Chapter 28

Torture

The rest of the holidays flew by faster then ever and we were back on the train to Hogwarts. It was good to see everybody again. I met Giovanna and Katerina at Platform 9 3/4 and we sat together the whole train ride through. Fred and George sat with us too, along with their friend Lee Jordan (yes, the Quidditch commentator) who is absolutely funny. Fred was a bit dazed though. I bet he was still thinking about what happened to him in Amelia. They talked, but I don't know what exactly is going to happen between the two of them. Let's hope everything goes back to normal.

The first day of classes went by slowly. All of it was so boring and tiring to listen to. It was probably the first day I ever hated at Hogwarts, besides the detention with Umbridge. To make matters worse, there were Snape's private lessons to look foreword to. Yay me.

"Remedial potions?" Giovanna asked as we headed to Transfiguration, "you have got to be joking. You do not need them! You're smart enough as it is,"

"This isn't for 1st year, you goofball. It's my second year work,"

"And you're so serious about it that you'll go through extra classes with Snape?"

"Look. My goal is to be the best I can be. And if this is what it takes, then yes," I replied hastily.

"You're already good enough as it is,"

"Whatever,"

So at 7:00 that night, Harry and I met up in the Entrance Hall.

"Ready for torture?" Harry joked.

"I guess so. Hopefully I'm good at this Occlumency stuff,"

"I'll probably suck, "Harry snorted, "I suck at everything that has to do with Snape,"

"Come on. You got that Drought of Living Death potion right,"

"After a fat load of help from you," Harry added. I sighed.

"We will do this," I said, "We will get it right. Trust me on that,"

Harry and I went up to Snape's office.

"Sit," he said to the both of us. Reluctantly, we sat down in two chairs.

"You will address me as 'sir' or 'Professor' at all times, is that clear to the both of you?" We nodded.

"It appears that there is a connection between the Dark Lord's mind and your own. Whether he is yet aware of it that is unknown. Pray that he isn't," Snape picked up his wand.

"You mean if he knows about it then he can read my mind?" Harry asked.

"Read it, control it, unhinge it," Snape replied, "It was often the Dark Lord's pleasure to invade minds of his victims, creating visions deigned to torture them into madness. When he had the victim literally begging for death, then he would finally do it," Do it, meaning kill them, I thought.

"Used properly, the power of Occlumency will help shield your minds from access or influence. In these lessons, I will attempt to penetrate your mind and you will attempt to resist me. Prepare yourself. Potter, you first. Lengiliment!"

Harry started going through this weird phase of torture. He looked like he was in so much pain as Snape went into his mind. He was gasping and grunting all over the place. It looked just so painful. I couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

Snape stopped, "what a pity," he said, then turned his wand on me.

"Miss Rookworth, get ready. Concentrate! Lengiliment!"

Instantly, I felt him pry into my brain. My memories kept flashing by me. There was my 7th birthday where Amelia fell off the pony rides and had to be rushed to the hospital. This turned into Amelia and I crying about Elizabeth moving away to Scotland, which turned into Harry punching the Slytherin seeker in the stomach. And then it turned into George kissing me in the room of requirement and that drunken memory of George touching my breasts. No, I thought. He cannot be seeing this. He can't! Please stop!

Snape stopped.

"That was completely private," I snapped angrily.

"Not to the Dark Lord it is and not to me," he snapped back, "and a word of advice to you Miss Rookworth: don't get shady with 7th years,"