Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to all those who have read and reviewed this story so far, thanks a lot!
Chapter seven
Occlumency
The next week passed pleasantly for Harry Amelia and Sirius. In the mornings Harry and Amelia studied, and in the afternoons they would go for walks in the area around the cottage that was protected by Enid and Dumbledore's spells. They couldn't go outside the protected area because there was a wall of air around it that was impossible to break through. It was good for Sirius to be in the open air again and he enjoyed sitting on the back steps watching the sunset. Sometimes they would have their meals outside, sitting on the grass or at the table Sirius conjured for them. Every evening amelia would go off by herself with her harp to practise her singing, and it gave Harry and Sirius time to talk. Harry confided how nervous he was about the upcoming lessons with his least favourite teacher.
"They were horrible last time, he saw things from my past that I didn't want him of all people to see and he'll do it again and then make fun of me in class like he always does,"
Harry knew this was a little untrue. Well growsly untrue, he somehow knew Snape wouldn't do it, but something deep inside of him wanted Sirius to get him out of these lessons he had agreed to. Wanted Sirius to tell him that he didn't have to do it, that he could just be a kkid. Sirius didn't give Harry the answer he wanted to hear though.
"Well I guess it's better for Severus to see your memories, Harry. Better than Voldemort knowing too much about your past," Sirius said reasonably, Although part of him was still wanting to protest , Harry had to grudgeingly admit he had a point.
"I just wish I was being taught by someone I could trust. I know Snape's a good Occlumens but well I don't trust him as far as I can throw him so it's going to be hard letting him into my mind again." Sirius nodded sympathetically and put an arm around his godson, butt there wasn't much he could do or say to help Harry Sirius knew this was a matter of life and death, and he hoped against hope that Snape and Harry could come to some kind of understanding. He didn't much like Snape, but knew the man was a gifted wizard and could possibly save harry's life.
As the day for his first lesson approached Harry got more and more nervous about it and by the afternoon when Snape was expected Harry had worked himself up into a state. He was almost sick with nerves and looked drawn and pale. Sirius desperately wanted to do something for Harry but felt helpless. Heck, he didn't know how to raise a teen, let alone one who had been through everything Harry had. I'm raising two young adults who have suffered more than most adults would face in a life time, he thought even more desperately. All he could do was let things play themselves out and be there to help where possible. He frowned thinking of the 12 lost years of his life. Sirius you can't bring them back, he told himself sternly and went back to doing the crossword in the proffet.
Severus Snape arrived just after lunch, when the dishes in the sink were washing themselves and Sirius had just put a cleaning charm on the table. Sirius was tense too Harry realised, Snape wasn't exactly his favourite person.
"Severus," he said, nodding stiffly.
"Black," Snape half snarled,, "Mr Potter."
"This is Amelia Albion," Harry said, looking at her, "And this is Professor Snape." Snape nodded at her and indicated that Harry should follow him into the sitting room.
"You look tense, Mr Potter," Snape observed...
Tense was an understatement, the professor mused. The boy looked absolutely awful. What was wrong? Wasn't the boy happy about his godfather being alive? Oh albus why do I let you get me in to these crazy schemes of yours? he angrily thought to himself. No time for that, he had a job to do and he would teach the boy occlumency if it was the last thing he ever did.
Snape snapped to attention, the boy was speaking to him.
"Well I guess I am, a bit tense you know, after last time," Harry realised he shouldn't have said that. Last time he had looked into the pensieve and seen what his father had done to Snape, "Er, I wanted to appologise for ... um ... for looking into the pensieve, I know I shouldn't have done that." Harry had decided to try and get on better with Snape as Dumbledore suggested, not that it was going to be easy. Snape looked surprised for a moment and then nodded. "Um I've been trying to empty my mind every night like you told me to sir, but it is hard to stop myself thinking of anything." Snape again looked surprised but quickly masked his expression in to almost looking bored..
"Did I indeed tell you not to think of anything?" Snape asked.
"You told me to empty my mind and I thought that was what you meant, Sir. You didn't really explain to me what I had to do." Harry shuddered slightly waiting for the professor to start rawing at him, telling him he was being disrespectful. Snape meerly looked at Harry for a moment and mused.
"Hmmm maybe I wasn't specific enough for you Mr Potter, maybe I need to be clearer in my instructions," Harry did a double take. It seemed that both of
them were trying harder this time, maybe Dumbledore had been talking to Snape too.
"The Headmaster told me that you weren't happy with my teaching methods, he told me I should explain to you more clearly what I wish you to do," Snape continued.. Harry wonderd if Snape was using legilimency but he thought he would know about it if he was, after what had happened when his teacher had legilimised him in their last lessons. Snape smiled sarcastically at Harry. "NO I wasn't legilimising you Mr Potter, your expression clearly told me you thought I was, maybe you should learn to control your facial expressions as well as controlling your mind and what people see in it," harry felt embarrassed. Could this man really read him like a book? Harry blinked and tried to look uninterested and bored. Snape almost smiled.
"I don't mean you to empty your mind of all thought when you occlude Mr Potter, I mean you to fill your mind with something that will shield your memories from being detected. When I occlude I fill my mind with images of water, I see a river and I hide all my thoughts behind it like a shield. When people look into my mind they only see the thoughts I put outside the shield so that people don't think I am occluding."
Harry could sort of understand what Snape meant, but he didn't know how to make that happen in his own mind. He nodded at Snape to let him see he understood.
"You need to find your own image," Snape continued, "And try to fill your mind with that image. I'll show you what I mean, come and sit here with me."
Harry felt a bit apprehensive about that Oh heck he was positively terrified, but he couldn't back down, so he went and sat on the floor next to his teacher. Snapewithrrew a vial from the pocket of his robes .
'A calming draught, I think you need it,' he explained when Harry looked uncertainly at it. Harry sat tensely for a bit, tried to fight the potion that was slowly relaxing him, calming him. Snape's hand touched his temples and began to rub them softly. Harry flinched away slightly but didn't want to show Snape he was afraid. He wasn't a child, sirius wouldn't let Snape hurt him. He tried to relax and realized that Snape's touch was quite gentle. Strange, he didn't think the man had any gentleness in him.Suddenly Harry could see a river in his mind, he could hear the flowing of water over rocks. The river filled his mind until there was nothing else, until gradually it faded away and Snape removed his hands.
"I understand now," Harry said happily. He felt this was something he could learn to do, maybe Occlumency wasn't so hard after all. Snape looked satisfied.
"I think that will do for our first lesson. Try to find your own image Mr Potter, think about that before next week"
Snape looked a little drained, but stood up and departed with nothing else but a nod for Sirius and Amelia.