They slowly circled each other, holding their wands at the ready, tips almost touching. Snape glowered at Hermione. “You must block my mind, hide your thoughts from me. Don’t let me in,” he said again, in his sneering, contemptuous drawl; his smooth and velvety voice, as always, sending shivers up and down her body. “Ah,” she thought. “But that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
Chapter 1 Revelations
It started two years ago, after one of Harry’s Occlumency lessons with Snape, when he had unintentionally caught glimpses into Snape’s mind. With his curiosity piqued, he ventured into the Pensieve, hoping to find Snape’s true loyalties. Instead, he witnessed a memory of Snape as a gangly, awkward, teenaged student at Hogwarts, being horribly bullied by Harry’s father and his friends. Unfortunately, Harry’s transgression did not go unnoticed as Snape caught him red-handed, and had exploded with anger. Harry could only imagine how humiliating it must have been for Snape to have this embarrassing moment exposed. Therefore, it came as no surprise to him when Snape immediately terminated his Occlumancy lessons.
Despite Harry’s hatred for Snape, he was actually extremely distressed at seeing his father and the other two people Harry trusted, Sirius and Lupin, treating Snape so cruelly. In a way, Harry almost felt sullied by their behavior, as if he himself were tainted by it. Mostly, though, he felt betrayed. Harry was glad when Snape cancelled the lessons. But Hermione, recognizing the enormity of the situation convinced Harry that he needed Occlumency lessons more than he needed his pride, if he was going to keep Voldemort from controlling his mind. She was right. He knew what he had to do.
******
Harry went to Snape’s office and knocked on his door. Snape opened it. “Potter. What is it that you want?” he said, in a tone of pure contempt. “Sir, I…I want to talk to you. May I come in?” Snape consented to let him in, but did not ask him to have a seat, and asked, “Well? What is it?” Harry swallowed nervously. This was going to be harder than he had anticipated. “I…I want to…” he fumbled his words, almost losing his nerve. But he held tight to his Gryffindor courage, as the guilt for what his father had done was eating him up inside. He had to say it, if only for his own sake, to ease his own conscience. “I want say…that I’m sorry,” he finally said. Snape’s eyes opened a little with a look of surprise, raising one eyebrow in his usual fashion.
“If you’ve come to apologize for your trespass into the Pensieve, you can save your breath,” Snape hissed. “You are a pompous brat, just like your arrogant, pig of a father. Your actions were inexcusable, and I have absolutely no intention of taking you back as a pupil of Occlumancy.” “No! That’s not what I meant,” Harry blurted out. “Oh? And what is it that you’re sorry about?” he asked facetiously, clearly enjoying this. “What I meant… What I mean is… I’m sorry…for what my father did.” Harry stopped, braving a glance at Snape, to see how he was taking this. Snape was sitting perfectly still, staring at him with what looked like disbelief. Harry continued. “For how he treated you. What he did; how he behaved. And Lupin, and Sirius. I don’t blame you for hating them. They deserved it!” He said this last with a strangled burst of pain and anger; anger that his dad and his friends could have been so cruel, and his pain at their betrayal of his idealized image of them.
Harry waited uncomfortably while Snape continued to simply stare down at him, his expression going from amazement to eminent satisfaction. Apparently savoring the moment, he finally said, “Apology accepted.” Harry hoped that having realized he was being sincere Snape would offer him a second chance. He knew Snape had been asked to teach him Occlumency by Dumbledore, knowing he desperately needed the ability in order to protect himself from Voldemort. “Would you like to continue the lessons, then?” he asked, not without a slight scowl. Harry smiled in relief, and nodded in agreement.
