Thank you to the beta of this chapter- Born-of-Elven-Blood

Chapter Three - The Good With The Bad

Snape shot down the forty-foot tunnel at full speed, only to land with a groan on the pile of bones that was waiting for him at the end. He was getting too old for this sort of thing, and he was pretty sure that he was going to wake up tomorrow morning feeling like he had gained a few years.

He stood, the animal bones cracking under his feet, and looked back up the tunnel, glad he had thought to bring a portkey with him. He didn't think his body would survive a trip back up.

With a small wave of his wand to give him a bit of light, he slowly started to make his way down the long tunnel, following the path of a very large snake skin. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find once he reached Harry. He had only seen one memory, but he had felt that there were others. The boy would clearly be a mess. He only hoped that he would find him in one piece.

Snape soon found himself standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Stone pillars carved in the shape of serpents rose to the ceiling through a greenish gloom. A Basilisk corpse lay on the floor next to a giant pool of water. Harry huddled on the floor next to it, his knees pulled up to his chest, his hands gripping his hair as he tried to block out the rush of memories.

Snape ran to Harry and knelt beside him.

"Get away from me!" Harry yelled as Snape reached out his hands. He let out a scream as more flashes of what happened three years ago came back to him. "I…I just want it to stop!" he cried out, closing his eyes tightly.

Snape was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to comfort a child in pain. As a man who had never been never comforted himself, he had no frame of reference. His father always told him that crying was a sign of weakness, that a man never showed his true emotions, that he was to keep them to himself. He should have realized that his father was wrong. Perhaps if he had, he wouldn't be the man he was today.

"I need you to relax Harry. Don't fight me." Snape placed his hands on Harry's temples. "Legilimens," he said, once again entering Harry's mind, this time in search of any happy memories that could calm the child down.

He pushed past Lockhart, not wanting to witness any more horror, and kept pushing forward until he found the memories of Harry's friends, believing those would be the best.

Snape watched Harry and Hermione as the two of them stood in the Gryffindor common room in their pyjamas.

"This is silly," Harry muttered.

"Do you want to learn how to dance or not? The Yule Ball is only a week away! Now put your hands on my hips." Hermione instructed as she placed her hands on Harry's shoulders.

Harry turned a bright red "I…I don't..think so," he stuttered.

"Harry..." Hermione warned. Harry caved and placed his hands on Hermione hips just before the memory changed.

Harry, Hermione and Ron sat around a table in the Gryffindor common room.

"Alright, my turn!" Harry said as he closed his eyes and held out his hand.

Ron smiled, picking out three Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and placing them in Harry's hand. Harry popped them in his mouth, his face scratching up as he chewed.

"…Spinach…toothpaste…and I want to say earwax," Harry guessed.

Hermione let out a sigh as she looked at the box. "Still the champion," she said, seeing that Harry had guessed each of them correctly.

The memory changed once again to show Harry, Hermione and Ron down at Hogsmeade during what must have been a December trip judging by the snow. The three friends ran around throwing snowballs at each other until Ron was able to grab Harry from behind.

"Alright Hermione, I got him!" Ron yelled, holding Harry's arms behind his back.

Hermione smiled, tossing and catching a snowball in her hand a couple of times before throwing it at Harry.

"Cheating!" Harry yelled as the snowball hit him in the face.

"How else are we supposed to win with those quidditch reflexes of yours?" Ron laughed.

Snape kept feeding Harry good memories until he was able to lull the boy to sleep with them. It was an old Legilimency trick, to use someone's memories to make them feel excitement or fear, or in Harry's case, peace and contentment.

Snape took the portkey out of his pocket, and lifting the boy in his arms, activated it, holding him tightly as they spun away. Arriving in his chambers, he took Harry to his guest room and placed him gently on the bed to rest.