The Rules of the Game

A/N: Sorry the wait was a little long I was in Hawaii, hahaha!
Also sorry if you think the chapter is boring or too short, I just wanted one in Snape's view, I think I'll do one in Draco's later; and I'll get the next chapter out soon.

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Chapter 22

Snape’s POV

“I kept your secret.” I said out loud at this point just wanting any reaction from the boy.

“Sir?” He questioned turning to face me again.

“About the Dursleys, you were the one to obliviate Minerva weren’t you. Why?” I asked taking a risk bluffing like this but I had run out of options.

“Let me ask you something first. How do you feel about Dumbledore, and how do you feel about Voldemort?” I was surprised by the audacity of his question but a strange tingle at the edge of my senses distracted me from scolding him, somehow I knew that he would be aware of my true feelings no matter what I said. With a quick swish of my wand and some mumbled Latin I insured that we would be protected from anyone who might want to spy on us.

“Dumbledore is a manipulative bastard. The Dark Lord can be excessive in proving his point at times, but he does have many good and well founded ideas.” I told him and saw something flicker in his eyes before, to my surprise, the innocent look melted off his face replaced by cold eyes and a satisfied look.

“Voldie is quite remarkable isn’t he?” Potter remarked, his eyes holding a slightly dreamy expression. “As to your original question; to be honest I had expected more of a challenge from full grown wizards when I meet the two of you, but then your skill at shielding convinced me that maybe there was something I could learn here.”

As I stared at the boy I was suddenly grateful for my years as a spy enabling me to hide the shock and actual fear I suddenly had. He just admitted that he was the one that attacked my mind and he was so cold about it so… like Voldemort that I almost felt like I was in his presence again. I tried to think of something to say and had to run what exactly he had said through my head again to think of an answer.

“Of course my shields are better than McGonagall’s; I’m a skilled Occlumen and Legilimist.” I said managing my normal sneer.

“It was them who did this, Dumbledore and McGonagall. When I almost woke up in the hospital wing it was to them arguing about letting something out. Dumbledore finally gave in and agreed, saying he would just lock it back up when it was done. But I managed to confound him into thinking he had. Though there’s not much, bur there is a crack still open.”

I listened to the boy, shocked, impressed and angry at what Dumbledore had done once again, but there would be time for that later.

“We need to work out some way that you get your… ‘feedings’, so you don’t loose control in the future. How did Draco react to what happened between you?” I asked, but knowing my Godson as I did, I already had a pretty good idea. Despite the calm mask the boy had put on I could still see a faint blush on his cheeks and knew I had been right.

“Umm, he said that if necessary I could do it again.” He said in as controlled voice as he could manage.

“Good. Try and work something out with him and only come to me if absolutely necessary.” I said sternly, still refusing to think about what had happened before.

“Professor, I was wondering about one other thing. Occlumency is the skill of shielding your mind from intrusion and Legilimency breaking into someone’s mind right?”

“Correct Potter.” I drawled, though was a bit surprised, maybe he had looked a little into it already.

“I was wondering if you could teach me Occulmency and Legilimency, I heard from Draco that you were a master at them. I think I have the shielding down pretty well, it’s the Legilimency I’m not sure about.”

“The skills of Occlumency and Legilimency are quite complicated and take years to master, so somehow I doubt it. I’m not going to teach you if you’re not committed to this.” I told him sternly

“Professor, if I decide to master something, I master it.” He said with the same confidence and power that had scared me the last time; I still had to fight down a shudder.

“We’ll see Potter.” I managed to say. “Since we have solved your potions problem you will now instead come Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Occlumency and Legilimency lessons. Understood?”

“Yes professor, I’ll see you tomorrow night.” He said with a slight smirk on his face. He walked to the door but the stopped at it, and looked at me. It took me a moment to remember about the locking spells but then I quickly pulled out my wand and dispelled them and watched Potter slip out, allowing me to relax.

Now that the boy was out of the room I could finally take a moment to actually think about what happened. And dear Merlin I had been practically humping a student, I was going to burn in hell. And… damn that boy! He completely avoided answering my original question!

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The next day went relatively normal, annoying brainless children, cauldrons blowing up, and numerous detentions and house points removed. So there wasn’t any reason for me to be nervous, even if just a little, except for the fact that Harry Potter was coming for his first lesson tonight.

At the knock on the door I tried to get a hold of myself; yes this child was odd, and confusing, but I was a death eater, and enjoyed enigmas, I could handle Potter.

I ordered him to the middle of the room that I had cleared and after conjuring pillows behind him pointed my wand at him and called out ‘Legilimens’.

The next second I found myself confronted with the most complicated and powerful shield I had ever seen. Not only could I see no end to it, but there were no cracks in it, it was flawless. When I examined it closer I couldn’t tell what it was made of, all I got was a sense that it was layers upon layers entwined intricately together. As I decided to test it and sent an attack to the wall I watched stunned as the wall seemed to move to make that area even more fortified; Merlin it was like it was alive.

“Like it?” A voice asked from behind me and I spun to see Potter standing there watching me.

“It is quite impressive; perhaps you were correct in your assessment of your Occlumency skills.” I admitted, but for some reason admitting it wasn’t painful because he so clearly deserved praise for this masterpiece.

“Don’t worry, I like being underestimated. The sorting hat was rather impressed with it as well,” He said with a mischievous smirk.

“The Sorting Hat? As I recall it took you forever to be sorted, was it that he couldn’t make his decision or that you wouldn’t let him past your wall?”

“Neither actually; he knew his decision immediately, and after getting an oath I let him past my wall. We just got caught up talking and he had wanted a short tour of what is on the other side.”

That peaked my interest; not only had the boy gotten an oath from the founder’s hat but had impressed it with what was on the other side of this wall?

“And will I get a tour as well?” I asked casually, hiding my eagerness.

The boy was silent for a moment but then a small opening appeared and I followed him through. He was right, I was impressed. I had never even heard of something so complicated and extensive being created, let alone possible. The mental organization and control, let alone power, necessary to create and hold these protections as well as the amount of time necessary was inconceivable.

“This is quite remarkable.” I said, but then began to wonder what exactly the boy needed to keep secret. As if sensing my thoughts the same shield from before appeared in front of us and politely, though reluctantly I left his mind.

***

When our minds had returned to the potions room we remained silent for a moment before Potter suggested we continue with Legilimency.

After the first few minutes I decided that Potter wasn’t about to become a master at Legilimens.

“Again Potter.” I growled but in reality I was impressed with what he had achieved already. He could if he wished use the sheer amount of his power to force his way through shields but I wanted him to do so without being detected. I felt a stir at the edge of my shields and sent a blast of power at it effectively throwing him out of my mind.

“Come on Potter, concentrate! Go barely into the mind and then find a way through.”

“Well if you teachers or books would explain things correctly I wouldn’t be having so much trouble!”

I saw a flash of fear cross his face at his outburst before he looked away, but I let it go.

“What are you whining about Potter.”

“I mean none of the books or teachers explain things the easy way. They leave out all the magic colors and signatures on everything around us that make spells and everything else easily understandable.”

I stood for a minute trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying. He could see magic; if I meditated for an hour I might be able to pull up partial sight, but from his words it sounded like he could see every trace of magic in things and do so when ever he wished. Merlin is the boy powerful, I was sure not even Voldemort could claim that.

“You see the lines of magic?” I saw him stiffen and realized he didn’t mean to reveal that and decided to think quickly before he obliviated me, good thing I had read a theory on this. “Well why didn’t you say so. All right this time when you barely enter, observe the wall and look for the areas that are a dark blue to black color. Once you have seen enough of these you’ll begin to recognize the feel for these areas that are the weak spots. Then you just have to slip in, working on imagining your body so small that it can slip through anything, and go slowly. Shall we try again?”

At his nod we got into position again and I heard him call ‘Legilimens’ and waited. I assumed that he was just being very cautious and taking a while to find a spot in my shield where he could attempt to get through but then he lowered his wand and a huge grin came on his face. I had been about to scold him for not even trying to get through this time but the grin cautioned me.

“What Mr. Potter?”

“I just can’t wait to see him back in his normal body.” He said, grin growing a little bigger and leaving me stunned. It was clear that he was talking about Voldemort but that would imply that he had gone through some death eater meetings and I hadn’t sensed him going through memories and that was impossible. When someone did Legilimency it brought the memories and emotions forth of the victim and both parties viewed it; this boy needed to stop breaking the damn rules of magic, but again if I wanted answers I would have to act like this was normal.

“So which memories did you view?”

“One from his younger years of a raid on a ministry building, and then one year later where he was being told by someone named Peter where it was my parents were hiding.” He told me as if it was nothing.

“It does not bother you that Voldemort killed your parents?”

“It was war; they were in his way, so it’s understandable. Though that Peter guy irks me.” He said and I saw something flash in his eyes that shouldn’t be in that of one so young.

“Where did you get the idea to prevent me from knowing you were looking at memories?” I asked casually, thankful for the millionth time since meeting the boy that I was a good spy.

“Once I was in and realized you would be alerted as soon as I accessed one of the memories, I built a shield around me and a section of memories in your mind.”

Creating your own shield, within the shield of another’s mind… no one would even dream that up it was so ridiculous, but evidently it wasn’t.

“We’ll pick up again later.” I told him but doubted I could teach him any more on the subject. As he left my classroom I wondered how many times over the next few years with him I was going to be eating my words.