Don't Mess With The Chosen One....

14

AN: This is going to be a long chapter.
Enjoy!
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Dumbledore's abrupt departure was big news in the morning. Many of the students had no idea what had happened, so of course several rumors were going around about the Headmaster. He'd been kidnapped. He'd been fired. He was being replaced. He went on Holiday. He was out shopping.

They were really quite ridiculous.

But Harry could tell from Snape's and McGonagall's expressions, that they were worried.

Umbridge was still at Hogwarts, but the ongoing investigation around her was proving to be successful. There were times when she would slip up, and not act as cutesy and put together as she liked to pretend she was, earning raised brows, and the furious scratching of a quill from her Shadow. The Aurors had pulled Harry aside for his testament of the detentions already, and he told them what happened. And a couple other students said that they too had been subjected to The Quill, but as they didn't have any scars from it, they weren't regarded as reliable sources/witnesses.

But Umbridge really wasn't the most pressing thing on Harry's mind. Nor was Dumbledore's absence. It was Voldemort. More specifically, Harry's nightmare-induced sleep, where Voldemort had free reign over his mind.

Snape continued to teach Harry Occlumency, but both of them were growing more and more irritated with the other.

Harry, because he really felt like Occlumency was weakening him, since it made him so exhausted so he couldn't try closing his mind before sleep.

Snape, because he felt like Harry wasn't even trying to block his mind, and he didn't want to waste precious time attempting to help someone who couldn't do the bare minimum!

One evening, during another failed attempt at Occlumency, a student ran in to tell Snape that Montague had been found stuck in an upstairs toilet. So Snape left with a swish of his robes, and Harry let out a sigh of relief.

As he was walking towards the door, his eye caught the Pensieve. What memories were in there, that Snape didn't want him to see?

Harry knew he shouldn't. He would hate it if someone did it to him.

'But Snape's already looking through my memories. And it's not like I've given him permission to do so.'

So with that justification firmly in place, Harry leaned over the Pensieve, and his face broke through the surface. And he was falling through darkness. Then he feet hit solid ground. Harry looked around and saw that he was in what looked like the Great Hall. Except that the four long tables had been removed, and replaced with desks. At the end of the Hall, where the High Table usually was, was a large sign that said, Ordinary Wizarding Level — Defense Against The Dark Arts.

Harry looked around and saw that right next to him was a young teenage boy with oily hair, bent so low over his parchment that his long, hooked nose was touching it. A fifteen years old Severus Snape.

Then that meant....

And Harry saw two rows ahead, a head wild hair that stuck up in the back, just like Harry's. Harry jogged closer and saw his father etching a snitch on a scrap of parchment, with L.E. written inside. James Potter sat up, and looked to his right, where Sirius Black was leaning on the back legs of his chair. Sirius smirked at James, and gave him a thumbs up.

Remus Lupin was a row behind them, writing an essay. And next to him was Peter Pettigrew, who was peering over at his neighbor's paper, and looking stressed out.

Professor Flitwick, who was proctoring the exam called out, "Quills down!" And suddenly all of the test papers zipped to the front of the room, and the students filed out of the Great Hall. Harry could see Snape reading a paper as he made his way out. But Harry was much more interested in seeing his father and his friends, than whatever Snape was doing. So Harry caught up to them, keeping Snape in his sights. Luckily he seemed to be going the same way as the Marauders.