Sorry to everyone I promised an update to. I have tried, but it just isn't coming along as easily as I'd hoped it would. However, I will not leave you guys dangling as to plot. This is the snippets that I did get around to writing along with my outline notes to fill in the blank places. Hope this is some consolation... It is certainly a reminder to me why I never post something unless it's complete. I hate feeling like I'm disappointing people... Sorry.

If I ever do get my spark of inspiration back for this, I'll play with it more, but for now--and for a long time, I'm sure--this is as far as I'll go with this plot.

The snippet parts have been moderately edited and should be readable for the most part. The outline sections are purely from my own notes, so there may be spelling mistakes. I plead the fifth on grammar when it comes to outlining...

This picks up right where part one left off.

Hope you like it, and please review.

Stepping out of the cloud of red smoke, Severus looked across the room at himself. A part of him longed to be on the other side of the room. On his way to that place where things were peaceful.

"I trust you completed your assignment, Severus?"

Looking at Voldemort, Severus nodded slightly. "To the best of my ability."

"Sit. I want a full report." As he spoke, Voldemort settled into his own chair and waited, his red eyed glistening with malignant excitement.

Starting from his arriving and disposing of Mrs. Donaldson, Severus went through the events of the year. He only glazed over some of his more petty plots to remind Harry that he was just a small, abused, unloved boy. When he finished, Severus said, "Now there is only to see how much he retained through the years."

Voldemort smiled darkly. "He will have retained it all. Did he grow fond of you, Severus?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"And he trusted you, of course. So trust worthly." A hiss of raspy laughter filled the room. "Very good."

"I'm afraid there are a few things I still don't understand."

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Only a few?"

"About Potter. And how my traveling back in time changed anything. He's still the same, arrogant person he always was. A pathetically heroic Gryffindor who has every dislike for the Dark Arts."

"Do you trust me, Severus?"

"Of course I do, my Lord. You are the only one I trust. I'm just wondering if I did, in fact, do anything that whole year I spent with him."

"You did everything, Severus. If you had not been there to mold and shape him, it would have been a very scared, very submissive little boy who climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. He would not have been the sort of person who would, say, sneak out of school to go chasing after a killer, even if he knew that man was responsibile for his parents' deaths. Wormtail, as useless as he is, would never have had reason to return to me." A dark emotion flashed in Violdemort's eyes. "Who else would have come to a wreck, such as I was, except a treaturous rodent with no one else to turn to? I would still be eating rat in Albania."

"My Lord--"

"Be quiet, Snape!"

Severus lowered his head, just barely keeping himself from flinching at the biting tone.

"But if, by some other device, I did manage to acquire a helper, that boy would not have been the sort of person who could be lured out of Dumbledore's care. Especially if he knew the great Lord Voldemort was after him. It would be even more difficult to get his blood for my rebirth. So, were I to be reborn at all, I would not have been as powerful as I am now."

Voldemort peered Severus, his lips drawn in a grotesque smile. "You see, Severus? You did everything. I took some severe blows because of that boy over the years, I do not deny. But look when I ultamately ended up." His smile widened.

Voldemort stood and walked to one of the shelves in the back of the room. He picked up a small bottle of black liquid and went back to Severus. "Give this to Harry mixed in a slow-acting euphoria potion."

Severus took the bottle and studied it for a moment. It didn't look like anything he'd ever made or used before. "What will it do?"

"Cause him pain," he answered with relish. "Pain and suffering beyond words. That is when you come in, my friend."

Severus stared intently at his master, once again finding himself in awe of the genius behind the man's every move.

"Sit down, Severus, and I'll tell you the story of a suffering boy whose friends betray him until he is all alone, with no one to trust, except the one person he would never before have thought to confide in..."

"Albus?"

Dumbledore looked up, his eyes heavy with lack of sleep.

"Severus. Have you found new information about Voldemort's attempt at time travel?"

Having nearly forgotten about that conversation (it had been a year, after all), Severus started for a moment. "No, nothing on that yet. But I have found something. Something much more important."

Sitting up straighter, Dumbledore gestured to the chair across from his own. "Please, Severus, sit."

Sitting down, Severus leaned forward slightly, speaking in a harsh whisper, "The Dark Lord has encountered a problem with his connection to Potter. He did not go into every detail with me, but he did suggest that he has not been able to access the boy as easily as he use to."

"Harry has not continued his Occlumency."

"No, he has not. Nor has he improved, I assure you, without professional training. Something about Potter's mind has changed to keep the Dark Lord out."

"Have you any idea what that may be?"

"I do not. If I could investigate his mental state, I may be able to determine something, but it would be nothing more than what you might find if you looked him over yourself."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers, resting his chin lightly on their tips. "Harry has not been seeing into Voldemort's mind, of late. Nor has he been bothered by dreams or pain."

Sitting back, Severus suggested, "Perhaps it would be best to bring Potter back to Hogwarts early. It would give some time for you and Madame Pofrey to examen him without the distraction of friends and classes."

"An excellent idea, Severus. But I have things to see to here over the next couple days. As much as I hate to put it off, it will have to wait."

Forcing a look of annoyance, Severus answered, "I could fetch...the boy."

Dumbledore surveys him thoughtfully. "Sooner would be better than later. As long as it is no trouble to you."

"None at all. I'm as eager to understand this phenominon as you are."

"I wouldn't ask you to go if I could leave my work."

"It is understandable. I'm suppose to be meeting with Draco and Narcissa. I'll go for him first thing after dinner."

A dark thoughtfulness filled the old man's eyes. "And how is Draco?"

"Strained. As are we all. You needn't worry about him."

Dumbledore smiled. "With you to guide him, however discreetly, I do not worry about him. I merely wonder how long before Voldemort will force him to make a choice he's not ready to make."

"I assure you, I will not let that happen."

Dumbledore smiled wearily. "I do not doubt you." He looked at Severus thoughtfully. "No. I trust you. If I can't trust you, my boy, I can't trust anyone."

"I'm glad our feelings are mutual. I should go, and let you sleep." Severus stood.

"I don't know if I'll sleep, but yes, you go ahead."

"Good night, Albus."

"Bring Harry up to see me when you arrive. I'm sure he'll be eager for an explaination."

Severus nodded, then left. He walked down the spiral staircase and wandered the familiar path to his classroom. His mind was still spinning at Voldemort's plan. Now that it was all laid out in front of him, it made perfect sense. But there was so much that could go wrong, and that weight would fall, in full, on Severus's own shoulders.

I trust my Lord, he told himself. And now I need to put part two of the plan into action.

Without hesitating, Severus went to his storeroom. He chose his ingredients much more carefully this time than the last, selecting only whole beetle wings--no cracked or chipped ones--and only unicorn hairs that were exactly twelve inches long. This potion had to be brewed perfectly, or all would be in vain.

"Harry! Duck!"

Harry did duck, but not in time. A large, heavy, grey object collided with the side of his head, knocking his glasses askew and sending him toppling to the ground.

"Bloody owl," Ron muttered, stalking across the lawn and picking Errol up from where he'd landed after flying into Harry.

Still sitting on the ground, Harry rubbed the side of his head. One of the things he liked about spending his summer with the Weasleys was that everything that happened was very ordinary, though in extraordinary ways. Such as getting hit on the head with a post owl. If he was at the Dursleys', he'd still being getting hit with post; it would just be in the form of a rolled up newspaper.

"Hogwarts letters, Harry. Got yours."

"Great!" He climbed to his feet. "We should go to Diagon Alley this weekend for our books and things. I need new robes anyway," he added, taking his letter from Ron and scanning the book list.

"I'll talk to Mum. Don't know what they're doing for security with you..."

"Me neither. All I know is I don't have to report every bathroom trip. At least not yet."

"Give it time, mate."

Harry made a noncommental sound in his throat, then stuffed the letter in his pocket and started for the house. "Whatever happens, we should owl Hermione and see if she'll meet us there."

"Yeah." Ron stepped ahead of Harry and opened the door. "I mean, wouldn't it be great--"

Harry ran right into Ron, who'd stopped dead at his first step into the kitchen.

"Ron, what are you--" Harry's voice died as he peered over his friend's shoulder. There, sitting at the kitchen table, Molly pouring him a cup of tea, was Severus Snape.

"Oh, here they are. I was just about to come out and get you. Professor Snape is here to speak with Harry."

Ron grinned and slipped out of the room with a final, farewell pat on Harry's back.

Stepping cautiously, Harry walked towards Snape, stopping several feet away from the table.

"Sugar?"

"Just milk," Snape said in a low tone. He turned cold, penetrating eyes on Harry.

That look always made Harry's gut turn with something like nervousness...and supressed familiarity.

"Don't hover. Take a seat."

Sitting down heavily, Harry continued to look at Snape. "So, what is it?"

"Professor Dumbledore has sent me to collect you. He wants you to return to the school immediately."

"Is this about the Order?"

Snape's eyes narrowed. "A little discression wouldn't hurt you."

Harry glared. "Well, is it?"

"Manners, Potter."

Harry glowered for a moment. "Is it, sir?"

Snape's eye glinted with annoyance, but he said, "Not strictly speaking. But it does involve the Dark Lord. We really shouldn't talk about this here."

After a second, Harry nodded and stood up. "I'll just tell Ron where I'm off to."

"Bring your school things as well."

After looking at Snape fora moment, Harry jogged up the stairs. He didn't like the idea of losing the last two weeks of his summer vacation, especially when he'd just arrived at The Burrow four days ago, but the thought that Dumbledore was finally going to let him in on some Order information won over his disapointment.

Harry pushed open the bedroom door on the very top level to find Ron lying on his bed, reading a wizarding music magazine with a moving picture of three witches with crazy-looking hair and mismatched muggle clothes. "Snape's here to bring me to see Dumbledore."

"Is it about V-V-Voldemort?"

Taking his jeans off the back of Ron's desk chair, Harry nodded. "He won't say anything else. I don't know how long I'll be at Hogwarts, but I'll owl you as soon as I talk to Dumbledore."

Ron looked a bit disappointed, but nodded. "All right. I'll owl Hermione about Diagon Alley after I hear from you, so don't wait too long."

Harry closed his trunk and latched it. "I won't. Give me a hand with this."

Closing his magazine and dropping it on his bed, Ron stood up and took one end of the heavy trunk. They made their way down the stairs, dodging Ginny on the second floor landing, and into the kitchen.

Snape stood up when he saw Harry and Ron. "Thank you for the tea, Molly."

"You're welcome." Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry then pulled him into a tight hug. "You be good. And have a good year if I don't see you before term starts."

"I will. Thank you."

Turning to Harry, Snape said, "We'll be Apparating. Dumbledore has told me you've done it before."

"Yes, sir. Side-along."

"Good." Snape led Harry outside and down the garden path. They walked up into the orchard in silence. When he stopped, Harry nearly ran into the back of him. "When we get to the castle, we are going to go straight to the headmaster's office. Do not dawdle. Do you understand me?"

Harry nodded.

Snape offered his arm. "Take hold and don't let go. Don't forget to hold your trunk."

Feeling emencely akward, Harry spent several seconds trying to figure out exactly how to hold Severus Snape's arm without feeling like he was hugging him.

He rolled his eyes. "For Merlin's sake, Potter." With a slight snort of annoyance, Snape took a handful of the back of Harry's shirt.

Without warning, Harry found himself being squeezed through space once again. It had been bad enough when he was expecting it, but off his guard! Within seconds, they landed just outside the gate that surrounded Hogwarts.

"You could have warned me!"

"If we're knit-picking," Snape muttered. He walked up to the gate and tapped the chain that held the doors securely closed. "You remember what I said, Potter? Straight to the office. Not a word or a detore." Flicking his wand at Harry's trunk, he levitated it along behind them.

There was an edge in Snape's voice that made Harry nervous. "Professor, why am I being brough back?"

"Professor Dumbledore will explain everything to you," Snape hissed. "Stay close to me. Don't want you tripping, do we?"

"Can't you light your wand, or something? I can't see where I'm--Ah!" Harry stepped into a pothole in the sloping lawn and stumbled forward. He expected to be tasting grass and blood, but instead, he felt a strong hand gripping his upper arm.

"Potter, what don't you understand about this situation? It is nighttime and we have no wand light. Don't you think, for a moment, that we might be trying not to draw attention to ourselves?"

"Makes sense," Harry mumbled, rubbing his arm where Snape's grip had bitten into it.

"Then shut up."

Stalking quietly through the damp grass, Snape led Harry to the front of the castle. Once the main door was opened, they stepped into the dimly lit entryway. It was ghostly quiet. Harry shivered.

"We're a bit early," Snape muttered as they walked towards the large, stone gargoyle. He set Harry's trunk down on the flagged stone. "You'll bring that to your room later."

"Yes, sir."

"Tongue-Twisting Taffy."

The gargolye moved to the side and Harry started up the stairs, Snape directly behind him, wand still out. When they reached the top landing, Harry stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Several seconds passed before the door opened. Walking into the room, Harry was mildly surprised to see green, Floo flames dying out in the fireplace.

"Good evening, Harry."

"Good evening, Professor."

Snape walked around Harry and stood by the hearth, his dark eyes peering out at the room, watchful and wary. He resembled what Harry imagined patroling demetors must look like by the Azkaban gate.

"Please, Harry, sit." When the boy was seated, Dumbledore asked, "How is your scar?"

"Fine. I mean, it doesn't hurt, or anything. Why?"

"It seems your ease with your scar has not been due to Occlumency on Voldemort's part. Apparently, he has, indeed, been trying to use the connection between the two of you."

"Why haven't I felt anything?"

Here, Dumbledore looked at Snape.

"From what I have been able to gather," Snape started slowly, the firelight making his pale skin glow with a sick, yellow light, "there is something in your mind that is blocking his attempts to reach you. He described it like a forest, or a wall of thick haze that has been growing thicker and thicker."

"Am I doing Occlumency?"

"Don't be rediculous," Snape sneered.

Speaking above the rest of Snape's response, Dumbledore explained kindly, "That would be almost as rare as your surviving the Killing Curse. Occlumency takes strict training and personal discipline. One does not accidently perform it."

"Oh. So, what is it?"

"That is why we have brought you here. To try and figure out the riddle."

Harry nodded grimly. He was starting to get annoyed with himself for doing things that normal people weren't suppose to be able to do. It was getting very troublesome.

With a sigh, Dubledore stood. "And now that you know why you are here, why don't we go and have something to eat? It's too late to try and make any progress with this tonight. And then I'm sure you have an owl you want to send to Mr. Weasley."

"Yes, sir. Thank you," Harry said, standing as well.

"Do you care to join us, Severus?"

"I ate not long ago. And I have work to do. But I will see you at breakfast."

"Good night, Severus."

"Good night."

Severus stopped in the doorway to the Great Hall. All the way at the far end of the Gryffindor table sat Harry, his head resting on his folded arms. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he started down the aisle between the tables. "A bit early for your usual, isn't it?" he asked coldly.

Harry's eyes rolled up to look at Severus, but his head stayed firmly on his arms. "Professor Dumbledore wanted to have breakfast together."

Just as Severus was about to comment, Dumbledore walked into the large room. "Ah, good. You are both up."

Harry sat up. "Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning. And now that we're slightly more awake, let's have some breakfast before we move on to more serious discussions." Dumbledore sat at the table across from Harry.

Making a show of reluctance, Severus sat down several feet down the bench from Harry.

"Eggs, I think. And bacon. Orange juice."

Harry watched Dumbledore ordering his breakfast from the table, then followed suit. "Just cereal. With milk. And toast."

"Tea, black. Toast, ham, and two eggs," Severus said as Dumbledore's and then Harry's dishes began to appear. When his own order came up, he took his fork and began to pick at his eggs. He peered down the table out of the corner of his eye. He had no vantage point to slip the potion into Harry's food.

"No milk, Severus?"

Severus looked blearily at his meal before realizing what Dumbledore was referring to. "Not this early," he answered. Severus finished the rest of his breakfast in silence, listening with only half his attention as Harry and Dumbledore talked about Quidditch, classes, and summer holiday activities.

When all the dishes had been cleared, Dumbledore said, "Now, let's discuss how we are going to go about discovering the secret of your sudden immunity to Voldemort."

Folding his hands, Severus said, "I stayed up to do some reading. Obviously, there are no identical cases, but there are several similar ones in which people who once shareed mental connections were suddenly blocked by from having visions by fog or smoke. There was also a case of twin who shared a free-flowing psychic bond that was severed when one of then began to hear only static from the other."

"So my scar is broken? I mean, the connection--"

"Not broken," Severus explained. "Blocked."

"What's the difference?"

"There is still potential for the connection to be reestablished."

Harry sighed and slumped a little.

"Were any of the cases solved? Or reversed?"

"The one with the twins was reversed, but it took both of them studying Occlumency. Which leads me to believe that using Occlumency would be advantageous in trying to--"

"Again?"

"Harry."

"It didn't do anything last time but give me headaches. I'm feeling better. Who cares why?"

Severus sneered.

Dumbledore explained, "Our first concern is that this may be caused by some damage to your mind itself. If this is a building condition, it would be best if we discovered it and tried to cure it as soon as possible."

Harry sat in silence for several seconds before nodding his agreement.

"Back to Occlumency," Severus resumed. "We will be using Occlumency to explore exactly what the Dark Lord is finding when he tries to access you. Those sessions will begin with me this evening."

"With you?" Harry groaned.

"Manners, Potter."

Harry glared at the floor.

"It is imperative that you work with Professor Snape," Dumbledore soothed. "I will not be available as much as he will. I will, of course, participate when it is practical for me to do so."

Sighing, Harry looked back at the two professors. "What if this opens my mind more so Voldemort can get to me again?"

"Then we will know that it is not caused by physical or psychological damage," Severus answered evenly. He stood up. "I have a potion that needs tending in five minutes, so I should be going. Be in my office at seven, Potter. No excuses."

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered, a scowl on his face.

Severus strode out of the Great Hall and towards the dungeon stairs. He was fairly pleased. Everything seemed to be going well, except for Harry not having taken the potion yet. But that would be rectified that evening. Now all he had to do was keep Dumbledore from inspecting Harry's mind himself. If he did that, not only would Dumbledore not find a cloud or forest of smoke, but he'd also realize that the boy's mind, while helplessly inept, was in fully-functional, undamaged order. And that would ruin the Dark Lord's entire plan.

Dread swelling in his chest, Harry trudged down the long hall to Snape's office. Here he was. Back in Occlumency. With Snape. Worst of all was, the man would be purposely poking around his mind, trying to break into it, and he, Harry, wasn't suppose to try and put up a defense. He sighed.

When Harry got the door, he knocked firmly, determined to get through this first night.

"Enter." Snape was just emmerging from his private store cupboard at the back of the room, two small bottles in hand. "I see your punctuality has improved, if nothing else." He glared down at Harry for a moment before setting the bottles on his desk. "Sit down, Potter. I want to go over how this first session will work."

Harry sat across from Snape, eyeing the bottles.

"Headache potions, Potter. I dare say you'll need at least one before you leave here tonight."

Great, he thought.

"Until we discover the true root of your problem, all of my entrances to your mind will be exploritory. Just a little browsing to see what I can see." Snape picked his wand up. "Just relax. Think about whatever you want."

Harry suppressed an indignant snort. He's pointing his wand at me and he wants me to relax. Brilliant.

"Legilimens."

Harry braced for the heavy feeling of having his mind ripped into, but it never came. He waited. Nothing.

"Well, Potter, this is very interesting."

Harry looked up at Snape's bemused tone. "You--you couldn't get in?"

Snape shook his head slowly, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Not a bit. I'm going to try again. Legilimens." Twice more, Snape tried, and twice more, he was unsuccessful. "Once more should do it. I'm going to try and dig a bit deeper this time. Legilimens."

For several seconds, Harry was sure Snape had failed yet again. However, just as he was about to comment so, a sharp, burning pain tore into his skull. A scream of agony was ripped out of his throat before he could bother trying to suppress it. The sharp pain died away, leaving a heavy throbbing behind. He clutched his arms around his head. Blood pounded in his ears and there was a loud rushing noise that made him certain he was bleeding out at the head in gushing bursts. It took several seconds for the throbbing to subside to the point that he could hear Snape talking to him.

"Easy, Potter. Deep breaths. You're not breathing," he admonished coldly.

Suddenly realizing that he was, indeed, holding his breath, Harry let it out in a gasp. His chest heaved several times, his arms still curled around his head. When he finally found his voice, it was shaky and weak-sounding. "What did you do?"

"I tried to penetrate the fog in your mind. I managed. A little." A cork popped. "Drink this. It will make the pain go away."

Peering out from under his forearm, Harry reached for the offered potion. Gulping it down, he was relieved to feel most of his pain melt away instantly. All that was left was a heavy, clouded feeling around his brain, but it wasn't unbarable. "Did you see anything?"

There was a troubled light in Snape's eyes. "Do you have any repressed memories, Potter?"

"What?"

"Any parts of your life you pushed aside? Memories you do not recall becuase they're unpleasent to you?"

"How should I know if I have memories I don't remember?" Harry snapped, the rushing still pounding in his ears slightly.

"Manners," he warned. He studied Harry. "Your mind shows distinct evidence of magical damage. But it seems to be undoing itself. That is why the haze has been brought to the forefront. Your mind is trying to cycle through thoughts it has been storing and not processing."

"So someone obliviated my memories?"

"It doesn't look that way. It looks, oddly enough, as if you've done it to yourself."

"How can someone obliviate their own memories?"

"It's not unheard of. Mostly it happens to particularly...gifted children who have not yet learned to control their abilities."

"Will I remember them?"

"Eventually, yes. And that is when those clouds will be cleared from your mind. You are familiar with the Pencieve," Snpae said with a sneer. "I trust you have seen what thought looks like?"

Looking down sheepishly, Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."

"That is what you have in your head. An overabundance of thick, unfiled thought."

"So when it's cleared out, will I remember everything?"

"Most likely."

"Will my connection with Voldemort be reestablished?"

"I don't know. It may." Snape still looked troubled. "Have you been having any flashes of unfamiliar memories?"

"Not that I noticed."

"Nightmares? Strange dreams?"

"I've been getting my best sleep since third year."

"Be warned, Potter. That will change as you remember the items that are in that band of thought."

Harry started. "More things about Voldemort?"

Slowly, Snape said, "I didn't see anything about the Dark Lord. I didn't see much, actually. Just some flashes of a park and a man."

Licking his lips nervously, Harry asked, "How long do you think it'll take for my mind to process everything?"

"With coaxing, not too long."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Coaxing? As in, you going in and tearing things up like you just did?"

"After a fashion."

"Great." Harry dropped his head onto the desk, appreciating the cool wooden surface on his burning forehead. "There's no potion, or medicine to help this instead?"

"The potions used to reverse memory modification and mind damage only loosen the thoughts so the mind can work through them on its own. In essence, your mind is acting as if it has alreqady been given the medication. It just has to be left to do its job."

Harry sighed.

"That's enough for tonight." Snape held out the second potion to Harry. "Drink this before you go. All of it. It should get rid of the rest of the pain."

Harry swallowed the potion, coughing a little. It definitely wasn't the same thing that had been in the other bottle. It had a different taste...but it worked amazingly. His every ache, even things not related to the Legilimency, disappeared suddenly.

"Off to bed, Potter. It's late, and that potion will make you drowsy in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will want to see you in the morning, once I have given him my report on our session."

Standing up, Harry nodded slightly. He walked to the door with the slightest feeling that everything in the world must be perfect at that very moment. By the time he was pulling off his shirt and digging in his drawers for pajamas, Harry couldn't tell if he was still awake or not. To save from having to decide, he lied down on his bed, still half-dressed.

"If I'm not sleeping, I should be," he murmured, closing his eyes. "And if I am, well then, I'll just dream that I'm going to bed..."

"He drank it, my Lord."

"Very good, Severus. Now, we wait patiently. And when he starts havign his nightmares, you will be there to carefully lead him towards his destiny."

Severus looked at Voldemort for a minute, then walked over to the window. "I still wonder if Potter can be pursuaded--"

"A person's mind can convince them to do anything. Once those spores begin to take effect, he will be reduced to his most primary learning. And that, thanks to Mr. Williams, is to take advantages and use situations for his own gain. We just have to put him in a position to realize that it is his gain to follow paths you will set before him."

His lips curved in a smirk, Severus turned back to face Voldemort. "There's a long way to go before he'll trust me."

"He doesn't have to trust you. He just needs to realize that you are the only person who can help him get what he wants. What he craves. And that is revenge."

"He doesn't crave revenge."

"He will. before long, he will. Ingested demetor spores have a way of making people realize their darker emotions." Voldemort stared at Severus as if he was seeing someone else through him. "Mixed with that euphoria potion, those spores will have Harry living his worst memories in a state of lost, dreaminess that he will be unable to escape."

Severus smirked. "And Dumbledore will be no help."

Voldemort's smile grew, a malicious fire burning in the reds of his eyes. "While poor Harry Potter is suffering the worst pains of his life, Dumbledore, his great protector, will be standing aside, doing nothing, telling him it's normal, and that he just has to deal with it. What an exquisit betrayal."

Slowly, Severus said, "Yes, my Lord. But that is another point. I doubt Dumbledore will just stand around for long. He'll want to take his own look if Potter's symptoms get too severe."

"Dumbledore won't be in the castle, Severus," Voldemort replied as if speaking to a stupid child. "He will be away, playing the Guardian of the World, on information you will pass to him."

"I will pass to him whatever information you command of me," Severus answered. He was starting to realize that Voldemort hadn't really told him anythign solid about the plan after all, and the direction it was suppose to take, exactly, was elluding Severus' powers of deduction. It was maddening.

Harry scowled as he trudged down the stairs the next morning. He'd been in bed until well passed nine o' clock, but felt no more rested than he had when he'd lied down in the first place. Shapeless figures and haunting voices had plagued his dreams. Even now, in the brightness of the mid-morning light, a heaviness of dread was settled in Harry's stomach.

Harry walked through the wide doorway into the Great Hall and sat down at the nearest end of the Gryffindor table. He placed his breakfast order, then started to eat slowly.

"Finally awake, are you?"

Harry looked up as Snape entered.

Narrowing his eyes, he snapped, "What's the matter with you?"

Harry looked back at his food. "I didn't sleep well."

"The bad dreams are beginning? That is, of course, natural."

"Of course."

Snape glared at him. "Do not interupt me."

Harry's scowl deepened.

"As I was saying, that is to be expected. The dreams will continue and they will get worse."

Was it Harry's imagination, or did Snape sound the slightest bit pleased? "How long will it last?"

"It depends, really. You have quite the thick haze to work through."

Looking away from Snape, Harry glared at the floor, his eyes fixed on a patch of cobweb in the corner by the door.

After several moments of silence, Snape said, "At any rate, I have come to tell you that Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office." Wth a final, appraising look in Harry's direction, he left the room.

Harry sighed. He was really starting to hate Dubledore's office.

When he'd finished eating, Harry made his way down the hall to the stone gargoyle. As he entered the office, he saw Dumbledore standing by the window, looking out over the still grounds. "Professor Snape said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. He and I discussed your condition this morning."

Harry scowled slightly. They made it sound like he was diseased.

"As much as I regret that you'll have to go through these painful times, I am pleased that it is not something more serious. Severus has assured me that it should clear up before the start of term."

"So, do I get to go back to the Weasleys'?"

Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "I do not think it's wise. These next few days will be very trying, and I think the quiet will be best."

"Yes, sir." When several moments passed without word, Harry asked, "Was that all you wanted to tell me?"

"Not entirely. It seems I will have to be away for the next couple weeks. It came up very suddenly."

Horror struck, Harry clenched his fist. He'd be stuck going through these "painful times" with no one but Snape? "Professor--"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with imploring, yet firm, eyes. "Harry, Severus has agreed to be civil, and I will ask the same of you."

"What about Professor McGonagall, or someone else? Doesn't Hagrid stay here through the summer?"

"Neither Hagrid nor Professor McGonagall are skilled at Legilimency. You need someone who can check your progress and make sure things are moving in the proper direction. Under that definition, Professor Snape is the only one who could do the job."

No wonder he looked so annoyed when he came to get me. Harry's scowl deepened. This was going to be the worst two weeks of his life. "What if Snape went and took care of whatever it is you're going off to do?" he pleaded, feeling slightly desperate.

Shaking his head gravely, Dumbledore answered, "I will trust this task to no one but myself. It is too...important."

Yeah. But you'll shuffle me off to him pretty easily, won't you? Harry thought.

As if reading his mind, Dumbledore said, "Harry, I trust Severus, and I trust you."

Harry sighed. "I only have to see him in the evenings?"

Dumbledore sighed, too. "This is a very big castle. I am sure you, and Professor Snape, will have plenty of places far enough away from each other to satisefy both of yours needs."

Harry felt a little childish, but he also felt justified.

And we reach our first break in the action. Quick outline:

Before he leaves, Dumbledore checks Harry's mind for himself and does see a cloud (induced by the dementor spores). With no reason to distrust Snape, he heads off. (He is going to hunt down the first horcrux, which Snape gave him what was suppose to be misleading directions to, on Voldie's orders, of course.)
A few days pass and the slow-acting potion is reaching its peek. Harry's been having progressively worsen nightmares about his childhood. For the most part, they are true-to-life, but with the terrible dementor spore twist. He spends all his time wandering the empty halls of Hogwarts in a hellish haze of a memories. The euphoria potions acts with the dementor spores to create a feelign of unreal reality in which Harry is forced to constantly remind himself that all the horrible things he's reliving are just thoughts.
Unable to sleep one night, he tries to steal a sleeping potion from Snape. Snape, who has been expecting this for several days, is slightly imressed at harry's ability to fight off the nightmares without a potion for so long. However, it is not his job to be impressed. It is his job to torment the boy into near insanity. So, when he catches Harry with his hand in the potion store, he does not make things easier. And thus our story continues:

"Sit. Why are you trying to steal potions from my office, Potter?"

Harry glared at the floor as he lowered himself into the hard, wooden chair beside Severus's desk. He didn't reply.

"Answer me," he ordered.

"I need it to sleep. The dreams are getting worse."

"What are you seeing? Surely not the Dark Lord, or you'd be talking to Professor Dumbledore, not sneaking around my office."

"Memories. Things I haven't thought of in..." he trailed off, shaking his head slowly. "Why am I remembering this now?"

Severus studied Harry for several, long seconds. "Perhaps it is your mind trying to tell you something."

"Like what?" His eyes were haunted.

Severus peered at Harry calculatingly. "I knew someone who believed that the mind deals with information in bite-sized chunks. One remembers or recalls things as he is prepared to deal with them. Maybe your shallow mind has just gained a bit of depth and is prepared for something it wasn't before."

"I'm not prepared to deal with this. Not again."

Though Harry was obviously speaking to himself, Severus answered, "Only life itself knows what you are prepared for."

Harry looked up sharply, his eyes wide. He stared at the man as if he were seeing a ghost.

"What?"

"You just-- Nothing. I should go." He stood but did not move towards the door. His eyes were trained longingly on the potion in Severus's hand.

Severus slipped the small bottle into his own robe pocket. "Deal with your demons, Potter. That's the only way they'll leave you. Now go."

Sighing dejectedly, Harry walked to the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Harry looked back at Severus.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for being in my office without permission. And forty more for trying to steal from my personal store."

Glaring, Harry jerked the door open and trudged up the hall.

And we are at the second break.

The next day, Harry has his "session" with Snape. Snae, in an effort to torment Harry more, purposely seeks the more painful memories that he knows Harry has buried in his mind. Of course, he makes a point to taunt him...

An amused smirk twisted Severus's lips. "Did you spend a lot of time cowering behind dumpsters and whining?"

"Did you spend a lot of time cowering in corners and crying?" Harry snarled in reply.

Though the smirk left his face, inside Severus was overjoyed at the boy. There's that anger again. I knew I'd find it, he thought. "My own domestic past is not an issue in this conversation," he answered coldly, glaring at Harry.

And here we reach the longest break in our story.

Several days pass and the potion reaches its climax. Snape meets with Voldie and tells him that the potions effects will begin to wear off within the next couple days. Voldie doesn't seem to mind, and simply asks Snape where the Dursleys live. Confused, but compliant, Snape, who knows from his trip back in time, tells him.
Snape goes back to the school. The next day, Snape is meeting with Harry when an alert comes to him from the Order. Voldemort has somehow discovered where the Dursleys live and is in the middle of an attack on the family, obviously looking for Harry...
Short on members (as Dumbledore is gone, Remus is busy, and McGonagall is working on other things elsewhere), Snape has no choice but to go. He does let slip to Harry what's happening, and the dire situation they must be in with only a couple Order members to answer the call to help. Harry's hero complex kicks in and he insists on going.
Snape puts up a token fuss, then gives in for the sake of getting the scene quickly. They arrive at Privet Drive via Apparation to find the Dursley's house in a shambles, Death Eaters, Order members, and Aurors crawling the grounds.
There is a breif moment where Tonks looks at Snape like he's insane for having brought Harry, bu the fighting is too out of control for her to comment. While Snape makes his way carefully through the fray, remaining unscathed as neither side is attackign him because both sides think he is fighting for them, Harry puts his DADA skills to use against the yucky Death Eaters. As he's fighting, he spots the Dursleys being tortured by a Death Eater. He petrifies the Death Eater, but stops as he's turning back to the battle. He is suddenly transfixed by the Dursleys and the overwhelming hell of memories he has been forced to endure over the passed week.
Harry, unnoticed by all except Snape and Voldemort, raises his wand, seriously considering killing the Dursleys. His eyes are round and slightly crazed with the insanity that has been growing in him.
In the moments while he is emotionlessly contemplating the terrified pleas of his relatives, Snape makes his way to Harry's side. "Life doesn't give second chances, Harry," he hisses. "You have to take what it gives you when it offers because the same opportunity never comes twice."
Harry stares blankly at the Dursleys for several seconds. Across the lawn, there is a yell from Shacklebolt and then the loud noises of several people Disapperating: the Death Eaters, severly beaten, are retreating. Voldemort is among the last to leave.
Tonks runs over and starts askign Harry if his family is all right. Shaken out of his daze, he just looks around, confused. He stares at Snape for a moment, then says everyoen seems to be fine. The Durselys are too petrified to say anything. they are taken to away by mediwizards as the Aurors set about righting everything and covering up for what happened.
Snape takes harry back to Hogwarts, very annoyed that the boy didn't do what he was suppose to, and dreading the punishment he was sure to incure for lack of the plan's success.
Later that night, Harry goes to Snape's office at the usual time, only to find the man working on a potion in his lab.

And this is where the story picks back up:

"Why did you tell me to do it?"

Snape stared at him, his dark eyes distant, lost in some thought which lingered far away from the quiet dungeon. Fnally, he said softly, "If anyone stood between me and my chance to kill my father, they would die."

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Is he dead?"

Without responding, Snape walked over to the cauldron on the work table and began prodding its thickening contents.

"I--I couldn't do it. I hate them, but I couldn't. A...friend I had told me I could have everything I want, if I just take the right steps to get it."

Snape's slight movements stopped, but he didn't look up.

"I want to not be like Voldemort. I--" Harry swallowed thickly. "I could be, you know." His shaky voice sounded very near the edge of hysterics. "I almost was. But then I remembered Mr. Williams. That's what stopped me."

Smirking, Snape said, "I have always claimed to enjoy a heavy helping of irony."

"Sir?"

"Nothing, Potter."

"Are we still having a session tonight?"

"No. I have work to do."

"Tomorrow, then? I'm still having the memory flashes, but they're getting weaker."

Snape looked up. Harry was shocked to see the black depths of the man's eyes filled with some unfamiliar emotion. It wasn't malice, or hatred. It was something close to resignition. "Perhaps. Go to bed, Potter."

Snape finishes his potion and goes to see Voldemort, well aware of the fact that he's in major trouble.

Severus almost feared to speak, but Voldemort's silence was inviting him to open the conversation. Cautiously, he fell onto the facts of the situation. "The potion will be wearing off over the next couple days. Its effects are already weakening."

Voldemort didn't reply. He did not look at Severus. He merely hunched farther in his chair, long, slender fingers stroking his lips and cheeks in absent thought. His eyes were narrowed.

His tone tentative, Severus asked quietly, "Should I give him more, my Lord?"

Suddenly, Voldemort exploded, "Why didn't he do it? He had the perfect chance!"

Severus flinched. "I don't know, my Lord," he lied. He didn't want to imagine what would happen to him if he confessed that Mr'Williams, the "loving mentor" had given little Harry Potter the strength of character that he needed to escape the mental torture of the Dark Lord's best-laid plans. That little piece of information would go with him to his grave, if he could help it.

"I saw his eyes! He wanted to," Voldemort growled in confused rage.

"My Lord, perhaps--"

"You," he snarled. "You messed up the potion!" Voldemort rose from his seat, snatching his wand off the table at his side.

"My Lord--"

"Crucio!"

Dumbledore returns from his horcrux hunt ringless, but with a clearer idea of where to look for the real thing due to some lucky stumblings and chance meetings and conversations. He and Harry chat about what happened at Privet Drive, Dumbledore checks his mind and find it clear and in perfect working order, and Harry is sent back to the Weasleys for the remaining week of vacation with orders to relax and try to put the unpleasantness of the previous week out of his mind.

Snape, all the worse for the wear, meets up with Dumbledore. They chat:

"I hope this week has been time enough for you to see that Harry is, if not responsible, reliable, at least."

Severus peered at the corner by the hearth stone, his dark gaze glaring into the twilight brass of the fire poker set mounted on the brick.

Dumbledore sighed. "At any rate, I am glad to see you comparatively well. I am sorry I could not be here when I was needed."

"All is well."

"You were greatly jepordized," he protested guiltily.

"I was in no more danger than I usually am," Severus replied icily.

Dumbledore sighed. "This will soon be over, and a great many people who are in dangerous positions will be relieved."

Nodding, Severus stood stiffly, his aching muscles screaming. "We all look forward to that day. if you'll excuse me, I think I would like to lie down for a minute."

"Of course, Severus." The man's eyes, full of concern and caring, followed Severus to the door.

THE END

And so there you have it. The unfinished story. Once again, sorry, but the inspiration for it just dropped cold. But I didn't think it was fair to just not update after promising I would.