Redemption / DRAMIONE (COMPLETE)

Chapter Twenty-Six

"I can't pretend I'm not scared," Harry said nervously, looking up at his friends.

"You'll be fine," Severus said brusquely. "The experience is worse for me, believe me. Just sit still, say nothing and don't use Occlumency... not that I think that will be an issue for you."

"You could afford to be slightly nicer, Severus," Remus admonished him. "It doesn't hurt."

"Perhaps not," Severus muttered, "but this will."

And he entered Harry's mind.

Potter's mind was chaotic, to say the least. If Severus' mind was a well-ordered beehive, Potter's mind was a rabbit warren. Memories without any seeming connection faded into each other.

Severus sighed mentally. This would be a lot harder than he had thought.

He pushed past all the rubbish - soppy, sentimental memories of his happy years at Hogwarts, sprinkled in with miserable summers with the Dursleys. He ignored these and prodded the part of Potter's brain responsible for dreams and his subconscious.

It responded, not particularly enthusiastically, so Severus prodded it a bit more.

Show me the door, he urged. Show me that damn door.

But there was a part of Potter's mind, a darker part, which was refusing to co-operate. 

However, those outside Harry's head were having a similarly tricky situation.

"Dolores," Minerva said, disgruntled, as the pink fiend poked her head around the door.

"What's going on?" the toad demanded. "It's past curfew."

"We're fighting the war against Voldemort," Remus said calmly, stepping forwards.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Why did you tell her that?"

Umbridge's eyes bulged.

"The war against Voldemort?" she spluttered. "Voldemort is dead. Cornelius said so!"

Minerva huffed.

"As if you believe that. You've got a finger in every one of Voldemort's pies except the one including being branded with the Dark Mark, you cow."

Draco choked on a laugh.

Umbridge was about to try to redeem herself, but then she recognised Lupin.

"What is that filthy half-breed doing here?" she hissed.

Minerva had her wand out in a split second.

"Say another word against Remus and you will be a puddle on the floor," she growled.

Umbridge eyed the wand. She knew not to mess with the Transfiguration professor.

"I'm going to report all of you to the Minister," she sniffed. "You're all going to Azkaban! Especially you!" she added to Lupin.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that, Dolores," Minerva said apologetically. "I'm really sorry to do this. Very sorry indeed."

Her tone suggested that she was not sorry at all.

"Obliviate! Stupefy!"

The toad would only forget this one conversation and she would hopefully be out for a while. Or at least until they had departed.