The Other Snape

Chapter 33

"Potter," Malfoy said, leaning on the wall, "Snape wants to talk to you. Something about your Remedial Potions."

For once, he wasn't smirking, but he looked almost bored. Harry was confused. Didn't Snape say they weren't doing Occlumency ever again?

"Oh, alright," He started to go, but then he stopped, "Can you show me where it is again?"

Draco sighed and inclined his head, gesturing to follow him, and left down to the dungeons.

They got there in five minutes flat even if they were on the fifth floor initially.

"How did that happen?" Harry said, "It takes more time to get to the Potions classroom even from the Great Hall!"

"Shortcuts, Potter," Draco drawled, "So much easier. Here you are."

Harry looked at the door and frowned, "This isn't Professor Snape's classroom, it's... Professor... Snape's...classroom, okay."

"Have fun," he said and he was gone.

Harry knocked and the door opened.

"Hey, Harry," Amelia said, "Heard Sev stopped you from Occlumency classes."

"Yeah."

"Well, Dumbledore never specified which Snape, so I'm gonna teach you."

Harry sat at a desk. "Snape didn't really teach me anything."

"Well, what did he do?"

"Nothing! He just said to clear my mind and then he attacked me!"

"Ah. Well, Harry, that's how Severus works. He expects you to get books, learn from those, practice clearing your mind, and all that, on your own. Then he tests you. I guess you don't work like that, so first we try to settle your mind. Clear it of all thoughts. In order to do this, you need to meditate and in order for you to perfect it, I expect you to practice clearing your mind and meditating every night before you go to sleep."

It had been two weeks of Occlumency training and Harry had been getting better. He cleared his mind, got better at it, and soon they started on mindscapes. That was the third and last defense. The first was, obviously, clearing your mind, the second was an I-kid-you-not door that Harry had to keep his hand on as to not let anyone in, adding more and more defences as they went.

The third was the mindscape. Something Harry had to create in his mind. A Quidditch pitch, for example, some place that meant something to Harry.

"Alright, Harry, ready?" Amelia asked. "Well, nobody will ask that if it happens to you, okay? Legilimens!"

Spiders were crawling all over Amelia and the door as she tried to open it. The was a distinct THUD causing water and plaster to fall from the ceiling onto her, making her skin itch and burn. The place was making her claustrophobic.

'BOY!'

The shout was so loud, it left Amelia's ears ringing. The door opened and—

Amelia was pushed out.

Her breaths were labored, as were Harry's.

"Good," she panted, raising a thumbs up, "You're learning fast. What was that place?"

"Er, my cupboard— under the stairs," Harry said after a moment's hesitation.

Amelia was seething under her mask. How DARE they make him sleep there?

"Okay, well, that was good, but I need to see the rest of the process you made, okay? So let me in."

"Okay."

"Legilimens!"

Amelia tried to open the door again, had to scoot by Harry's Uncle Vernon without getting pummeled (Didn't work, she got pummeled) and then out the door of the house.

She was in Hogwarts, people playing Quidditch outside. The Weasley fireworks were going off, stopping Amelia from hearing anything, or latching onto any memories from the sound.

She was running from Filch.

Finally, she got past him. She was at the Gryffindor tower, but there were no stairs. Lions prowled in the niches on the walls. A stray firework blew up in Amelia's face.

"C'mon, Harry, let me in," she muttered.

The stairs appeared and she ran up them, two at a time.

Each person was a memory. Touch one and you see it. They were playing each memory on repeat.

A locket, a diary, a cup, a diadem, a ring, a snake, and Harry.

Wait, what?

The last two...

Voldemort's horcruxes.

Amelia touched the Harry wax figure and immediately pulled back. It was cold as stone and hot as fire.

She didn't think Harry made these willingly. Which meant part of Voldemort's soul resided in Harry.

Which is why he had a scar on his forehead.

Seven kids walked up to Amelia, hoisted her on their hands...

And threw her out the window.