Severus Snape looked at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes. This was the first chance he would get this term to test the boys' occlumency, and they were late. Experimentally he reached out with his mind. They were together somewhere.

'You're sure you're okay?' That was Harry.

'Harry, do you really imagine I thought I was in the running? Death Eaters don't get made Head Boy.'

'You're not a Death Eater.'

'Technically...' Draco trailed off at the look on Harry's face. 'It doesn't matter at any rate. They think I am. The school and him. So Dumbledore's right. It wouldn't be safe. Besides...' Draco smirked. 'You needed another title. "The boy-who-lived", "Gryffindor's golden boy", "The boy-who-bloody-wouldn't die"... You needed Head Boy to finish the collection.'

Harry scowled at Draco who simply laughed.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger walked into the room.

Granger threw her arms around Draco who, after a few moments confusion, patted her back. She was talking too quickly to work out what she was saying, but he picked up "worried" and "your father" and "Azkaban." She hugged him again tightly before letting go. Weasley seemed displeased, but nodded at Draco in acknowledgement.

Draco nodded back in reply.

Ron didn't appear to want to say anything more to Draco, and instead began a spiel about his errand, 'We've lost a few of the fourth and fifth years. That's it. All the sixth and seventh years are with us. They're worried, but they trust you, mate.'

Harry looked perplexed at that, but bobbed his head sharply in acceptance. 'Okay then. We're ready.'

Snape managed the difficult task of looking at his clock without losing his connection. They were ten minutes late now, and whatever this was, he was a Professor and his instructions should come first. In addition to that, clearly Harry needed more practice. It had been child's-play to break into his mind. Severus decided to grab his attention, and instead of tugging on his own connection to Harry, prodded at the scar. There was a bang, and the connection died.

Severus rubbed his temples wearily. He either needed to stop doing that, or start drugging his coffee with pain relievers. Finally, another five minutes late, there was a knock on his door.

'Enter,' he snapped.

Harry and Draco sidled in.

Again, Severus had the fleeing thought that Hogwarts was playing tricks on him. When Harry, a week ago, had stepped up to receive his Head Boy badge, there had been more than one Professor who had whispered "James" as if to ward off spirits. Now, in his seventh year, Harry was as close a match to James as he would ever be - there was little difference between seventeen and twenty-one. Until you got close enough to see the green eyes, and register the tentative half-smile rather than James Potter's smirk, you could be looking back twenty years.

Perhaps because Lucius hadn't been popular outside Slytherin, or perhaps just because of the side he chose, there was less whispering about Draco. But to Snape he could be looking at the boy he had idolised at school. Draco had his father's fair skin and hair, his thin face and sharp chin, his grey eyes, and all of his father's poise. Narcissa had lent the child slightly softer features, and a little warmth to his eyes, that was all.

Minerva, he was sure, would be able to pick out more of them. Any of the Weasleys of course, whether with Weasley or Prewett looks. The new Head Girl. Longbottom. There was a McKinnon in the third year. The list went on.

Hogwarts was full of ghosts.

Severus shook himself out of the morbid thoughts and glared at the two boys. He didn't need to say anything - they would eventually explain themselves to avoid his silence.

'We're sorry we're late,' Harry offered eventually. Severus remained silent and, as predicated, Harry continued to talk. 'We lost track of time.' He kept waiting. 'There was a DA thing.' Ah.

'Explain to me why your after-class duelling club prevented you from keeping an appointment which is intended to help you protect your mind, and thus the school, from the Dark Lord?

'We were discussing the Slytherin problem.'

Snape drew his brows together. 'Problem?'

Draco was glaring as well now, although he looked more amused than offended. Harry corrected himself. 'The problem of not having any in the DA.'

'Did you at least resolve it?' Severus asked, not expecting the answer.

'Yes,' Harry responded plainly.

'Enlighten me then, Mr Potter.'

'We're bringing some in,' he answered, as if it was obvious.

Draco chose to speak now, having let Harry deal with the awkward bit. 'Yes, apparently Potter's little club is in need of some Slytherin intelligence,' he drawled in amusement. 'I, of course, selflessly agreed.'

'That's one.'

'Draco's picking the rest,' Harry added.

'And how, exactly, do you intend to do that, Mr Malfoy?' Severus asked belittlingly.

'That, Professor, is where we need your assistance.'

'How did I know I would be involved in this exercise in some way?' he asked with a longsuffering sigh.

'Because you read our minds?' Harry responded quickly, with some of Draco's sarcasm.

'How many times, Mr Potter, must I explain that "mind-reading" is a muggle term? The mind is much more complex. And all I saw from your mind was that Mr Weasley and Ms Granger believe that you have the support of most of the group.'

'They think so. There was a survey. They all had the summer to get used to the idea anyway.'

'So? What is it that you require of me?' Snape asked.

'It's two things, actually,' Draco amended. 'A potion, or two potions to be accurate. But the assistance we require now is practice.'

'Which is what you both should be doing anyway,' Snape pointed out.

'To be precise, I need to practice Legilimency,' Draco said.

'To pick the Slytherins,' Severus realised.

'Yes. I know who I want, but I make absolutely certain.'

'Who were you thinking of?'

'Nott, Blaise and Daphne.'

'You're sure of Mr Nott?'

'Not exactly. I know what his father does after all.'

'And what your father does,' Harry observed quietly.

'Which is the problem. He's never been particularly involved in the anti-muggle thing. Most of the time it's hard enough to drag him away from books long enough to leave the dungeons. I think he could be persuaded.'

'As well as Mr Zabini and Ms Greengrass?'

'I don't think they'll require much persuasion. Blaise is out for himself, but I don't think he wants to kill people. Daphne is...'

'Ms Greengrass is the Goddaughter of Andromeda Tonks, correct?'

'Wait,' Harry called. 'I thought she wasn't mentioned in pureblood circles? Didn't Tonk's mother marry a muggle?'

'She did,' Snape replied. 'But her mother is...this is not entirely relevant. Draco, do you wish to practice or not?'

'Yes, Professor.' Draco assured him. 'I need to be able to see intent without any of them being able to tell I'm checking.'

'In other words, Mr Malfoy, you want me to teach you in,' Snape checked the clock again, 'thirty minutes, how to perform Legilimency wandlessly and voicelessly, without it being detectable?'

'Yes, Professor.'

Severus just looked at them. The two squirmed a little under his gaze, but didn't look away. 'I imagine we should begin then. Eye contact is vital, particularly if you are forgoing the use of a wand. A voice command is useful of course, as it focuses the spell as much as the wand does. But, as I hope you both remember, intent is vital in performing magic. Neither of the things you need to do are particularly complex - you have been taught how to perform Legilimency, how to be subtle in occluding your mind, and how to perform magic without aids – the difficult part is doing all of it together. Focus on the question you want answered, ask something, not necessarily the same question, and then concentrate on how the spell works. Is that clear?'

Draco nodded.

'Begin then.'

'Have you heard about Potter's duelling club?' Draco asked with eyes on Snape.

'I have,' Severus answered levelly. 'Why?'

Draco shook his head. 'Nothing.'

'Try again,' Snape instructed.

When they had repeated the attempt six or seven times with no success Draco turned to Harry. 'You try.'

'I can't ask a Slytherin these questions...'

'I know, but if you do it, you can try on me, and then I can better see how it's done. You're better at this anyway.' The last part was muttered, but Harry heard and smirked.

He turned to Snape. 'Have you heard about the DA?'

'I have...' Snape answered. '...and I felt you use Legilimency.'

Harry cursed quietly. 'Again?'

'If I could find some way of combining the two of you, I could create a near-perfect student...' Snape mused. He looked as if he was seriously contemplating it as a solution, and both boys turned fearful. 'But as that endeavour, however scholarly, would be frowned on by the Headmaster, I suggest you perform the spell on Draco, and hope that clarifies the method, if not the force used...'

Harry obliged. 'Have you heard of the DA?'

'Yes. Ow!' Draco yelped. 'I think they might notice that!'

'That's the point!' Harry growled. 'And that was as subtle as I can make it - it's not normally something I'm worried about.'

'That, I knew. Subtlety has never exactly been your strong point,' Draco replied. 'It probably doesn't help that you live inside my head half the time anyway.'

'Probably not,' Harry agreed.

'Actually...' Draco looked thoughtful. 'What if we used that?'

'What?'

'If I asked the question while you were in my head, do you think you could control it?'

Severus looked dismissive. 'Impossible. You cannot perform magic through someone else's body. Not without an Imperius curse. And even then you are limited to the user's own power and knowledge.'

'Try anyway?' Harry asked, grinning at Draco.

Draco nodded, and focused on Snape again. 'Have you heard of the DA?'

'Yes.'

Draco was smiling. 'They gave you a token. Something gold to let you in. You trust Harry, and the seventh years, but the fourth year Gryffindors worry you.'

'You don't need Legilimency to tell that,' Severus noted, unimpressed.

'You were impressed with something Longbottom and Weasley did with the security.'

Severus paused. 'It worked?'

'Seemed like it,' Harry answered. 'I got the same impressions Draco did. You didn't feel anything?'

'It felt as if Draco was attempting Legilimency. Not as if he succeeded. They won't feel anything.'

'Are you positive...?' Draco started.

Severus interrupted him, 'Are the two of you entirely unconcerned that you just achieved something which should be impossible according to all known magical law?'

'Not unconcerned exactly...' Draco placated, 'More, looking at it from a different perspective. We want to fix the problem quickly.'

Harry smiled apologetically, 'I'm sorry Hermione isn't the one doing this. She'd be excited...'

'Indeed.' Severus sighed. This was not the day to be distracted by the interesting research path. 'Very well then, try again. Even more carefully this time. Upheavals in the nature of the world as we currently understand it shall have to wait for a quieter moment.'

A/N: Reviews would be nice guys... (Thank you HecateDeMort) The hit counter tells me that people are reading, but I don't know what you like or don't like...so tell me!