Redemption I

Chapter 27

Snape had warded his office top to bottom. The door that led to the secret tunnel was now completely sealed off. It would cause him a slight inconvenience but it would secure his safety.

He'd turned into his rooms then, warding the door possibly stronger than Gringotts and made his way towards the fireplace. He rounded the edge of the chair with trepidation. She was just as he had left her, though her tears had long dried.

He took a slow breath coming to sit on the ottoman that'd he'd placed in front of her to make himself level with her slumped form. Her breathing was shallow again. The right side rising higher than the left. He couldn't feel her at all. Her presence was like a void to his heightened senses. He still had time.

He pressed his wand carefully to her side and whispered another numbing spell. He couldn't give her any potions for at least 12 hours. The numbing was temporary but it would help keep her comfortable. He needed her as relaxed as possible when he entered her mind.

Even with nothing left, the barrier between was strong. Years, of repressed feelings, had made it so. He needed a doorway. Something he could use to enter her conscious without fully bringing her around. He wanted to place the removed memories into their proper place before the window closed. Though he had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be possible.

His first priority had been completed, making a bridge between the two halves. He'd keyed it to a phrase that he was sure was so obscure it would never accidentally be spoken. He still needed to test it but a cursory glance into the space inside had given him hope that it had held firm.

"Legilimens." The world spun away into deep fathomless darkness. Nothing but oppressive silence filled the void he had created. He pushed himself further, pressing himself against the wall that kept the two halves apart. It was there he whispered his lie.

You do not fear me.

There was a small flash. A bright light, he could feel her true-self reaching out towards his voice. The window was closing, the wall was coming down.

You trust me, completely.

Just a little more. Snape gritted his teeth pressing in harder.

You are mine.

No...

Another small spark. He could feel her resistance to his words but his time to control her deepest inner thoughts was over. He had to replace the time she'd lost or there would be even worse consequence waiting for him. He pulled back just enough to call for the memories he had taken, once more creating the spinning cinemagraph around her head.

With skill, only he could manage, he pulled his wand away from her temple and called forth the first of many memories. When the wall came crashing down it was like a circus of chaos. His own will was wavering as she struggled to take control. She was strong. Her will, almost unbreakable.

Snape pressed the first in as quickly as he could before she fully regained consciousness. He could already feel her hands twitching against his stomach. He was so close he could smell her breath on his lips.

The mind didn't think linearly but it did have a concept of time. He searched through looking for the void that memory would have left behind. It was like pressing against a water. The more he pressed the harder she pushed. The memory fell into place and when it did the pressure against him relaxed. She had accepted the memory.

On and on he went, the more he replaced the less she struggled. He had to take hold of her jaw to keep her still about halfway through. She was fully aware now. Her head jerked when he'd replaced the memory of them in Malfoy's room. Tears rolled down his fingers but he held her firm. She wanted to see, he knew, but it was a lot to take in at once.