My internal senses alerted me to another magical presence in the room and it made me pretend to stay asleep. I heard the person shuffle closer and then shuffle back into a corner. I cracked open an eye to see an ancient looking house elf. Oh joy, Kreacher's in my room. I sat straight up when he started looking into the drawers of a large chest in the corner.
"What are you doing?" I snapped.
The house elf whipped around, "Oh, it is awake. Kreacher thought so. Forgive Kreacher sir, Kreacher was going to clean." He turned and started shuffling towards the door, "Filthy mudbloods all over mistress' house. Kreacher is just ashamed, he is."
I shook my head and rubbed the bridge of my nose. I got out of my bed and made my way into the bathroom down the hall, showering quickly as to not wake anyone else. I made my way back into my room only to open the door and see Kreacher rummaging through the drawers again.
"Kreacher-" I exclaimed, "get out of here now!"
Kreacher turned with an ugly smile on his face and bowed low. He muttered to himself again as he left the room, purposely shoving past my leg on his way.
"Having a problem there, Snape?" Potter's tone was amused, but low from having been asleep.
"Nothing I can't handle, Potter. Prepare yourself for lessons; we're going over Occlumency again today." Determined to have the last word, I turned with a flourish of robes and walked downstairs.
I ate breakfast with Lupin in silence. Anytime I glanced his way, his gaze shifted elsewhere. I sneered at Potter as he avoided the jab of my fork and pulled a piece of toast off my plate triumphantly.
"Potter, make your own food insolent pest." I grumbled and continued eating.
Lupin smirked at Potter before clapping him on the back, "Those Seeker reflexes come in handy for food snatching as well?"
Potter half laughed, half choked and shot a wicked glance my way, "Comes in handy for many a thing, Remus. My thighs are strong too, from riding a broom so often." He ended this statement with a lick of his lips.
Lupin's brow furrowed in confusion as he watched Potter exit the room. "Can't see what that really had to do with snatching food off a plate…" he mumbled to himself.
I bit down a laugh at Lupin's expense and made my way into the basement. Potter was leaning against a wall, stuffing his face with the last bite of my damned toast.
"I imagine you're proud of your little display, Potter. We have work to tend to, however, so clear your mind." I took my wand from my pocket and aimed it at him.
The arrogant smirk was gone from his face, his eyes shut and brows furrowed in concentration. He took in a deep breath and exhaled it and then that damned smirk appeared once more.
"Legilimens!" I growled.
Images flashed before me; once again Potter couldn't block the attack. I watched as his brow furrowed more and his face scrunched up. I waited for the look of panic to overtake him, but it never came and the images stopped. His eyes flashed open in shock and mine widened as well.
"Did I just do that properly?" He asked in awe, staring at me as though he had never seen me.
"Yes, Potter, and what did you do to stop it?"
"I have no idea, I was concentrating on pushing you out and you were gone," his tone still showing his amazement.
I shook my head, "That's just it, Potter. Before you were concentrating on not letting me see what you were seeing; now you were concentrating on removing me entirely. Simple distinctions make a world of difference. Now, let's see if that was some sort of fluke or if you can reproduce your actions. Legilimens!"
Images flashed before my eyes briefly before they stopped completely. Potter didn't open his eyes though and suddenly memories were surfacing in my mind's eye. My father raising his arm to strike my mother again; the Dark Lord magically burning his mark forever into my skin; my sobs as I begged Albus to help me escape the Death Eaters; Albus' pleading tone and my anger boiling as I did what was commanded of me once again; Potter lying on the ground calling me coward and my outward surge of emotion that followed.
Potter yelped from the corner; I had hit him with some hex in order to remove him.
"Why did you do that?" I demanded, "Who taught you that?"
"No one, I don't know what I did. I'm sorry, Snape, I really don't know what just happened," his tone was panicked.
"You've done it before, but not to a degree where I couldn't remove you. Potter, describe to me what happened after you pushed me out." I panted as I sunk to the floor, feeling drained already.
"I kept concentrating, not really sure I had done it. It felt like I followed it from me back to you as the spell lifted. I was following an invisible path. I felt everything like it was really happening. I felt everything you felt in those memories." He rubbed his left forearm subconsciously.
I glanced up at him then back to my hands, "Well, Potter, you've made the distinction needed to keep a direct casting from penetrating your mind. However, since the Dark Lord can access your mind despite not being near you, I have no way of preparing you for him."
Potter nodded and walked to me, extending his hand to help me up. I waved it away and stood slowly on my own, my joints yelling at me for sitting on a stone floor in the first place. He stood close to me, leaning against the wall again.
"Well, Snape, I've been practicing some wandless summoning and with Hermione's, er, determination, I seem to have gotten a good hang on it," he furrowed his eyebrows at something behind my head and a few moments later a book landed solidly in his open palm.
I smirked, "By Granger's determination you mean she made you practice until ungodly hours of the morning?"
He laughed and nodded, "I think I had to do it ten times after she made Ron leave the room so she knew he wasn't sending the object to me."
I sighed, "Very well then, time for wandless shields again."
"Hermione made me practice that some, but I ended up hexed every time. Care to give me a tip or two?"
My lip curled as I spoke, "A tip, Mister Potter, would be to stop acting as though wandless magic is something one can take lightly. Should I remind you that if your shield charm is backed with too much magical force then you can turn a simple hex Granger sends your way into something that could kill her? You have to use senses to feel your magic outside of your body, Potter. Simple distinctions, as I've said numerous times now, are what will make the biggest difference. You've felt that magical link, like an invisible arm stretching before you for summoning charms and like a rushing channel when you pushed me from your mind and into mine. This won't be much different. Now get on the other side of the room."
He nodded mutely and placed his wand on a dust covered table. He took position across from me and took in a deep breath, his brows furrowing in concentration. I lifted my wand and mumbled a hex his way. His shield held and I felt a surge of pride in him. Mortified, I squashed it beneath layers of other emotions and sent another hex his way. The air felt thicker and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as Potter's shield not only held but absorbed the hex. My eyes widened and I threw myself to the floor as a bright white light shot past where my head just was.
"Damn it, idiot boy, what did I just say?" I snarled as I stood back up, dusting myself off.
I didn't have to glance in his direction to know something was wrong, he hadn't replied to a direct insult. I moved to where he was sprawled on the floor and kneeled next to him. I smacked him lightly with the back of my hand across his cheek.
"Potter, focus. You've expended too much untamed magical energy. I should've stopped you and let you recuperate. Come on, Potter, focus on my voice and open your eyes." I stroked his cheek absentmindedly with the backs of my fingers.
"If I open my eyes, are you going to stop touching me?" he whispered as his eyes fluttered open.
I smirked and continued stroking his cheek, "How about we take a break? You go upstairs and eat and I'll do some reading in the study. This house is old enough, and pureblood enough for that matter, to have some texts covering wandless magic."
"You call that a break? I have a better idea for a break." His body moved as he spoke and the next thing I knew, my back was on the hard floor and Potter was grinning wickedly down at me.
"This is doing nothing to help your energy levels, Potter. Go upstairs and eat." I said firmly.
"But you've got so much more to teach me." He smirked once more before biting along my jaw. Heat pooled in my stomach and my blood boiled in response. He wriggled his hips against mine and that smirk grew into an arrogant smile. "And I'm such a willing pupil, so eager to soak up any knowledge you can extend." The little bastard bit my bottom lip and my body betrayed me by letting a moan slip past my lips. "I want to learn what other areas are going to make you moan like that." He bit again and I kept myself in control, he frowned slightly. "See, now I have to find a new spot." His teeth grazed my earlobe and I groaned and arched my hips into his.
"Bloody fucking hell, Potter, stop. We need to, you should go, and I should read." I stuttered out as his tongue swirled against my ear. "Potter," it was supposed to come out in a tone that would stop him in his tracks, instead it was a low purr.
"Mmm, if you insist," and with that he was on his feet and striding from the room. He turned back and flashed me a smile before heading upstairs.
"Fucking tease," I growled and I swore I heard him chuckle.