Black's Daughter and the Half-Blood Prince

New Term, Old Memories

Alecto had a peaceful few days where she could read or just roam about the castle before the rest of the school returned after New Year.
The night before the first day of term professor Snape had scheduled another Occulumency lesson with Alecto and she wasn't up for it since she spent the previous night reading due to not being tired but ending up being tired the next day.

She walked into Snape's classroom and was greeted by the same blank eyes, "Evening professor."
Alecto greeted as she sat down at the chair, "Can't we skip today's session?" She asked with she courage she tried gathering when walking to his classroom.

"Professor Dumbledore made it clear to me to not let you miss any Occulumency lessons, Miss Black."

Alecto groaned softly, "And in fact you seem to have gotten better at this, if I might add."

The black haired girl couldn't help but grin softly, "Was that a compliment?" She asked aloud.

She could've sworn she saw him smirk as he turned to get his wand, he still ignored her question as he turned back to her, "Legilimens!"

Memories flooded into her mind, the memories of Christmas morning where she tried on her new emerald cloak, memories where she spent time in the library with the trio this holiday, but then he jumped back, to an old memory, another one she couldn't remember.

"I can't do it." Said the young girl with black hair and those forest green eyes.
"Don't come with excuses, Alecto." The older woman demanded with a soft scowl.

"But I've been trying for hours, I don't want to do this anymore, I don't want to be like this-"

"Alecto!" Screeched the older woman in shock and anger, "He made you like this! He gave you this gift."

"It's not a gift! It's a curse-!"
The young girl was interrupted by a swift movement of the womans hand across her face.
"He is the one you serve, Alecto. Just like me and all the others, and you will grow to be his most trusted servant."

"But I don't want to..." the small girl whimpered, her eyes clouding with tears.
"It's not fair, I didn't ask to become that."

The older woman sighed, putting away all anger, but the seriousness in her voice remained, "It is an honor, you might not see it now, but you will grow and you will have everything you ever wanted."

She kneeled down to the sad girl and pulled her into a slight hug, "Okay, mum."

Alecto pushed Snape out of her mind and panted tiredly, "What was that?" She looked shocked and afraid.

"Someone must have tampered with your memories-"

"Snape that was me!"

"I realized that. Again." He held out his wand-
"No! Not again! Stop ignoring these memories, because they're mine but I can't remember them!"

"You have to keep practicing, if whoever's trying to get into your mind finds these memories, goodness knows how they'd use it against you!" He exclaimed in a harsh deep tone, "Legilim-"

But Alecto had decided she'd had enough and grabbed her own wand and pointed it at him and the words left her mouth quicker than it left his, "Legilimens!"

Snape's eyes widened as she entered his memories, she was strong and he couldn't push her out no matter how hard he tried to.

Memories flashed before Alecto, this time it was her professor's memories. She saw him as a young boy, where he walked through the doors of Hogwarts in his first year, along with a redhead she didn't know.