispered down to her. "I want you to live."

Severus took the opportunity to look around the room and froze as two different men entered the room. This was exactly what he had been dreading. The man on the left had no mask, and he recognised Fenrir Greyback, a hungry look on his face as he took in the scenes of sex around the room. The man on the right was Dolohov.

Greyback chuckled as he strolled around the room and Severus felt a pang as he settled in an armchair not far from him, his eyes fixed on the young girl on her knees.

"Knew you had a thing for your student girls, Snape," he leered, and Severus' hand gripped the girl even tighter. She whimpered around his tightening balls. If Severus could keep her out of Greyback's hands, then perhaps he could ask the Dark Lord if he could take her with him to Spinner's End. Severus had never asked for anything before. Well, nothing that had been granted, anyhow, and it could be possible if he played his cards right.

Severus' attentions turned back to the girl. Lucius had already cum over his prize, and Severus would be expected to quickly follow. Greyback was still watching with a predatory smile that put Severus on edge.

He muttered a few obscenities and focussed on her hot mouth on his cock. He would never allow himself to think about her, not here, not even if it would help him groaned as he edged nearer to completion. He hated himself, he hated his life, he hated this betrayal, he hated it all. This was a child, dammit, she was just sixteen, she was so young! And her best hope would be being raped quickly. Focus!He scolded himself. This was business. Get on with it. He pushed her deeper along his member, forcing himself down her throat, her gag reflex only tightened around him and after three forced strokes he cursed as he spilled himself inside her mouth.

She spluttered and coughed and then there was a flash of green light and she slumped sideways to the floor, Severus' seed dribbling down her chin.

Severus was across the room in a second, his wand trained on Greyback and his other hand tucking his cock back into his trousers. "What the fuck are you doing?" He advanced slowly on the leering man, his hand trembling slightly as anger and disgust overwhelmed him. His heart thumped in his chest as he saw her dead body out of the corner of his eye, limp across the marble floor. He'd really thought he could save her. Instead, she lay with his cum in her dead mouth. He swallowed down his own vomit.

The curse he sent took Greyback by surprise, he hadn't thought Severus would dare attack in front of the Dark Lord, but Severus' every move was calculated. Greyback was flown dramatically across the floor and hit a marble pillar with a sickening crack.

Lucius hurried over to him, "Severus?"

"He killed my pet," he spat, before turning to the Dark Lord and falling to his knees repentantly. He bowed his head low. "My lord, forgive me. But I believed my lord had granted me with a gift, and Greyback took it from me. Perhaps it was my lord's wish, and I have been naïve."

"No," the Dark Lord said softly, and Severus let out the breath he was holding. "You are right, Severus, it was not Greyback's gift to take. Rise. You may punish him as you see fit."

"Thank you, my lord," he said once more, and felt a satisfactory smirk as he heard Greyback moan with fear behind him.

Severus spun back around, his eyes flashing with rage as he advanced upon the coward that had killed a young girl who had asked for nothing. "Don't,' he slashed his wand through the air for dramatic effect; he had gathered quite an audience and he intended to use it to his advantage. "Fuck… with… what's… mine…" On the last word his curse hit Greyback straight across the chest and he watched as red blood spattered across the pristine floor and seeped through his black robes. He spun around again, intent on getting out of their as soon as possible, but he had clearly underestimated Greyback's cowardice. He sensed the movement behind him, he screamed at himself inside his head, but nothing could be done. He turned a fraction of a second too late and bit down hard on his lip as he felt the curse slice through his shoulder, and even saw his own blood and flesh fly past him in the air like water.

Greyback didn't know what hit him after that. His screams echoed around the hall for long minutes. As in agony as he was, Severus hit curse after curse at the man, slicing and hexing and hurting him as much as he could, all he wanted to do was cause pain, and more pain, and even more pain-

"Don't kill him, Sseveruss…"

Severus stopped immediately. He stood, panting, sweating, covered in his own, hot blood.

He turned to Avery and sneered. "Heal him. If he dies it will be your fault."

The man rushed forward and Severus stormed out of the hall, keeping himself together for just a moment longer, until he could turn and apparate into the cold night.

He fell face-down onto the carpet at Grimmauld Place and let out a low, animalistic moan.

* indicates JK Rowling's dialogue.