Remus's POV

Remus was looking forward to a quiet night in with Tonks and Teddy. They would listen to the wireless and there might be one or two glasses of mead as they waited for the twelve o'clock countdown. He made himself a mental note to put the muffilato charm around Teddy's cot before midnight so that the inevitable fireworks wouldn't wake him up – they were sure to be spectacular this year as the wizarding world celebrated the start of a new year, free from Voldemort's tyranny.

Hogsmeade was lit up with Christmas lights of every colour that glinted off the snow and made even the dirty slush seem pretty. Christmas trees decorated with flashing tinsel, live gingerbread men and singing baubles dotted the front gardens of the cottages and every shop front was decorated up to the nines for the festivities. Remus loved his walk home from the castle – in autumn he had crunched through huge piles of crisp leaves and for the last month he had walked through snow, his boots cracking through the ice of the frozen puddles. He couldn't wait to see what spring would bring, although he remembered banks of wild crocuses and snow drops from his days exploring the village as a teenager. Breathing in the icy night air, he smiled to himself, feeling extremely happy and at peace with the world. Then, remembering that he had promised to pick up a bottle or two, he diverted off the high street, down a narrow alley and into the Hog's Head Inn. He stamped the snow off his boots and walked over to the bar, smiling to himself as Aberforth met him with his usual incomprehensible, surly, grunt-like greeting.

As he stood at the bar, waiting for Aberforth to fetch a bottle of honey mead from the storeroom, Remus was rather surprised to see Severus Snape sitting by himself in a dark corner of the bar, especially considering that the other man had just failed to turn up for corridor patrol up at the castle. Remus had assumed that some emergency had prevented him from turning up to his shift, so it was a bit of a shock to see him sitting by himself and drinking fire-whisky. In fact, it was distinctly out of character and Remus felt uneasy.

Snape was clearly hoping to go unnoticed – he was half hidden behind an enormous Christmas tree, something that Remus was quite surprised to see because Aberforth never usually made any effort to decorate for the holiday. The only reason Remus saw him was because he dropped his wallet on the floor. In picking it up, he caught a glimpse of the other man through the prickly branches.

Taking the dragon by the horns, Remus thanked Aberforth for the bottle (which had been at cost price only), slipped the mead into a pocket of his robes, and approached Severus Snape's table.

'Good evening Severus.' Snape looked up, his lip curling a little. Clearly he was making an effort to maintain his old animosity towards Remus, although it seemed to take too much effort and his face fell back into his earlier preoccupation, taught with worry. Remus suppressed a smile at the attempted animosity but then, his earlier unease and concern returned, and he felt it sliding off his face.

'Good evening Remus.' Snape's reply was a little slurred. He looked paler than ever and there was a slightly haunted expression in his black eyes.

Remus slipped into the chair opposite. This was so out of character for the other man, he was actually quite concerned.

'I don't wish to pry, Severus but is everything okay? You're supposed to be on patrol up at the school. I had to call on Filius to cover for you when you didn't show up.'

Severus grimaced and took another swig of fire-whisky, straight from the bottle, his goblet abandoned on the table in front of him. From the sloshing of liquid inside the clouded brown glass, Remus could tell that it was already half empty. There was a long silence.

'I'm sure they'll manage without me tonight. Leave me alone Remus. I'm fine.' Snape finally replied, in a low voice.

'Like I said; I don't wish to pry,' Remus began again, feeling another prickle of alarm, 'but I would like to make sure that you're okay before I leave.' He gestured to the half empty bottle of fire-whisky. 'You've had rather a lot to drink.'

Severus looked at him levelly, his expression troubled, as if he were weighing his options and deciding how much information he should share.

'I know you think that I'm irresponsible Remus.' He sighed, reaching for the bottle again, and then withdrawing his hand unwillingly. 'You are right about this though; I've certainly had enough to drink.' He looked down at the table for a long minute and when he spoke again, his voice was even lower.

'This morning, I attended a meeting with the new head Auror, Gawain Robards, and the headmistress. Let's just say it began badly and ended like a broom crash.' He was silent again for a long time, necessitating Remus's prompt.

'In what way, Severus?' Severus's black eyes flashed with anger.

'Gawain wanted me to infiltrate Bellatrix Lestrange's mind and remove a memory; a specific memory of her using the Imperius curse on Weasley. They want to use it to absolve him of rape.' He said the words with quiet venom. 'It's a technique that I believe they are currently thinking of trialling with the guilty parties in Azkaban. You know – ring them out for information, so to speak. Any damage suffered to their minds during the process won't matter as they've been proved guilty already.' Remus looked at him in disbelief, feeling faintly disgusted. 'I refused, not least because Lestrange is an uncommonly accomplished Occlumens; I would be unable to infiltrate her mind without causing irrevocable damage to her mind, something I will not do to any human. It is also, of course, extremely unethical.' Remus nodded; he had the feeling that there was more coming: More to the point, he thought he might know what it was.

'Then Minerva asked whether it would be possible to use Miss Laverstock's memory of the event. It might be possible to determine from her memory of Weasley's appearance whether or not he was being compelled.' His voice cracked slightly, but both men pretended that nothing had happened. 'Of course, I would be the one to perform Legilimency on Miss Laverstock and infiltrate her mind.' He paused, then repeated himself, as if he was afraid that Remus wasn't getting it. 'I am the one who has to enter that girl's shell-shocked mind and unearth the trauma.' He spat these final words with venom.

Although he'd had an inkling that this was what Severus was going to say, Remus immediately, felt his pulse speeding up as anger twisted in his stomach. The words 'shell-shocked mind' and 'trauma' had thrown him slightly. He swallowed, breathing steadily and trying to make himself think rationally.

'Would that work?' His voice was hoarse. 'Would you be able to find the memory?'

'Not without causing her unspeakable pain. I am sure that the memory is buried deep in her mind. She has a history of being very very good at suppressing unpleasant memories. She is also quite accomplished at hiding them from me.' Remus nodded again, thinking hard.

'Would you cause irrevocable damage if you entered Tansy's mind and searched for it?'

'Not you too Remus!' Snape spat, his black eyes flashing again. 'Why do neither of you realise that this is unnecessary? Weasley is dead! The verdict doesn't matter to him anymore. That girl is fighting to remain in control of her own sanity. Why would you risk it? What could possibly be worth that?' He pushed his chair back and stood up suddenly, swaying so badly that he immediately sat down again.

'I was the one who closed the cuts on her arms after she tried to take her own life at the age of fifteen. Fifteen! Why would you risk her sanity for something like this?' He said, lowering her voice again so that the other customers, who had looked over when he had stood up, couldn't hear.

'I agree with everything you've said, Severus. Merlin, of course I wouldn't want…' Remus choked, cleared his throat and then looked at the other man, straight in the eyes. 'But perhaps I do have something for you to consider before you refuse. It is something that both Minerva and I have been discussing. Retrieving that memory, and others of the events that precluded it, might actually help Tansy in the future.'

'In what way?' Severus asked, looking deeply sceptical.

'There is no way that Tansy will be able to take to the stand in her own defence at her trial next month. She won't be able to verbally communicate. Merlin, there is a high chance that she might not even cope with the jury just looking at her. As horrible as it seems, Severus, Minerva and I think we need to retrieve some memories of her time at Malfoy Manor to help her defence.'

Remus watched as the other man absorbed what he had just said, hating himself for suggesting that the other man cause Tansy more pain but totally unable to see another option.

Severus Snape's POV

The knocking was persistent and invasive. It invaded his dreams, dragging him back into reluctant wakefulness. Still half asleep, Severus blundered out of bed, wincing slightly at his sore head, and reached for his wand. He flicked it once and the small bedroom was suddenly bathed in a dim golden light that seemed to stab at his eyes and made his head throb even more. Blinking owlishly, he crossed the room into his office beyond and then flicked his wand at the outer door which swung open so fast it rebounded off the wall with a loud crash. His heart jumped into his throat as he saw who was standing there:

Tansy Laverstock stood on the threshold. She was wearing threadbare pajamas that were too short in the arm and leg and she had no shoes on. In spite of the icy temperatures of the dungeon corridors she had not put on a cloak or a jumper. Her face was white and pinched, her eyes huge and ringed by dark shadows, and she was shivering so violently, Severus thought she might fall over. She looked smaller and more vulnerable than ever.

'Miss Laverstock? Is everything okay?' He gestured her into his office and immediately summoned a blanket from his bedroom beyond which he handed to her. He then lit the fire with a wave of his wand.

'Is everything okay?' He repeated softly, wondering if he should send a Patronus for the headmistress or the school matron. 'Sit down.' She stared at him, sizing him up and made no move to sit, her blue eyes wide and unblinking. Then, in a voice as soft as falling snow, she spoke.

'Professor…' I…' He strained to hear her. 'I need… I need to ask you something.' Her voice seemed to shrink the more she used it.

'What is it, Miss Laverstock?' She looked at him for a few seconds and then tried to say something and failed. 'It's okay, take your time.' Severus said automatically.

'Professor, I… I need to remember.' Severus felt his stomach sink at her words. 'I need to find a… a memory… but…' Her breathing was getting quicker and Severus took a step towards her, suddenly becoming afraid that she was starting to hyperventilate.

'Take a deep breath Miss Laverstock. Sit down.' He flicked his wand at one of the straight-backed chairs that stood by the wall and it hovered lazily forwards a few feet until it was beside the young witch. Tansy Laverstock sat down hard.

'I need to remember,' she said again, 'I tried to remember but I can't find it. I can't find what happened…'

'What happened when you tried to remember?' Severus asked, thinking that he already knew the answer.

'It… it hurts… it…' She shook her head violently, and Severus, recognising the sign of impending fog, swiftly took the seat opposite and grasped the girl's wrist.

'Miss Laverstock, look at me.' Tansy Laverstock looked up, her eyes unfocused and Severus knew that she wasn't really seeing him at all. 'You're in my office in the dungeons.' He continued repeating variations of the same thing until the girl finally seemed to see him again.

When she finally focused again, he looked at her keenly, his headache forgotten.

'Miss Laverstock, I don't want to pretend that I am an expert at finding long repressed memories.' He sighed quietly. 'The process is never fool proof and… and you have a history of being extremely good at keeping things hidden from me. I don't know if I will be successful.' He hesitated, then wishing to be extremely clear, he continued.

'The process will not be easy and it's sure to be painful for you.' He looked her in the eyes, making sure she had taken in what he had just told her. 'Finding something that you have repressed so proficiently will be excruciatingly painful. I will try my utmost to make it as painless as possible but even so it might cause your mental health to relapse.' The girl blanched but nodded resolutely.

'Will… will you try?' Tansy Laverstock whispered.

Severus sighed. Then, knowing that he would live to regret his decision, he said.

'If this is truly what you want Tansy then I will help you.' It was the first time he'd used her first name.

Remus's POV

When he arrived at the Defence Against the Dark Arts Wing the following morning, Remus was surprised to see Tansy standing outside his office. She was leaning against the wall but she pulled herself upright when she saw him approaching and gave him a strained smile. Remus thought that she looked awful – her face was pinched and white and there were dark shadows under her eyes. Something stirred in his mind – an inkling of why Tansy wanted to see him and why she might look so exhausted.

'Merlin, Tansy you look…' He trailed off and gave her a quick hug, before pulling away and looking her up and down. 'Don't tell me you slept last night because I know it's a lie.' He frowned, suddenly realising the seriousness of what he had just said. 'Has the sleeping potion stopped working?' Tansy blinked at him and shook her head.

'I…I didn't take it last night. I didn't go to bed. I was…' She trailed off. Remus opened his office door with a tap of his wand and ushered her through. He pushed her into a chair and took one opposite. The girl looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

'Why didn't you take it? Merlin, did you even listen to what Madam Pomfrey told you yesterday? You need rest or your magic will never heal itself. You could have done yourself some serious damage. Look at you…' He stopped, seeing her blanche. 'Look, sorry love. I just worry about you.' Tansy seemed to be having trouble focusing on him and he suddenly wondered if he should send for the matron; he had absolutely no idea how delicate her condition was right now and how badly a night with no rest might affect her.

'Why didn't you take your potion?' He asked, his voice gentler.

'I…' Tansy lowered her face into her hands and said something indistinct. Then she looked up and shook her head violently. 'I'm sorry Remus… I can't…'

'Bad day?' He asked gently. 'Take your time, love.'

'I'm just… I'm so tired… the fog is… winning.' She muttered. 'I need to think… last night I needed to work it out. I needed to think…' She stared at him. 'I went to see Professor Snape.'

Understanding dawned and Remus nodded.

'I think I know what you asked him to do, Tansy. Well done.' She looked at him blankly. 'Severus and I discussed it yesterday evening. I know you need Legilimency to help you to find the memory of what happened between you and George.'

'Because I can't find it on my own!' Her voice rose and her breathing spiked and she shook her head violently again.

'Shh..' Remus said automatically. 'Calm down, it's okay. Tansy, you've locked it away so deeply, love, there's no wonder you can't find it on your own. You just need a bit of help. When did you go and see Severus?'

'Last night… it was after one… the clock struck as I went down to the dungeons.' Remus briefly wondered how the other man had felt being woken up by Tansy at one o'clock in the morning after the amount of alcohol he'd consumed. He was rather surprised that the other wizard hadn't immediately alerted Minerva or Madam Pomfrey out of concern.

'Did he…? Is he going to help you?' Remus asked carefully – Severus had not decided which direction to take when they had parted company last night. However, he wasn't surprise to see that Tansy was nodding.

'He said he would… if that's what I want. But he made me go back to bed. He walked me back up to the flat, all the way to my bedroom door. He…' She blanched again and Remus leaned forwards and took one of her hands in his. She seemed to draw support from him and continued speaking, her voice quiet.

'He told me that he would help but it's… it's going to hurt Remus.' She hesitated, then continued slowly. 'He told me he would try to make it as easy as possible but it might… might hurt so much I… it might make me ill again.' She faded into silence. The next thing she said was barely audible.

'Am I doing the right thing? I don't want to lose my mind… it feels like I'm already going mad. I don't want to make it worse.'

Remus thought for a few seconds; he wanted to tell her the truth and, anyway, he wasn't sure what the right answer was. Merlin, it would help both George Weasley's verdict and her own upcoming trial if she found the memories but he also knew just how excruciatingly painful it would be for her to find them.

'Tansy,' he said finally, 'Severus is a superb Legilimens. I'm sure if anyone can help…'

'But is it the right thing to do?' Tansy interrupted.

'In my opinion, yes but I can't make that decision for you Tansy, no one can.' She stared at him. 'I think if you find the memory, you will prove George innocent of assaulting you. The memory might also help with your own trial. They will expect you to take the stand and speak in your own defence and…'

'I can't!' Tansy was suddenly on her feet, swaying dangerously. 'I can't… I won't be able to speak. If they all look at me I'll… I'll…' Remus got up swiftly as she threw her hands up to her head and started tearing wildly at her hair. He took both of her arms and gently pulled them down to her sides again.

'Tansy, calm down. We won't let anyone force you. Sit down.' Without waiting for consent, he pulled her down before she fell over.

'Remus…' All the fight seemed to leave her. 'Please don't let them…' her voice was quieter now.

'I won't.'

'I'm… I'm so tired… I'm…' She didn't get any further before her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped against the back of the chair.

Remus waved his wand over her, just to reassure himself that it was only exhaustion and nothing more sinister. Then he summoned a blanket from the cupboard and draped it over her before sending a message to Minerva to let her know where Tansy was. Then he took a seat behind his desk, intending to get on with his marking, but instead getting absolutely nowhere as he worried about what the young witch was intending to do.

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