Earlier than planned but it was ready to go so I figured why not!
Hope everyone had a lovely Xmas and that you all have a great New Year!
It took Hermione a minute to register the agreement. When she looked at him, the expression on his face was pained and his hands continued to tremble. He was clearly uncomfortable with the idea. She did her best to muster a convincing smile.
"You can trust me sir. I promise." He looked down to the floor.
"This only goes to the headmaster."
She nodded. "Only to the headmaster." He sighed and nodded once more, staring intently at the carpet. She licked her lips and swallowed, her mouth suddenly bone dry. She knew the spell yes, but she'd never used it in their lessons, and she had no idea what to expect when she did finally cast it. What if she got it wrong? Shakily holding up her wand, she waited for him to settle himself and when he looked at her again - eyes like midnight - she took a short breath, caught his gaze with her own, and quietly said the incantation.
"Legillimens."
It was like she had fallen into his very soul. She had been pulled into the murky water that was his iris and left drifting through an abyss until in the blink of an eye she found herself standing in a white empty expanse of nothingness. The silence boomed through her ears, as loud as an explosion without making a single sound. For as far as she could see there was a blank canvas, and it unnerved her. A low voice caused her to spin around.
"Not quite as detailed as yours I'm afraid."
For a moment she was utterly confused in what she was seeing. In front of her loomed a giant black chess piece, stark in its contrast against the white gulf. The piece, an apt choice, was that of a knight. The large horse's head seemed to peer down at her, as if in warning. As for the voice, it's deep cadence was definitely her Professor's, but she couldn't place it anywhere.
"You see that quite frequently with budding Occlumens. When they learn that they are required to build a defence against an attacker, they assume they need to make it as detailed and intricate as possible, as we saw with your library." Hermione bristled at the jab. "However, the detail isn't the key, the strength of the Occlumens is. The stronger you are, the less you need to resort to.. dramatics."
Snape's tone was definitely back to its' usual teaching mode. He wasn't necessarily cold, but decidedly neutral as he spoke. He had the ability to sound almost bored when he was like this. As much as it was a tone that had been used to belittle her, in this environment it was almost mesmerising. Hermione began to wander around the giant knight while he gave his mini lecture, and as she rounded the base her eyes widened. Behind the knight stood a chess set - a muggle chess set. And in front of it sat her Professor staring intently at the pieces. His hands were folded together under his chin, occasionally reaching out to touch a piece before returning to their neutral position. Hermione started to approach but found herself stopped by what appeared to be glass. It stretched out for as far as she could see in all directions, and there didn't appear to be an entrance.
"Sir, this is.. Incredible." She breathed, her eyes still as wide as before. Snape shifted in his seat, and turned to look at her. Unlike in his living room where he conveyed no emotion whatsoever, in here she could see the pain swimming behind his eyes. She placed a hand on the glass as if to reach out to him, desperately wanting to help him heal. Before she could say anything he turned back to the chess board and placed his hand around a pawn.
"Shall we?" He moved the piece forward onto the field and suddenly she was standing in what seemed to be a grand ballroom. A long dining table stood to one end, and along the walls hung various tapestries and elaborate paintings bathed in dazzling light. The walls were rich cream, the carpets a beautiful snowy grey. Whoever lived here was clearly well off.
"Malfoy Manor." She heard her Professor murmur. Turning to face him, she realised he was wearing his teaching robes, with this hands clasped behind his back and his eyes trained in front of him. She followed his gaze and was taken back when she realised she was watching a copy of the man stride through the room and approach the table. A number of figures already sat there, many of whom she recognised from the Ministry. At the head of the table sat the ringleader - Voldemort. The man was almost reptilian, pale and misformed. Despite his outward appearance he carried himself with all the grace of a king, delicately finishing his meal before dabbing at his mouth with a napkin.
"I hope you are paying attention, Miss Granger. I have no interest in replaying this memory more than once. You are free to move around, to examine as you will." Hermione nodded fiercely and made her way to the table to join the memory-Snape.
"Sseverus! How kind of you to join us. I'm afraid you missed dinner." A collection of laughs arose from the table, but Voldemort kept his expression blank as his eyes bore into the younger wizard.
"My Lord, my apologies. I had detentions to oversee, it took a moment for me to excuse myself-"
Without warning Voldemort was on his feet, his wand trained on the Professor. The scream of Crucio echoed around the hall and the memory-Snape crumpled to his knees. Hermione went to help but a strong grip on her shoulder kept her still. Turning to see her companion, she saw the pained look on his face.
"You can't stop this Miss Granger, it has already happened. Remember, observe. Listen. Do not let yourself get swept away in your own emotions."
Sighing, she fell back in line. It felt like the curse was neverending, no matter what she did her eyes kept falling to the crumpled body of the potions master before her. Willing herself to tear herself away from the spectacle, she instead began to inspect the others around the room. Most were grinning, some were talking animatedly amongst themselves, a few had kept themselves further back and looked somewhere between petrified and nauseous. New recruits, she thought. None of them had been there last year, that was for sure. Behind Voldemort she could see the great mound that was his horrifying snake, Nagini. Part of her wanted to take a closer look at the creature, for this was the first time she'd laid eyes on the monstrosity. However, as much as her curiosity peaked, it wasn't important. Instead, she leaned back over to her counterpart.
"Those two in the corner, the younger ones. They're new, right?" Snape glanced down at her before scanning the room again.
"Mm. A couple of months at best. They were both my students at one point, idiots right from the start."
"Could we use them? Could they be persuaded to turn?"
Snape sighed. "At this point, no. They're far too headstrong, desperate to prove their worth. They may be horrified by the acts currently being committed, but they'll deny it to the end."
Hermione was about to argue the point further when she noticed the screams had stopped. Looking back over, she could see the sadistic grin of Voldemort grow wider.
"Let this serve as a reminder that I cannot abide tardiness. Now, I have need of you Sseverus. Come."
Voldemort turned his back to the wizard and strode through the room, flicking his wand to open one of the doors on the far side. Hermione and Snape quickly followed the memory-Snape, who had staggered to his feet and looked like he was calmly dusting his robes off.
"It's as if he never cast it at all! How are you-"
"Able to recover so quickly?" He tapped the side of his head with one long finger. "Occlumency. Although it is never wise to push so much of your emotion behind a shield, in this line of work it becomes a necessity. The faster I can recover, the more useful I am in the Dark Lord's eyes."
Hermione shuddered. The thought of locking so much of herself away, of turning her body into little more than a vessel, gave her chills. They entered what looked like a lavish study. Unlike Professor Snape's bookshelves which were filled with worn books, all different shapes and states of use, the bookcases in here were lined with perfectly identical volumes. None of them looked as if they'd ever been removed from the shelf, let alone read. Two thick armchairs sat facing a roaring fire, each with a small side table. Voldemort strode to the fireplace, his hands clasped behind his back, staring resolutely into the fire.
"Sseverus. My most loyal spy. My faithful servant. What news from your castle?"
"My Lord, it has been quiet. Dumbledore keeps to himself, pulling Potter away from his friends on frequent occasion to have meetings he assumes are secret. When I questioned him, he claimed it was to help the boy readjust after his godfather's death." Even though he was occluding, Hermione could see her Professor was holding in his trepidation. No wonder. She'd spent so much time fretting about all of her extra work that she'd barely noticed Harry's meetings with Dumbledore. She had no idea what they'd be about, but she doubted they were being used as therapy sessions. "However, they sneak out of the castle regularly, my Lord, and the headmaster refuses to disclose the locations they visit."
"The foolish man is determined to have the boy work through his feelings, what a waste. The boy cannot help but let his anger flourish. That will be his downfall."
"Indeed, my Lord."
"As for these jaunts out of the castle.. I require more from you than the words of an onlooker, Sseverus. Do not think you no longer need to prove your worth to me.. You understand what should happen if I deem you.. Unnecessary.."
Snape rolled his shoulders but kept his face neutral. "Of course."
"I have entrusted a task to our newest recruit, Sseverus."
"Draco?"
"So desperate to prove himself. So desperate to atone for the sins of the father.." Voldemort's gaze never once left the fire, the flames dancing wildly before his eyes.
"The nature of the task, my Lord?"
"Ah ah ah, not for your ears Sseverus. The task is the boy's alone. Shall he fail.. He knows the consequences."
Snape seemed to consider his words. "What would you have me do, my Lord?"
"It must be done by the summer. You must keep him in play, Sseverus. The young Malfoy must not be allowed to fail." Sensing the finality of his words, Snape bowed his head and began to make his leave. He was stopped in his tracks - as were the two onlookers - as Voldemort once again began to speak. "Potter's companions. The blood traitor and the mudblood. Tell me, how do they fare this year?"
"The Weasley boy is still an ignoramus, my Lord. His magical ability is average at best and is kept afloat purely by the good will of the other two. He appears to blindly follow Potter around like a lapdog, and is just as quick to anger. As for the girl.." Hermione blanched. "She has always been determined to show off in her classes. Continually waving her hand in the air so that everyone can see how well she has been able to memorise a paragraph. She has no real gift for magic and allows herself to be walked over by her idiot companions. Her magical ability only appears to have surfaced through sheer brute force. After her run in with the Dolohov last year, she has found her Defence classes to be a stumbling block, and is no longer miles ahead of her peers - much to her displeasure I imagine."
Voldemort let out a brief chuckle, guttural as it was. "Antonin has always had a penchant for leaving an impression. He has made a great deal of the fact he wasn't able to finish the job last year. Perhaps he will yet have his chance.. Very well, leave me."
Bowing his head once more, the memory Snape left the study. The real Snape made to do the same but upon looking back at his companion, he found that Hermione had already broken the connection. Sighing, he dismissed the memory and retreated back to the present. When he opened his eyes, the girl was already striding towards the door of his quarters.
"Miss Granger.."
Refusing to turn and meet his gaze, Hermione kept her voice low. "I have everything I need Professor. I advise you take the opportunity to rest." She opened the door and stepped out into the darkened office, before closing it behind her with as much force as she could muster. Snape rolled his head to the side, intending to gaze into the fire but instead his eyes caught sight of another vial sitting on the side table. A fresh pain reliever potion he was sure hadn't been on the table when she entered his head.
Walking back through the darkened halls, Hermione desperately tried to calm herself down. It felt like the rational part of her brain was trying to break through, screaming that of course he had needed to say those things. He was in front of You-Know-Who for goodness sake! What did she expect him to do, sing her praises?! Still, the small irrational part of her brain - the part that always seemed to make an appearance when she was trying to keep a handle on a situation - had already been convinced that those had been his true feelings on display and the fact that she'd been made to stand and listen to them was cruel. It was probably his way of showing her just how little he enjoyed having to spend so much time in her company. After all he'd been forced to give her occlumency lessons on the back of her own pleading letter, forced to play babysitter to her in the freezing cold every week, hell she'd even forced him to teach her extra potions a year ago under the guise of some made up story about wanting to be a healer! Thinking back to the conversation she'd had with Dumbledore the year before, her eyes began to water. She'd asked Professor Snape to trust her, but their entire relationship was built on a lie. Huffing, she shook her head. Relationship was an extremely strong word. Halting by a stone guard, she allowed herself to breathe. It was nearly 3am and frankly she had very little energy left to waste it on being upset over something she had zero control over. All she wanted to do was get her meeting with Dumbledore out of the way and then go to bed and perhaps not leave it for a fortnight. Pushing off the stone figure and yawning heavily, she made her way to the headmaster's office, wondering if she could just let him use Legilimency on her so that she wouldn't have to repeat what she'd seen.
As it happened, she didn't have to say much as the elderly wizard seemed to be able to read between the lines of any information she gave him. She declined to mention how she had ended up with the information, and was deliberately vague when he asked her about how Professor Snape was doing. Instead she made sure to make a show of just how tired she was, and after a brief discussion on the potential task that Draco was being made to complete, she excused herself and stumbled up to her room. Her head had barely hit the pillow before she was asleep, the arithmancy text she had been reading hours ago still open on the floor and the mug of tea now long forgotten.
At the other end of the castle, Severus Snape had yet to move from the high backed chair. While his breathing had returned to normal long ago and the pain reliever had worked its magic as much as it could, his whole body felt heavy and the weight on his mind refused to lessen. Over the course of the last month, he had grown to look forward to his interactions with Miss Granger more and more. Their Occlumency lessons continued to provide him with a challenge - her skill level was adequate for the tasks she would perform in the Order, but they were still perfecting the creation of believable false memories - and the nights where he was to play chaperone were more enjoyable than he would ever let on. He had even attempted once or twice to make what most would class as small talk, a pastime he usually loathed. However, once she relaxed he found that Hermione Granger was incredibly easy to talk to, and for the first time in years he found it.. Pleasant to have a companion in the castle. Not that he'd ever let her know, of course. The lingering fragrance of the Amortentia coupled with his shaky patronus form was enough to tell him that whatever he was doing, it was likely a bad move. Perhaps that had been why he'd allowed her to view the memory of that evening, to give her a taste of the kind of man he was. It was probably a blessing that she'd left when she did, the injuries he'd sustained after leaving the study were particularly unpleasant to watch. Of course the headstrong Gryffindor would jump to conclusions without a second thought, and yet he hadn't tried to stop her. Self sabotage seemed like an apt hobby for him, after all. Besides, what was he actually doing? Befriending the girl had never been on his to-do list, and he refused point blank to even entertain the thought of anything more. That is what you want though, correct? The thought scarpered through his brain like a fox, dancing behind his eyes making him furrow his brow and shove his palms into the sockets. Feeling the welcome throb of pain above his temples, he snatched at the pain reliever and hurled it into the fire. The liquid sparked into life for a brief moment before being engulfed, the hiss rattling around his head.
The idiot girl! If she had taken just a single second of her time to question his reasoning, she would have had the full picture and wouldn't need to waste her energy being so very.. Gryffindor about everything.. Instead she'd stormed off and was probably stomping through the castle being melodramatic and over analysing things, as per usual. He had understood the Dark Lord's question as soon as it had been asked, which was precisely why he'd given the answer he did. It had always been the maniac's wish for the Golden Trio to be fractured and broken. The Dark Lord had hoped that their jaunt into the Ministry would achieve just that, and when it didn't the fallout had been.. Unpleasant. It made sense that even now he was trying to find ways to divide the group. It had been Severus' plan to downplay the qualities of Potter's friends, Merlin knows it was easy with the Weasley boy. As for Miss Granger, he merely had to vanquish any opinion he had formed of her in the last two years. Yes he hadn't needed to be so harsh, but in front of a madman like Riddle it felt best to be as scathing as he could. Still, the Dark Lord's interest had peaked when he mentioned the Ministry attack and Severus couldn't help but worry that he'd inadvertently put the girl in danger. Especially considering Dolohov didn't consider their 'spat' finished yet.
Casting his thoughts of the girl aside, he turned to the more pressing matter at hand - the mention of Draco's task. It was well established that since Lucius' capture last year and subsequent Azkabhan stint the Malfoy family name had fallen dramatically in the pecking order. It was quite likely that the Dark Lord had set this task purely to punish Lucius for his failures. What had he said? "The sins of the father.." The most likely scenario was that the task was impossible, and that Draco was expected to fail. That way the Dark Lord could make an example out of the Malfoy family and cement his authority even further. He was about to stand and activate his floo for a late night call to the headmaster when he remembered exactly why Miss Granger had been in his head. She'd assured him that she would relay the information herself, so for the time being Snape didn't need to worry about a plan of attack. Dragging himself out of the chair he instead slowly made his way to the bedroom. Sinking onto the bed, he lazily managed to kick off his boots before collapsing down onto the pillow and falling into a fitful sleep.
A/N - In any other fic that I've read, viewing a memory through use of Legilimency is done as a solo event. However, I felt that with Snape being as skilled as he is, if he were in a controlled state behind his shields, he would be able to view a memory pulled forward alongside the Legilimens as if it were in a pensieve. A small liberty, I know :p
Also, I'm about to mess with the timeline a whole bunch. The major events of THBP still take place, but they're a bit jumbled up so that they work for how I want the story to play out :) (Also because sometimes I'm forgetful and then need to figure out how to have things happen LOL) See you next time!
