"Invade my mind. See the truth."

Rose use what Snape taught her last year in Legilimency class. "Legilimens!" She cast. Snape did not fight back. He let her in.

And she saw everything. She saw a thin, hook-nosed boy watching a red-headed girl laugh, a love so pure and painful it made her own heart ache. She saw the same boy, now a man, kneeling before Dumbledore, his face a mask of torment as he swore to protect Harry Potter, the son of his rival. She saw years of spying, of walking a razor's edge between two masters, the constant, gnawing fear of discovery. She saw the memory of him pleading with Dumbledore to find another way, to spare Harry this fate. And she saw, most clearly, the profound, soul-crushing agony in his eyes when he heard of Lily's ****.

He was telling the truth. Rose pulled back, gasping, her mind reeling from the onslaught of his memories. She looked at him, truly looked at him, and saw not the cruel Potions Master, not the sycophantic **** Eater, but a man carrying a burden heavier than any she could imagine.

A single tear escaped her eye, tracing a hot path down her cheek. It was the first tear she had shed for herself, for the guy she used to be, in a very long time.

"All this time Snape." Rose said.

Snape nod his head at her. "Yes. Always." He finally let his hand rest on her knee, a touch that was neither possessive nor demanding, but grounding. "He trusts me. He will leave us alone. This will be our sanctuary, Harry. Our fortress. And from here, we will plan his downfall."

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