Nose to the Wind // tomarry

Chapter 25: Summer's Scent Still Lingers

Surprising approximately no one, books on occlumency practically flew off the shelves after the article about Ford using legilimency against students broke.

Given their own part in the war against Voldemort, as well as both James and Sirius being aurors, the Potters already had access to books on occlumency, two of them auror-restricted, and Harry took them over the Weasleys that afternoon, after Molly fire-called asking if his family had any resources.

"I do wonder," James said over dinner that night, which included Sirius and Remus, "how we weren't caught by blackmail. Hermione's the only one who's read any of my books, though did Chris make some noises about wanting to learn, once he's old enough."

Harry shrugged. "For many and various reasons, I was never able to fully master occlumency. Death is protecting me, and he extended that protection to Will, Chris, and Hermione; not even Voldemort is going to break into their minds."

His parents, Sirius, and Remus all fell very, very still, then Sirius said, "Well, that's lucky," in a slightly strained tone, while Remus asked, "And us?"

Death? Harry asked.

"Your mother and Sirius both have sufficient mental protections to not need any assistance, but the protection has been extended to Remus and your father. Also to Peter, for the sake of your own secrets."

I should have expected it was at least partially to protect me, Harry admitted. Thank you, Death. You remain, as always, invaluable.

"I should never wish to chance your safety, Master."

"Death says he's protecting Dad and you, Uncle Remus, but Mum and Uncle Sirius are scary-good in their own right," Harry offered, then turned an interested smile on his mother.

Lily cleared her throat and very obviously focussed on her potatoes. "Sev taught me," she said, just the slightest bit defensively.

"Well...good," James decided, looking a bit like that had hurt to say. And then he huffed a bit and turned to Lily. "It was during those little December visits I'm not supposed to know about, wasn't it?"

Lily made a show of sniffing and turning her nose up at him. "If you were less determined to be difficult about his existence, I never would have hidden them from you."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, well, if he was less of a git–"

"Sirius," James hissed, while Remus covered his mouth with a hand, the pair of them casting Lily's glower worried looks.

Harry cleared his throat. "Honestly, I'm glad Mum made up with Severus. If only because Will looks so much like Dad, he'd probably have laid all his – in all honesty, completely warranted – upset at you and Sirius on his head. Despite the fact that Will really doesn't deserve any of it."

James' shoulders hunched. "He did that to you, didn't he?"

Harry turned a flat look on his father and opened his mouth to respond, when Sirius said, "Wait, what? Snape was a dick to Harry?"

"Oops," James whispered, clearly remembering, as Harry just had, that Sirius and Remus had never been filled in about who Harry had been in the past.

"Harry told us, at the end of last term, that this is his third life as Harry Potter," Lily explained. "Voldemort killed James and myself the last two times."

"Well, shit," Sirius said, looking a little like he'd just taken a punch to the gut, but not like he disbelieved Lily. Either he trusted her not to go pulling his leg, or he'd just got so used to Harry being an oddity, nothing to do with him surprised him any more. "What happened to me? And Remus?"