Chapter 27: Occlumency Again

A/N: I'd just like to say, in case people are having trouble... the word 'Acies' is pronounced A-say-ees ('ees' as in peace). Of course, you can pronounce it any way you like but I think that sounds prettier than 'A-seese' (as in cheese).

Also, sorry about the lack of updates. I know I used to post every 2 days or something .... but I've been very, very busy lately. Plus, I am moving house in a couple of days so I'm pressed to find time to write.

Rewrote this section after reading 'Jessika Organa Solo's comment and realising I hadn't sounded very polite the first time round, sorry
When you're reviewing, try to be more detailed! The reviews I give out are often 100 or more words.  I understand that reviews are rewards an author earns and I definitely understand that you, as readers don't have to review. The thing is, when you do review, you must be able to find more to say than 'great story. update soon' or ':)' right? I'm not trying to be Mrs.ReviewDictator here (lol) and by no means am I saying the reviews you give me are below what I expect. No, I'm completely grateful when you encourage me, even if it's only a line or two. It's just when it's 2 or 3 words that it's a bit disappointing.

If you're stuck about what to say in a review, try to fill in the following:

- Say what you liked/disliked about the chapter

- What would improve?
- What sentences/quotes that stuck out as your favourite
- What did you think of the author's characterisation/closeness to canon?

- What did you think of  the author's writing? etc etc.
I'm not begging for long reviews (although I love them :P) but I know plenty of authors like a decent comment when they get the review, that's all.

Ok I'm done ranting – onward!

Chapter 27: Occlumency Again

School was very tedious and every lesson seemed to try it's hardest to remind the students how many of their number were away.

At lunch he asked Hermione when the next Hogsmeade trip was and whether she would be going. "Why would I go alone?" she asked.

"I don't know. But I need a map of the place and apparently you can get them from the Information Cabin."

"Why do you need a map?" she asked curiously, but then something clicked and suddenly she grabbed Harry's hand, glaring at him accusingly. "Harry! You're not going to sneak around there again are you? What does it take to make you realise the danger!?"

Immediately his temper flared within him, and he found himself giving Hermione a look to rival the one she had sent him. "I know exactly what the dangers are, thank you very much! You'd think after Snuffles I'd know precisely what Voldemort and his crew are capable of! For your information, Miss Granger no I am NOT going to sneak around Hogsmeade! I need the map – will you get it for me or not?"

His outburst had certainly shocked her, and she stood humiliated under his glowering stare. "Sorry," she muttered. "Ok I'll get it for you," she said flashing him a very suspicious look.

The day finally came to a close and the afternoon wasn't nearly so bad. The common room had a few people missing, but it was easy to think they were upstairs or out for a walk. Harry sat with Hermione and laboured through is transfiguration homework. His hands were begging for a break, and his eyes joined the protest by the time he had switched to Charms, so when the common room slowly started emptying, the prospect of dinner was extremely welcome.

Once they were both content that they were fed well enough, he and Hermione split paths on the 4th floor and he found Professor Mysticus waiting for him to room she had mentioned. The curtains were drawn and a small, glowing, white ball had been conjured to light the room instead, and was floating near the ceiling.

"Hey, Harry," she welcomed smiling cheerfully, "How was your day?"

"Awful, yours?"

She laughed and offered to lend an ear for his problems. He rattled off everything that had gone wrong and found that by the end of it, his heart felt at least a tiny bit lighter.

Talia looked at him pityingly, wishing she could do it properly - rather than give the bridge of his nose a sympathetic look. "Some days are like that, aren't they? I hate them, too." Harry smiled a little and nodded. "I'm sure Hermione understands why you snapped at her, though," she said soothingly. "No doubt it's happened in the past and as far as I can see you're still friends. I wouldn't worry too much, Harry. Although you might want to apologise later."

Harry nodded again and thanked her. Taking a deep breath and flicking a rogue strand of brown hair from her eyes she spoke again. "Harry, these lessons are going to be quite different to those you had with Severus. I can't have eye contact with you so any hands-on practice will be with Dumbledore. I'll be explaining things to you and helping you with controlling your mind, alright?"

Harry nodded. After another few minutes of talking a certain odd thought occurred to Harry. "Um, why do you know how to do Occlumency and Legilimency if you're already an Acies-Apertum?"

Talia sighed and for a second a spark of grief flickered in her eyes but it was extinguished before she answered, her voice revealing little of her emotions. "When I was younger, we tried everything we could to control my Vision. It never worked of course, once an Acies always an Acies. There was nothing we could do – I look at someone and immediately I'm smothered by their mind and soul."

"What happens when you look in a mirror?"

Her face broke into a pretty smile and her eyes glittered with mirth. "You're quite the thinker aren't you Mr Potter? Remus said you were. He talks about you so much. Do you have any idea how much he admires you? He didn't want you to leave the castle you know, scared of what might happen to you. And he feels incredibly lucky to be looking after James' son."

Harry frowned, "Did you look into Lupin?" he asked coldly.

"No! No, no no! I would never do that! Of course not. It's just a woman's intuition, Harry!" she winked.

Suddenly ashamed he had accused her so readily he tried to change the conversation. "So, did you know Dad then?"

She nodded. "In a way. I was in First year here when your parents and their friends were in Third. I was in Ravenclaw but everyone knew who the Marauders were anyway – drew enough attention to themselves!" she laughed. "Then of course both Lily and James were the heads of the school when I was in Fifth year – and James was in the Daily Prophet a fair bit too, after I'd left school."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well, because he was a famous Auror."

Harry blinked in shock. "What?!" he exclaimed again.

Talia also seemed surprised. "Didn't you know that?" Harry shook his head. "Well then," Talia said, sitting on the edge of the desk. "James was an Auror for about 6 months prior to your birth, I think, then for another year, up until his death. Quite the favourite of the Daily Prophet. Treated him like a hero. There were more than a few girls jealous of Lily I can tell you," she laughed.

Harry beamed. "Serious?"

She nodded. "Yep! Every time he turned up somewhere dangerous his face was in the newspaper. One of the most celebrated Aurors alongside Sirius."

"Sirius?" Harry repeated stunned. Talia smiled and nodded.

"He had nearly as much press coverage as your Dad."

Harry's day seemed to have taken a surprising turn for the better. He felt more than a little inflated with pride for his Father and Godfather. Talia noticed too and tried hard to suppress a smile. Glad that she had cheered him up with this knowledge she pressed on with is original question. "If you're still interested: nothing much happens when I look into the mirror. It might be because I can't look into my own soul, or perhaps because the power of Acies-Apertum is quenched when reflected. It only works when I look directly into someone's eyes."

"Oh yea, like a basilisk," said Harry casually.

Her eyes swivelled around to look at him and with the speed of lightening she clamped them shut before meeting his gaze (it was second nature to her by now, no-one else would have been able to react that fast but she'd had her whole life to experience the consequences that took place when she wasn't fast enough). She tried not to let her face show what she was thinking. Harry had just compared her to a Dark, slimy, murderous beast?

"I suppose you could say so," she agreed, using every effort to keep her voice even. "But I promise I can't kill by looking at someone," she joked. Noticing what he'd just done, Harry tried to ignore the tension and searched around for something else to say.

"Can't you wear glasses?" he asked.

Talia smiled again. "No, it doesn't matter if I look through glass or plastic, as long as I have eye contact with someone I can't see anything but the inside of their soul."

"Oh. That's a bummer then," Harry grinned apologetically. Talia laughed. "How about we get on with this lesson, hey?" she suggested.

"Okay."

"I want to start with Occlumency. You need to be able to repel things with your mind. You know when you're trying to sleep and you can't stop thinking about nasty things? It takes concentration to drive them out and even more to keep them away so you can sleep, right? It's similar to that."

At 8 o' clock Harry returned to the common room and collapsed on a chair by the fire. It felt like someone had taken his mind and replaced it with a wrung sponge. Harry didn't think he'd done very well in that lesson but there was something about Talia's sparkling personality that stopped him feeling as utterly stupid and useless as he had with Snape.  Hermione joined him almost instantly and passed him a letter.

Dear Harry and Hermione,

Dad's arranged George's funeral for the Easter holidays. Percy's here. Mum can't stop fussing over him like he was 17 again. Fred and Charlie don't talk to him – Percy asked Fred for the salt yesterday and he completely ignored him. Mum was in tears. Dad's trying his hardest to forget everything Percy said about him – but he's finding it difficult. As for me ... well I hate him, you can't just forgive and forget all the things he did, even if he's family. He talks to me like he did nothing wrong. It makes me mad! He hasn't even apologised, he just thinks he can pretend everything's normal. Pity he didn't realise what a git he was until George died. Idiot.

Dad says the Ministry's getting threats from anonymous Death Eaters. They've put up loads more security wards but he won't tell us what else they're doing. I hope Hogwarts is ok. I miss you both loads. Love you Harry.

Ginny

"Sounds like things are pretty messy over there," Hermione said sadly. Harry nodded. "Want me to go through your Transfiguration homework? I heard what McGonagall said about your performance going down."

Harry knew Hermione had plenty of her own homework to do, especially since she was requesting N.E.W.T level practice essays from the teachers, which made him all the more grateful for her offer. He turned and looked at her seriously, desperately trying to think up a decent sounding apology. "Look, I'm sorry I shouted at you earlier."

Hermione smiled and shrugged, "It's ok – you're just tense, Harry, I understand. We're all like that," she said flicking her hand in the direction of everyone in the common room. "You say things, I say things – we don't mean them, it's all right."

Harry nodded, relieved. "I'll go get my Transfiguration then?"

That night he found sleep coming easily and managed to catch a whole 6 hours of rest before a nightmare broke into his sleeping mind and plagued his dream. His sheets fluttered against his bare arms and the clouds shifted eerily.

First there was nothing. Then there was nothing but cold and fear and darkness. Then voices. Snape groaned. He hated being conscious. The floor was so hard, and always seemed to find another part of his body to injure. He tried breathing and tasted blood. The voices were getting louder. They were talking about him. Or maybe to him.

"Remember this Snape?"

Remember what? His question was answered instantly; when the floor was sucked away and the walls started sliding around the room. The blood rushed to his head, his filthy, blooded hair touched the floor and his tattered robes lay bunched at his head, exposing pale flesh disfigured by gashes, bruises and burns. There was laughter. And pain, so much pain.

"Who wants to see me take of Snivelly's pants?" sneered Lucius

Oh yes, he remembered. His brain seemed to be beating a tattoo against the inside of his skull, and he was sure that even if his eyes weren't caked together with blood – he wouldn't have been able to see past the agony anyway.

The laughs from around the room were oddly distorted and as if from a distance, he heard Lucius taunting him again. "I'll make you a deal. You tell us what you know about the Order of the Phoenix and I'll leave you covered."

Even with blood seeping out of his split fingernails, sweat blurring his vision, a thunder storm rolling in his head and wounds re-opening on his stretched chest, Snape still managed to inwardly smirk at Lucius' sardonic humor.

When Snape still didn't speak, Lucius flung him against the wall and he fell to the floor, a splintering crack accompanying the thud of his body. He was twisted over and through heavy blinking he saw shining red eyes and a malicious grin.

"My dear Snape, I do believe you are being rather uncooperative," He hissed leeringly. Snape swallowed. "Are you sure you don't want to tell your friends here, all about your little, heroic role in the Order?"

"Yes," Snape rasped.

 "Veritaserum," Voldemort snapped. "Rodolphus, get Veritaserum."

Snape's stomach plummeted. This was it then, no-one had come to save him ... he had no idea how long he had been in this place, days and nights blended together in the chilling darkness, and the Dementors didn't keep calendars... but Snape was sure it had been at least weeks, possibly months. And still, no-one had come, and it was too late now.

He didn't even know Rodolphus had returned until he was grabbed by his robes, flung against the wall and surrounded. Someone was holding him up by his shoulders, since his own legs were too weak to support his weight. Voldemort smiled at him, popping off the crystal lid. Snape could smell the potion as its acidic bitterness played on his nostrils.  "You'll recognise this, you made it for us many months ago," he taunted.

Snape drew in a ragged breath and clamped his mouth shut. Immediately Voldemort's cold, skeletal fingers were prying them apart and he felt the smooth scrape of glass against his swollen and grazed lips. They were going to give him the entire dose? Hope flared inside of him and he tried desperately to suck out every last drop; better to kill himself than surrender his secrets.

But Voldemort was quicker. He snatched away the vial and started laughing. "No Snape! Surely even you know I'm not that stupid!"

He spat. His mind was whirring already, he'd swallowed at least 3 drops.

"Don't spit it out!" Voldemort shrieked pulling off the lid once more. Snape could feel his stomach turning and his throat beginning to burn. The cold glass was pushed to his lips once more but before any more potion could enter his mouth he coughed, squirting Voldemort with thick liquid and then he was falling forward, his hands hitting the glacial floor and ripping open old wounds. And was gagging as his body heaved up the contents of his stomach.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he threw the covers off himself. Talia – he had to find Talia!