Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, except the one I created myself. All others belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. I have only borrowed them for my amusement and hopefully yours as well.

Chapter 20

It was thus that Jolicia settled into her daily routine. Her classes were all going well now. Snape was again civil to her. He had calmed down a few days after the 'Draco incident' and they were able to carry on their mealtime conversations. She rarely saw him outside of meals, not even in the corridor to their rooms.

Jo and Harry had decided that Tuesday evenings would be the best time for his Occlumency lessons. She had, of course, reminded him of the importance of secrecy. No one could know what they were doing. Jo suggested that, if asked, he should say he had become her teacher's assistant. Harry agreed that it was a plausible cover.

Before Harry's first lesson, Jolicia had made a trip into Hogsmeade. She had gone to Dervish and Banges to purchase a Pensieve. She thought that it might make Harry feel more at ease if he knew he could keep some of his thoughts private from her. She herself did not intend to use the object; it really was for his benefit. She knew at some point, they would move into the field of Legilimency once he had mastered Occlumency. It was the next logical progression. The two went hand in hand.

Harry presented himself to her office that first night, looking rather nervous.

"Harry, welcome," smiled Jo. "Are you ready to begin?"

He nodded that yes, he was. She drew his attention to the bookshelf. Harry immediately recognized the Pensieve.

"It's empty, Professor," Harry said with surprise.

"Yes of course it's empty. It is for your use, Harry, not mine," offered Jo.

"Mine? I don't understand," he questioned.

"I don't really have thoughts or memories that I feel I should keep from you. Whatever you might pick up from me won't be a problem. However, please feel free use the Pensieve to store any ones that you might want to keep private from me," said Jolicia.

She saw him hesitate.

"Go on, Harry. It's all right. I bought for you," she urged.

With that, he went to the device, pulled out his wand and removed several memory strands from his mind. Once they were safely stored, he returned to Jo's side.

She put her arm around his shoulders and said, "We'll begin with some relaxation exercises. Sit."

He listened calmly to her voice as she told him to close his eyes and breathe slowly and deeply.

"Concentrate on your breathing, Harry. Inhale and exhale slowly and deliberately. Let yourself go. Let your tension flow out of your body through your arms and legs. Block out everything except the sound of my voice. It is just you and I here, Harry. This is between you and me. No one will ever know what transpires in this room. You can feel free to let yourself go. No one will judge you. You will not be graded on your performance. We will take this at your pace. Take as much time as you need. We are here for you. I am here to help you ever step of the way. You are not alone. Trust me, Harry, you can do this," chanted Jo.

She watched him carefully as she spoke. She saw his body sink down further into the chair – her technique was working. She spoke more words of encouragement until she felt he was ready for the first attempt.

"It is time, Harry. I want you to try to block me. Empty your mind of all emotion. Do the best that you can. Take out your wand and prepare yourself," Jo bade him.

She gave him a few more seconds before she pulled out her own wand and cried, "Legilimens!"

Her mind became filled with images she had never seen and emotions she had never felt: the sound of the latch being closed on the door under the stairs; the feeling of being trapped; humiliation at being teased because the clothing was too large; the wonder of discovering wizardry; suffocation because he was sitting on you again; hunger day after day. Suddenly, the imagery stopped as if a switch had been thrown. She was seated on the ground half way across the room. Harry had tripped over the chair and was down on his hands and knees, panting.

"Harry, Harry are you all right?" Jo called.

It took him a few seconds to reply, "Yes, I think so. What happened? Did I hurt you, Professor?"

"No. Don't worry about me," she said rising to help him. "You cast 'Expelliarmus' and my wand went one way and I the other."

Harry looked down at the floor and muttered, "That sucked. I told you I was no good at this."

"It was only our first try. You did manage to throw me off, eventually," said Jo, trying to encourage the lad. It was draining on both of them, but she was curious.

"Harry, do you mind if I ask you some questions about what I saw? You are not obliged to answer if you'd rather not," Jolicia inquired.

"No, it's okay. What did you want to know?"

"Why were you in the cupboard under the stairs?"

"That was my 'room' for the early part of my life."

"And you were often locked in?"

"Yes. It happened whenever I did something that displeased my aunt or uncle. I displeased them a lot."

"I sensed a feeling of hunger. Did they not feed you properly?"

"No, not really. I often got scraps or a piece of bread and cheese. I guess that's why I'm a little on the small side nowadays."

"Who was it that sat on you?"

"It was my cousin Dudley. He gets the greatest pleasure in torturing me."

Jo listened to Harry with disbelief. How could his own flesh and blood treat him so poorly? She would never understand.

"I don't know what to say to you, Harry. I'm sorry to make you talk about these painful memories. I am being insensitive," said Jo.

"No, Professor Medwin, don't be sorry. I said I didn't mind. They are just the facts of my life, that's all. Happily, most of them are in the past now," Harry offered graciously.

"Well, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm always here. I'm a pretty good listener," she smiled. "Do you feel up to giving it another go?" she asked.

Harry agreed and they tried four more times. The results were the same.

Finally, seeing the boy was exhausted, Jo said, "I think that's enough for tonight, don't you?" He agreed whole heartedly. He retrieved his memories from the Pensieve and turned to leave.

"We'll pick it up again next week. Good night, Harry. Sweet dreams," wished Jolicia. "Hey, chin up. We made a good start."

Harry smiled weakly back at her. He wasn't too sure.