Yawning Harry made his way down to the kitchen. The only one there was Ginny, making toast.
'Morning Ginny. Could you be an absolute sweetheart and make me a slice too?'
Ginny had been startled when he greeted her, but now she stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Harry was facing away from her and she quickly shook herself from her stupor. She reached for a second breakfast plate, standing on her tiptoes to reach it.
'Here, let me get that.'
She turned at the sound of his voice and was instantly pressed against the cabinet as Harry reached over her to the plates.
'Thanks,' she muttered, trying to hold down her blush as she noticed he still smelled of smoke and pine.
'No prob,' Harry yawned again.
'Long night?'
'Yeah, didn't get to bed until 12.30 or so.'
'You went up around 10 though.'
'Doesn't mean I went to sleep.'
'Hmm… Guess not.'
Ginny fidgeted a little with the toast. She really wanted to talk to Harry about that night, but…
'Harry?'
'Hmm?'
'I… I'm sorry.'
That got his attention.
'Huh? What for, Ginny?'
'I… I… That night you came into my room and I… I thought you were…'
'Oh Ginny.'
Harry was instantly by her side, she hadn't even seen him move. His arms wrapped around her.
'Ginny, Ginny. Everyone has nightmares sometimes, and yours are worse than others'. Everyone craves a little attention after such nights, and they deserve it - you deserve it.'
'Th… Those things y… you said…'
'I meant every word.'
'A… And you dying?'
'Ah. Caught that, did you?'
Harry smiled ruefully into her hair.
'Don't think about that, okay, Gin? It's nothing.'
They stayed embraced for a minute longer until Harry untangled himself from her.
'I think the toast is burning, Ginny,' he whispered.
As Ginny busied herself with the toast, she was thinking.
'Harry?'
'Hmmm?'
She turned to look at him and smiled. Harry was leaning in his chair against the wall of the kitchen, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. She noticed something strange.
'Harry, why aren't you wearing your glasses?'
'Huh? I'm not?'
Harry's hands flew to his face as his chair thumped onto four legs again.
'You're right, I'm not.'
A frown creased his brows.
'I wonder if it's because of Occlumency. I did have a rather long session last night,' he muttered. His face brightened as he looked Ginny straight in the eyes. Her breath caught in her throat.
'Guess I don't need them anymore.'
She nodded and quickly turned form his gaze. She could drown in those eyes…
They ate their toast in silence until Ginny remembered her original question.
'Harry, where do you go every day?'
'When?'
'Between three and six, we can never find you.'
'Have you ever looked?'
'Oh yes, plenty of times. Every one's given up only recently.'
'But you never thought to ask, did you?' Harry thought to himself, but he didn't show a thing.
'Caused trouble, have I?' he asked with a smile.
'Ever thought to look outside?'
Slowly Ginny nodded, her eyes widening slightly.
'All the way to the gate?'
Hesitant nod.
'Shed?'
'That's you?' Her voice was a little higher than usual.
Harry simply raised his eyebrow in question.
'I've been trying to figure out who works in that shed for ages! I thought it was Mundungus or someone!'
Harry snorted.
'I suppose it would be a good place for Dung to hide his slightly less legal dealings, wouldn't it? You could have knocked on the door, you know Gin.'
Ginny was about to answer when Ron interrupted her.
'Gin? Since when do you call my sister Gin, Harry? And why would she knock on your door?'
'Well, to answer your first question, Ron, I think I started calling your sister by her name since I've met her. And why else would she knock on my door, but to tell me that there is someone standing outside it, trying to gain attention? It's not like I can look through doors, is it now? Good morning to you too, Ron.'
With that Harry stood up and walked out the kitchen.
Ron seemed reassured, but Ginny was not happy. She knew exactly what Ron was after and suddenly had a suspicion.
'Dean Thomas,' she said loudly.
Ron flinched and the tips of his ears darkened suspiciously.
'I wonder why I haven't heard from my boyfriend lately, Ron. Perhaps he's misdirected his letters?'
She stomped out of the kitchen as Hermione looked at Ron with wide eyes.
'Ron! You didn't!'
Ron shrugged and shared a look with the twins. Hermione humphed and followed Ginny out the kitchen as he sat down and finished Harry's piece of toast.
The fireplace flared green for a moment and Snape stepped out and into the kitchen. He sneered at the three Weasley boys and moved into the doorway.
'Potter, come here this instant!'
The screeching of Mrs Black was once again cut of seconds before Harry entered the kitchen for the second time that morning.
'Good morning, Professor. How good to see you this morning.'
'Cut the pleasantries, Potter. Care to explain just what happened last night?'
Harry grinned.
'Of course, Professor. Would you like my or Voldemort's point of view.'
'Don't be insolent, boy! Don't talk rubbish.'
'Just like I was talking rubbish last year, sir, when I told dear professor Umbridge and Minister Fudge that Voldemort had come back?'
He stressed the name and ignored the flinches that accompanied it.
'The Dark Lord's point of view?'
'Ah, yes. Now that I have properly educated myself in the art of Occlumency, I can open and close my link with dear Tom of my own free will. In other words, I can hear, see, smell and feel exactly what he can.'
'And I am supposed to believe that?'
'See for yourself. Legilimens me.'
'What?'
'I said Legilimens me. You didn't seem to mind last year.'
'Very well. Legilimens.'
Images flitted across Snape's mind-eye. He saw himself writhing under the Cruciatus, himself explaining why the potion wasn't ready, himself standing next to Potter last night, a dark blue motorbike…
'Enough!'
Walls closed in on him, until he was standing in a circular room.
'Get out, Severus.'
He complied without thought and suddenly found himself standing in the kitchen once again, now full of Weasleys and others.
Harry's eyes were hard as he spoke.
'Next time don't go prying where I don't allow it. Understood!'
Snape nodded and sat down heavily. He couldn't quite believe what he had seen.
'But the Occlumency was so that the visions stopped.'
Oh great, Granger was in the room as well.
'No Hermione. The Occlumency stopped the visions that weren't real, not the ones that were. Those are clearer now.'
Snape had regained his composure a little and was now leaning over the table.
'Fine. We have now established that you can see what the Dark Lord sees. Now can we get back to the original question? What happened last night?'
'Well, you gave Voldemort the potion; he put his blood in it; drank it; ordered me over; I told him the prophecy and pulled us out of there.'
'Don't get clever with me, Potter. Tell me something I don't know. How did you get that potion?'
'I brewed it.'
'You went to see You-Know-Who yesterday?'
'You brewed a potion so ancient that there are but three copies of the recipe left. A potion so complex it requires a week of brewing, excluding the usual two week period of preparing the ingredients. A potion so difficult it requires a potions master to brew it correctly.'
'Yes.'
'And where exactly did you get the recipe?'
'Black Library.'
'Harry, nobody's been able to enter that room since the Department of Mysteries.'
'Right, let's say that you indeed brewed the Potion of Connection. At least you acquired some. Why on earth did you use blood for the connection?'
'Because it gives the strongest connection and set you in good light for the time being.'
'You purposely gave the Dark Lord the strongest and most dangerous connection?'
'Yes.'
