Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, items, ect.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 30 – Silver's Memories

The rest of the week passed by in a kind of blur for Harry. Quidditch was intense; the long-awaited Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match was coming up in just a couple of weeks. It was the match that would decide who won the cup, since Slytherin and Gryffindor were currently both undefeated. Harry couldn't wait for a chance to wipe Malfoy's nose in the dirt, and Silver was dying for a chance to beat a Bludger at him. She had been practicing her aim lately and had been getting pretty good. On Saturday both he and Silver had to practice an extra three hours of Occlumency; for on Monday, Harry would be attempting to break into Silver's mind.

It was Sunday night, and he and Silver were walking back from some last- minute Potions homework in the library.

"So, are you ready for Occlumency tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"I think so," she replied, "I trust you with my memories."

He smiled at her. "That means a lot to me," he replied.

"Just catch me if I fall," she said, half teasing and half serious.

"You bet," he replied, snaking an arm around her waist.

They stopped outside the portrait, and Silver slid her arms around his neck playfully. Grinning, he bent down to kiss her. When he drew away, however, she looked fearful.

"What is it?" he asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

"Kiss me again," she replied quietly.

He obeyed her with no protest, but he was still worried. When he pulled away, she stood on her tiptoes and got one more kiss out of him before drawing back. He held her for a moment, looking down at her questioningly.

"I'm a bit scared about tomorrow, I guess," she admitted.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to," he told her.

She smiled. "I know, I just..." she trailed off uncertainly, and he decided the best thing to do would be to go inside and forget about it.

He turned to the Fat Lady, who immediately pretended she hadn't been watching the whole thing.

"Snow day," he said, and she sprung open. Charisma bounded ahead of them, and then Silver. When Harry climbed through, Silver was standing with her hand clapped over her mouth, staring at the couch. Harry's eyes widened when he looked. Ron and Hermione were snogging passionately, completely unaware that anybody else was in the room. He looked at Silver, who was smiling mischievously.

"Get a room!" she exclaimed.

Ron jumped off of Hermione and landed on the floor, and Hermione clapped her hands over her face, as if to hide herself. Harry chuckled, and Ron glared.

"Don't look at us like that, Ron, you're in the common room, for heaven's sake," Silver reminded him cheerfully.

"How long have you been there?" he demanded.

"Long enough," she replied cryptically.

Ron scowled at her. Hermione was blushing a shade of red that even Ron could not often match.

"Oh my gosh," she said, "I didn't...I..."

Silver giggled. "Need to brush your hair," she finished.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, 'Mione, it's just a tad mussed," he chimed in.

Hermione's hair was indeed much bushier than usual. Blushing, she dashed up the stairs to the girls' dorms. Ron, still scowling, walked to the boys'. Silver burst out laughing as she sat on the couch. Harry couldn't help but join in.

"That was priceless," he sighed.

Silver giggled. "Poor Hermione, she's not going to want to face you for days."

"Me? You saw it, too!" Harry protested.

"Well, yes, but I'm a girl, so that makes it okay," Silver answered.

"Yeah, well Fred and George were boys, and that didn't make it okay when they walked in on us," Harry retorted.

"It's different with girls," Silver answered.

Harry sighed. Yeah, more complicated, he thought to himself. He looked over at her to find that she was looking at him rather coyly.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, blushing slightly.

He grinned. "You wanna snog me," he said in a singsong voice.

"I do not," Silver answered stubbornly, scooting away from him.

"Do, too!" he argued.

She gave him an evil glare. "You wish," she declared.

"Yes, I do," he agreed, reaching for her.

She scooted away. "Harry, this is the common room!" she protested.

"So?" he said, "Nobody's in it right now."

"And a lot of good that did Ron and Hermione," she answered smartly.

"Who are both in their dorms too embarrassed to come out anytime soon," he reminded her.

"And what about the rest of the Gryffindors?" she asked.

"We'll hear them coming," he said.

"Hmph," was her reply, "You didn't hear Fred and George after they banged the door open."

It was his turn to blush. "Well if you look at it that way," he said, as if she were doing him an injustice.

She gave him a smug look.

"A kiss, then?" he asked.

"A kiss," she agreed, scooting closer to him.

Grinning evilly, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with passion. She returned the kiss in full, and then some, surprising him. Well, I suppose it'll be easier than I thought, then, he thought as she attempted to draw back, and failed. He pressed his lips over hers again, and she only protested for a few seconds before falling into the kiss. She tried to pull away, and he let her pull him with her down on the couch, kissing her all the way.

"Harry," she hissed, "Anybody could walk in!"

"So we'd better make the most of the time we have alone," he replied, kissing her once more.

She pushed against him as hard as she could, but he refused to budge. He felt her hesitate for a moment, and then she began to return his kisses. One of her hands busied itself in his hair, while the other attempted to pull him closer. Suddenly she pulled away. He frowned. She had been enjoying it as much as he had, he was sure of it – she couldn't possibly want to stop. She turned to Charisma, who was watching them interestedly.

"Charisma, let us know if someone comes," she breathed.

Charisma obediently hopped over to the portrait hole. Harry turned back to her, grinning broadly.

"I knew you wanted to snog me," he said smugly.

"Hush up," she replied, pulling him down to her once more.

Harry's hand that was around her waist began to wander as they kissed. It found the hem of her shirt, and began to creep underneath, but no sooner had his fingers touched her stomach than she gave a sharp pull on his hair. He pulled away briefly and chuckled as she gave him a warning look.

"Sorry," he whispered as he kissed her.

Apparently she accepted his apology, for the word was hardly out of his mouth before she was kissing him again. Harry heard a squeal somewhere in the distance, but dismissed it. It couldn't mean anything. Silver seemed not to hear it at all, for nothing changed whatsoever, in fact, she was still attempting to draw him closer – not that it was possible. Suddenly she drew back.

"Did you hear something?" she asked.

"Nope," he lied, leaning in closer.

The next second a sharp pain shot through his ear.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, jumping away.

Silver suddenly straightened up as they heard voices coming through the portrait hole. She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, and Harry just grinned at her. Seamus and Dean came walking in, and they paused when they saw Harry and Silver, who were sitting on opposite ends of the couch and attempting to look innocent.

"Tut, tut," Dean said, "Snogging in the common room."

"How would you know?" Harry replied smoothly.

"Button your shirt," Dean replied smugly.

"And comb your hair," Seamus added.

Then, sniggering, the two boys ran to the boys' dorms. Harry looked down to find that the top three buttons of his shirt were undone. He had absolutely no idea when that had happened.

"How'd you manage that?" he asked her as he buttoned his shirt.

She blushed furiously, causing him to grin.

"What, I'd just like to know," he replied, "Got an extra hand or something, hmm?"

"Very funny," she answered dryly.

He went over and gathered her in his arms.

"Harry," she protested, trying to push him away.

"No, wait," he said gently, pressing his forehead against hers.

She stopped struggling and looked into his eyes.

"Pretend they never came," he told her, and upon seeing her look, "I promise I won't start snogging you again."

She relaxed in his arms, and he smiled at her, his face inches from hers.

"I love you," he told her.

She smiled and hugged him. "Oh, Harry," she sighed.

He waited, and finally, it came. "I love you, too."

She said it slowly, but firmly. He kissed her gently, with no greed or hurry, and she returned it.

"I'm going to bed now," she said as they parted, although he still pressed his forehead against hers.

"Sweet dreams, gorgeous," he replied.

She smiled. "Sweet dreams, Harry," she answered.

He kissed her once more and then watched her walk to the girls' dorms, feeling as if he could burst with happiness. Telling her that he loved her and hearing her reply was better than snogging any day, he decided. He headed for the boys dorms with a smile on his face. Once inside, he was bombarded with questions; apparently Seamus and Dean had spread the word about Harry and Silver. Ron was particularly smug.

"You just wanted the couch to yourself," he accused.

"Guilty," Harry agreed pleasantly as he went to bed.

Ron laughed. "Sneaky," he accused.

Harry didn't answer. He fell asleep and for once had pleasant dreams – all of them, of course, about Silver.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning at breakfast, everybody seemed to know that Harry and Silver had been caught making out in the Gryffindor common room. As a result, nearly every boy who passed was giving Harry pats on the back for no particular reason, and many of the girls were shooting Silver envious looks. Harry only had to take one look at Snape to know that Potions was not going to be a fun class that day.

"Uh, I think Snape knows," he informed Silver.

Silver glanced up in the direction of the staff table and smiled.

"I think he does," she agreed, "I'll go visit him at lunch and smooth things over."

"Good," Harry replied, "Because I'm still aiming to get an O in his class one of these days."

Silver laughed. "Good luck, sweetheart," she replied.

He grinned as if he had just won the Nobel Prize. He loved it when she called him 'honey', 'sweetie', 'sweetheart', or anything similar. It gave him an inexplicable happy feeling. Charisma rubbed up against his leg, and he passed her some bacon. He suddenly realized that she was rubbing just below his knee. He looked under the table in alarm.

"Is she getting bigger?" he asked Silver.

"Yes, she's supposed to have a 'growth spurt' around now," Silver replied.

"I'll say!" Harry exclaimed, "That happened overnight!"

Silver reached down and petted Charisma fondly. Harry frowned. He didn't want to think of the day when Charisma would be too big to join them in the Hogwarts castle. Both Silver and Charisma would be devastated.

The rest of the day passed smoothly, until the lunch bell rang. Harry walked with Ron and Hermione to class, hoping that Snape wasn't going to skin him alive. He walked into the room half expecting Snape to begin using every hex he had ever heard of, but instead he found that Silver was sitting peacefully at her desk, already beginning the potion on the board. Snape looked up at him with his usual bored hatred, but nothing more. Harry grinned as he sat down next to Silver.

"I take it he forgives me," he said.

"Not nearly," she replied, "But I made him promise to be civil to you because you need your focus for Occlumency tonight."

Harry snorted, earning himself a reproachful glance from Snape. "What does he care if I have Occlumency tonight?" he asked.

Silver looked up at him, her eyes bright with something akin to anger. He drew back slightly.

"Of course he cares, Harry. You're not his favorite person in the world, but he doesn't want you to be putty in Voldemort's fingers!" she hissed.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly.

She just sighed and shook her head. "You're just as bad as he is, sometimes," she complained.

He cringed under her disapproval and got to work on his potion. Snape gave him an A, although he was sure he had earned at least an E, if not an O. He supposed it was just Snape's way of letting him know that he wasn't forgiven. When the bell finally rang, he nearly vaulted out of his seat and out of the classroom, followed closely by Ron, where they awaited the girls. Hermione came out in a few seconds.

"Silver wants us to wait for her a minute," she informed them.

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes, but waited nevertheless. In a couple of minutes Silver came out, and smiled at the looks on Harry and Ron's faces.

"Oh, really, you two, stop it," she said.

"Why are you so smiley?" Ron asked curiously.

"He said he would come to watch me play on Saturday," Silver replied, referring to the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match that was coming soon.

"Well, yeah, he always goes to the Slytherin games," Ron replied.

"But he said he would watch me play," Silver insisted, "Which means that he's not just coming for Slytherin."

Ron snorted. "You think that," he told her, only to earn himself a reproving glare.

Harry found it hard to concentrate on his homework, seeing as his mind was already on his Occlumency lesson. Silver seemed so nervous, and yet so calm about it all. She would talk about it smoothly, as if it were no big deal, and the next moment she would be in his arms, her eyes big and teary, telling him that she was nervous about it. It was half annoying, half amusing.

Finally, it was time for them to go to Dumbledore's office. He noticed that Silver was biting her lip nervously, but she didn't say anything.

"Lemon drop," they said in unison as they reached the gargoyle.

It sprang open, and they exchanged as smile as they entered.

"You gonna be okay?" Harry asked as they walked up the stairway.

"Yes," she replied confidently.

He saw a determined spark in her eyes, and knew that she was speaking the truth. They entered Dumbledore's office to find Dumbledore and Snape waiting there.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, Miss Riddle," Dumbledore greeted, "You're right on time."

Silver smiled nervously, and Harry grinned. He knew that Dumbledore had meant it as a compliment, at least to him.

"Now, Harry, I need to explain to you what you are about to do," Dumbledore said, "Miss Riddle, since you already know, you may do whatever you desire in the meantime."

Silver beamed and bounced over to Snape, Charisma at her heels. Harry watched as she began to converse quietly with him, but turned his attention back to Dumbledore quickly.

"Harry, you are about to perform the Legilimens curse," Dumbledore provided, "You will find yourself watching from the sidelines as some of the most...memorable...moments in Miss Riddle's life pass by."

Harry was about to protest that only the worst moments showed, when he remembered that Snape had nearly seen him kiss Cho during one practice. At the time, he hadn't considered it a bad memory, although now he didn't think much of it. Kissing Silver was a million times better. He realized that Dumbledore was still talking, and hurriedly paid attention.

"- just remember that you can pull away from the memory whenever you wish, all you have to do is think about stepping away," Dumbledore finished.

Harry nodded solemnly as if he had been listening the whole time.

"Good then," Dumbledore said, "I assume you are ready?"

Harry nodded.

"Miss Riddle," Dumbledore called, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Silver replied, without hesitating.

She stood up and walked, with Harry, to the center of the room. For a moment they just stared at each other, and then Harry spoke.

"Um, count of three?" he asked.

She nodded.

"One," Harry began, his mouth feeling dry as he looked at her.

"Two," he continued, watching as she straightened up and gripped her wand more tightly.

"Three," he paused and took a deep breath before performing the spell. "Legilimens!"

He was suddenly sucked into a bare, wooden room. A small, beautiful young girl about eight years old was sitting in a corner, seemingly waiting for something. Suddenly the door banged open, and she flinched and curled up instinctively. "You worthless little-"somebody began. The girl cringed with every word, and then Harry was transported to another memory.

The same little girl, maybe a year or so older, was crying. "I didn't do it," she sobbed, "Mommy, please, please." A woman stepped into view, but Harry couldn't see her face. "Crucio," was her cold reply. The small girl's face contorted with pain.

Harry was then taken to yet another memory. The Silver that he knew now was smiling as she faced Dumbledore in a duel, for what Harry supposed was schoolwork. Her eyes sparkled with glee as she dodged a spell he threw at her. "Can't hit me!" she laughed happily. Dumbledore chuckled.

Harry was then ripped from the scene in front of him to face another. The same Silver that he knew...his Silver...was sobbing uncontrollably, while a rather scared-looking Snape watched. "Silver," Snape said quietly, "I know." She looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks. "What do you mean?" she whispered. "I know," Snape replied. Silver began crying again, and threw herself at him. "What is w...w...wrong with me?" she sobbed, "W...Why didn't s...she...l...l...love...me?" Snape put his hands on his shoulders and held her at arm's length. "Silver," he said quietly, but suddenly Harry flew backwards.

He hit the floor hard, and yelped in pain as he did so.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry!" Silver exclaimed as he sat up, "I didn't mean to do that!"

"S'okay," he murmured. Her face came into focus, and he thought of the small girl in the first two memories.

He reached out his arms and pulled her down to him, hugging her for all he was worth. She hugged him back. Finally, he drew back and looked her straight in the eye. She was so brave, to willingly let him see those memories...memories that must hurt her.

"You," he said, with conviction, "Are amazing."

She giggled. "Thank you," she replied.

He shook his head, feeling a bit dazed as he got up.

"Would you like a break?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, please," Silver replied.

Harry had been about to reply with a "no", and was glad he didn't – he hadn't even considered how Silver must feel.

"So," he said, "You dueled with Dumbledore."

Dumbledore and Silver smiled.

"She is excellent at dueling," Dumbledore said, "In fact, I believe she could give you a run for your money."

Silver blushed at his praise and grinned mischievously at Harry.

"So why was that moment memorable?" Harry asked.

"Well, I love to duel," Silver replied, "And that was the first time I 'beat' Dumbledore."

Harry snorted, and she gave him a patronizing look. "Of course, he was restricted to the powers of a very advanced seventh year."

"Oh," Harry said, and then, "Wait – seventh?"

She smiled smugly. "Yes, seventh," she replied.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

"Ready for another go?" Dumbledore asked them.

They nodded.

"Silver, this time I want you to repel Harry, like you did that last time around," Dumbledore said.

"But that was an accident," Silver protested.

"Make it purposeful," Dumbledore replied intelligently.

Harry was a bit more on guard this time – if Silver could duel as well as an advanced seventh year, he had better be.

"One," he said.

She smiled at him, and he stammered over the next word as a result.

"T...Two..."

This only caused her to smile more, which made him feel a good deal more vulnerable.

"Th...Three. Legilimens!"

He was suddenly in a cold, dark cave, where many Death Eaters surrounded a throne on which sat Voldemort. For a moment, Harry thought he was having a vision, but then Voldemort spoke. "Bring her to me." A masked Death Eater pushed a fighting Silver forwards. Voldemort reached out and took a hold of her wrist. "Come here, flower," he said enticingly. Silver spat at him, causing him to laugh. "You would do well not to enrage your master," he advised. Harry suddenly felt himself being pushed backwards again.

"Ouch! Stupefy!" he yelled, pointing his wand where he knew Silver was.

"Protego," she replied coolly.

Harry rolled his eyes as his memories began to take over the both of them. He didn't feel like seeing them at the moment.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried, pointing his wand somewhere ahead of him.

The visions broke, and he saw that he had aimed badly to the left, and Silver had kept her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus," Silver replied, flourishing her wand in his direction.

He groaned as his arms snapped to his sides and he fell to the floor. He would have winced if he could have, but he couldn't move his face muscles.

"Sorry," she apologized, performing the countercurse.

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing his shoulder where he had fallen and glaring at her.

"Well, you tried to stun me," she reminded him.

"And failed," he answered amusedly, "You are good at dueling."

She blushed at the compliment.

"Well, children, I believe you've had enough for one night?" Dumbledore asked politely.

Silver nodded, suddenly looking tired. She walked over to Snape and practically collapsed beside him.

"I saw the vision of Voldemort," she said quietly, leaning against him.

"You handled it well," he replied.

"I'm scared," she answered, sounding perfectly calm.

"No need to be," Snape replied, "Now off to bed."

"No, no, Severus," Dumbledore said brightly, "We have time for ice cream!"

Snape looked as if he would rather go and visit with Voldemort.

"Right," he said, sounding resigned.

Silver giggled. "Just what we need before bed – sugar," she teased.

Dumbledore winked at her as he rang the bell.

"Potter," Snape said suddenly, "Would you have a word with me on the staircase, please?"

Harry was not shocked not only that Snape wanted a word with him, but that he had said please. He nodded dumbly and followed Snape to the door. Snape shut it behind them as they left, and walked halfway down the staircase before turning to face Harry.

"You will not discuss her memories with her tonight," Snape told him.

"Oh really?" Harry asked indignantly. Who was Snape to tell him what he would discuss with his girlfriend.

"Listen up," Snape replied, sounding highly annoyed, "She will have nightmares. Her nightmares very intense, and can result in her passing out for quite some time. Dumbledore is taking her mind off of the matter very well by having ice cream, and you will not ruin that."

Harry was surprised. "She has nightmares?" he said finally.

"She would prefer if you didn't know," Snape replied, "But I see fit to tell you."

Harry nodded dumbly. "Well, um, thanks," he said.

Snape surveyed him piercingly.

"Do you love her?" he asked finally. His voice was cutting, and Harry suspected that anything less than a truthful yes would result in death.

"Yes," he replied honestly.

Snape made a sudden movement with his arm, and Harry was not sure why.

"Don't hurt her, Potter," he said, "If you do..."

He didn't finish, but Harry could imagine Snape coming after him in his sleep.

"I won't," he replied.

"Good," Snape growled, in an attempt to be menacing.

It didn't work. Harry knew that Snape was trying to protect Silver, and the thought made Snape much less intimidating. Snape shook his head and headed up to Dumbledore's office, as if he had never wanted to talk to Harry in the first place.

Harry grinned and headed back up after him. When he walked in, Silver looked at him questioningly.

He winked, and all through his bowl of ice cream thought of the ways he would use to 'distract' her from thinking about her memories. As a result, he couldn't stop grinning the entire time. When they had finally finished their ice cream and he and Silver were headed for the door, he grinned like a madman.

Distraction Plan A, he thought evilly as he slid his arm around her.