Chapter 17: Legilimency? Occlumency?
{Snape and Kat's POV}
Kat was getting more and more nervous the closer she got to her father's office. She took a deep breath and knocked on his office door and waited for him to give her permission to enter.
Snape didn't bother to look up when he heard the door. -"Come in"- He continued writing, unaware that it was his daughter knocking on the door. Normally, both Severus and Kat knocked and came in right away, and Alex just walked in without even knocking, so he figured it was some student or professor. He wasn't in the mood to talk to any professor or student, he would yell at anyone who came through that door to bother him.
Kat opened the door slowly as she heard her father's tone, he didn't sound to be in a good mood, or at least a decent mood, it wasn't a good sign anyway. -"Sorry to bother you, is this a bad time?"- She asked softly as she walked in, then closed the door behind her, watching as her father worked. She was prepared for her father to throw her out, saying he had too much work or that he didn't have time now. Although that had never happened, both she and her brothers avoided, unless it was an emergency, disturbing their father when he was working.
Snape looks up when he hears his daughter's voice and stops writing immediately. -"No, it's almost done, do you need me for anything?"- No matter how busy he is, he always puts his children first even if they don't realize it. Since his children rarely came to him for anything other than to inform him or if something serious had happened. The lack of communication between Severus and his children, among many things, was very obvious, but neither of them were good at letting their emotions out, and they were very good at hiding them, so neither of them would make the first move until a serious situation warranted it.
Kat managed to keep herself from letting out a sigh of relief. -"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you about something; it's nothing urgent, so I could always come back later"- She said as she walked over to his desk, even though he always said he had time, even though she always expected him to say otherwise, she always felt bad interrupting whatever he was doing. She knew he was busy and never wanted to cause more problems than herself and her brothers normally do.
Snape shook his head. -"Don't worry, like I said I'm almost done, so I'm not busy enough not to be able to talk to you, what do you need to talk about?"- He says as he puts his work aside, then puts his arms on the desk and leans forward. He used to say that quite often when his children came to talk to him, although he never realized that this conversation happened every time they came to talk to him.
-"Ok"- Kat nodded, feeling more relaxed. -"Well, Alex told me that every time he gets scared, he gets short of breath and finds it hard to breathe. Which causes a problem when he sleeps because he has nightmares, and then he can't breathe"- She said as she sat down across from him in one of the chairs -"That's the first thing, and then I have something else to talk about"-
-"I thought that might happen"- Snape runs his hand over his face. He thought for a moment before speaking again -"Well, I'm going to have to up the dosage of the potion, since with the increase in his magic the amount we've been giving him may start to lose effect, hasn't he been tired since he started taking it?"-
Kat nodded -"Yes, over the weekend and on Monday I had to give him half a potion to keep him awake, but I thought it was because he'd had a few hours sleep"-
Snape sighs -"Yes, that means he doesn't have nightmares, but that feeling of having had one is still there making him not sleep properly. But now he can't go to sleep without taking the Potion for Dreamless Sleep until his magic stabilizes"- He said seriously.
-"Alright, I'll ask Severus to brew a bunch of the potions, so we have a good pile just in case, plus up Alex's dosage"- Kat said with a nod as she thought for a second, she would have to come up with so many different ways to get the kid to drink the potions because he won't do it for Severus if he barely does it for her.
Snape nodded -"Now the problem will be during the day. I was planning to give him something that has your magic in it, so it will be easier for him to control his emotions until he is able to control them by himself, but I am still investigating"- He says and puts a hand on some books he had next to him. -"For now, just give him the potions while I figure out how to solve that problem. Now, what else do you want to talk about?"-
Kat nods before standing up straighter before the question -"I want to learn Legilimency and I need you to help me, I've done all the research I possibly could, and I understand the risks. I know how dangerous and painful it is to learn, but I still want to do it. I know you've taught a student how to do it before, and I'd really like for you to teach me"- She with total seriousness.
Snape leans back in his chair as he thinks for a moment, not very surprised that she knew that information, after all there were many rumors about him among professors and students about his years before becoming headmaster. -"Well, what I taught that student was Occlumency, but teaching Legilimency is very similar"- He sighs, really not wanting to use that method on his daughter. -"But you have to be aware that learning it is very difficult and very hard, my teaching method is not for everyone. I will be extremely severe and even cruel, as the human mind is not an easy thing and should not be taken lightly, do you understand?"- He says seriously -"You have to have great mental strength to endure it"-
-"Well I'd like to learn both"- Kat said with a nod, she decided to learn both things, not only because they were magics that could be learned simultaneously, and she didn't know if her father would agree to give her lessons again, so she took the opportunity to have him teach her both things -"I understand the difficulty and I understand that it will not be enjoyable, but I'd still like to learn it. You know I'm very tough mentally and physically, I truly believe I have the ability to get through it"- She said looking up at him hoping he would agree to do it.
Snape crosses his arms as he stared at his daughter -"Well, before I give you an answer, just like your brother, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, and if I agree to teach you, it will have to be under my rules and conditions, which you cannot refuse, understood?"- He thought that maybe it would be easier to teach his daughter than Potter. His daughter would not be rebellious, she would listen to him better, she would be more dedicated and besides she was the one who was asking for it, unlike his Occlumency lessons eight years ago both as he and Potter were forced to do it, so it was not strange that those lessons were a resounding failure. And he would never treat his daughter the way he had treated that boy years ago.
-"Alright ask away"- Kat said with a nod -"Yes, I understand it's under your conditions and I have to obey everything you say"- She took a deep breath, preparing to answer her father's questions.
Snape leans forward. -"Okay, let's get started, what about your brother? He is currently very physically attached to you, what will you do with him during your lessons?"- He had planned to do her lessons on the days when Severus didn't have his and that they wouldn't be during her practice hours, but he still wanted to know her answer. -"And you know that, if your brother finds out, he'll want to do the same and I won't allow it"- He closed his eyes thinking about his youngest son receiving those kinds of lessons; he clenched his fists and teeth at the thought. -'Never, that would hurt Alexander too much psychologically and emotionally'- He thought, he couldn't put his youngest to that kind of lessons.
Kat thought for a moment, trying to get her words in order. She knew that question was going to be the most important of all, she had to answer it correctly -"Well, I'm not sure what Severus' lessons are because he was going to tell me when Alex wasn't around. But we agreed that when he had his lessons I would watch Alex and when I had my lessons he would watch him. But if neither of us can watch him I would spend my lessons at night when he is sleeping, I will put a charm on the door to make sure I know when someone enters or leaves"- She said nodding -"I don't plan on letting him know because I know what he will want to copy me, I don't think he could mentally handle it at all"- The same thought that her father went through her head, her younger brother would only suffer if he had this kind of lessons with his current mentality.
Snape nodded in complete agreement. -"Very good, now Occlumency and Legilimency are very powerful magics, they take a long time to learn and master, how long do you think you will learn them?"- He said seriously. Patience was very important when it came to learning this kind of magic, wanting to learn and master them in a short time could be dangerous both physically and mentally.
-"As long as it takes"- Kat said with a nod -"I have the rest of this year and next year to be in this school, if it takes me longer then I will do the lessons whenever I see you"- She said calmly, she had a lot of patience, too much for her liking, after all she had had to endure and put up with a lot since she was very younger.
Snape leaned back in his chair and watched his daughter for a few moments before nodding. He really didn't have much more to ask, he knew that she could handle these types of lessons, and furthermore that she could master these magics to perfection. What worried him the most was that he would ask to hurt her in some way, but he decided to swallow that thought and trust that he could prevent that from happening. -"Alright, I'll teach you Legilimency and Occlumency, I'll plan the schedule of your lessons in my free moments and not have them coincide with your Quidditch practices. Tonight I will leave you some books and scrolls that I want you to read before your first lesson, and I hope that these lessons will not affect your studies. Now, if your brother tries to imitate you in this or if you refuse to follow my rules and instructions I will suspend your lessons, understood?"- He says seriously. -"And from now on, every night you have to do meditation before going to bed, until your mind goes blank and your body feels completely relaxed"- He emphasized on this order, as for him, having a control of your own mind was the key to be able to see the mind of others and prevent others from entering it.
-"Thank you, father. I understand what I have to do, and I understand the consequences"- Kat said with a nod and a smile as she got up, she walked around his desk and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was never very affectionate, but she was very happy that he agreed to help her.
Snape was quite surprised at his daughter's act of affection; he didn't know how to respond, so he did what he used to do with Alex, he rubbed her back gently. -"You're welcome"- he said softly. This giving affection wasn't really his thing.
-"I'll see you at dinner, just let me know what the plan is for my lessons"- Kat said as she let go of him and started to walk towards his office door.
Snape cleared his throat and straightened up in his chair. -"Of course, I must give you your schedule and lesson plan tomorrow morning"- He says as he watches his daughter walk towards the door. -"And don't forget to read the material I'll send you tonight"-
-"Okay, thank you"- Kat said with a smile and waving over her shoulder before opening the door. -"I will read everything and start meditating every night"- She said before closing the door behind her. She walked back to the common room very happy for once, she was never sad or depressed, but she was never happy just as a neutral state, she just hoped her brothers and father couldn't tell.
{Snape's POV}
Snape went back to work once his daughter left. Once he was done, he got up from his desk and accio all the material he wanted Kat to read, he carefully went through each book and scroll making sure they were clear enough for Kat's first lesson.
Snape raised an eyebrow when he saw a scroll appear on his desk. He took the scroll and let out a snort as he saw that it was Severus' lesson schedule -"This woman always so quick and efficient, it's only been a few hours since our meeting, surely she had this ready a long time ago, she really is excited to have an apprentice"- He finished rolling his eyes. After reviewing the schedule in detail, he called an owl, tied the scroll to the leg and sent it to his son's dorm.
Once the owl left the office and saw that he had all the material for his daughter to read, he decided to do a little more investigation to solve Alex's problem. He walked back to the bookshelf and with a sigh picked up one of the books the elf had brought him -"Being a single parent of three children is very hard"- He walked to the couch and sat down as he opened the book. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered how happy his daughter had gotten and how happy his son had gotten this morning; he rarely saw them this happy. -'But I guess it's worth it'- He thought without stopping smiling. The smile disappeared from his face as he concentrated on reading the book, hoping that the items he had gotten might be useful to Alex.
