Hogwarts.
Snape glanced behind Macnair, apparently checking whether anyone had followed him, before saying, "Come in. Close the door."
Macnair looked at Harry, who lay slumped back in a chair as if dead. "Lord Snape, are we really not going to kill him?"
He sounded rather eager to do it.
Snape shot Macnair a glance. "The Master instructed me to examine his memories."
Snape offered no further explanation. His standing among the Death Eaters was far above Macnair's; he had no need to explain himself.
Strictly speaking, the only person above him was Voldemort.
Even Lucius and Yaxley had to treat him with respect.
He had summoned Macnair only so that Macnair could report to Voldemort what he had seen: Snape was already examining Harry Potter's memories.
It paid to leave a record of your work.
Under Macnair's watchful gaze, Snape drew his Wand and pointed it at Harry. "Legilimency."
Dizzy... That was Harry's first sensation.
"Kid, stop dozing off. Do you want Severus to keep you in detention for another two days?" Strange's voice sounded beside his ear.
Harry's senses snapped back. He was still copying out those tongue-twisting words, but the parchment before him was covered in crooked scrawls. He couldn't make out a single word.
It was just like falling asleep in class when he was exhausted. Harry realized he had nodded off.
Snape was reading behind his desk and seemed not to have noticed a thing. Harry hurriedly stuffed the ruined parchment into his robes and began copying onto a fresh sheet.
A few hours later, he was finally allowed to leave Snape's office.
On the way back, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something was odd. Why had he suddenly become so sleepy tonight?
Strange spoke up at just the right moment. "If you