Hair outlined by moonlight, sticking up in all directs, shadowed the face below in movement. A breeze shuffled through the dark locks, sending a shiver down the teenager's back. Harry Potter pulled his robe closer around his body in attempt to regain some warmth.

He had been sitting outside for hours - he had lost track of time - and all he could do was stare dejectedly at the lake. Ruffled waves beat against the shore in a rhythm that was hypnotic. He could continue to sit there until the morning came and then left again, until the end of hardships. Harry sighed, his breath mixing with the swirling air, and let his eyes fall mercifully closed.

He felt so tired and for a moment he wondered if he was already dead. Dead on the inside, with no life left to spark even the smallest bit of interest in anything. Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Never-Truly-Lived, tucked his chin against his chest. Not even his friends could recognize the self-loathing and helplessness that he felt on an hourly basis. How could they, he smiled and nodded when they wanted. Always when THEY wanted. It was like his Aunt and Uncle had programed him to hide his true self from everyone and everything.

It felt impossible to open up - too scary. Savior of the Wizarding World, yeah right.

Harry Potter felt a presence behind him and he squeezed his eyes closed, not looking up. He should have known that Hermione Granger would have noticed when he left the tower, she noticed everything.

"Leave me alone, 'Mione." He pleaded softly, his voice breaking. "There are some things no one can help me with. You wouldn't understand."

Footsteps came to a stop at his side. He felt a gaze staring at him, but he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to face his friend and the motherly look of concern she would level upon him.

"I am not Hermione Granger." A voice said with pure disdain. "I am, however, capable of understanding a great deal."

Harry felt frozen. Had someone hit him with a Petrificus Totalus without speaking? His bones felt frozen and his eyelids refused to open. They seemed fused to his lower eyelashes. Harry was on his feet and running before he could draw in a gasp.

Severus Snape watched the boy disappear into the forest, clearly not in possession of his wits. The teacher huffed and the exhale formed a visible cloud before vanishing, and stalked after the Potter boy. It had been a long night for the Potions Professor and Harry Potter's little disappearing stunt had only increased the man's annoyance. A wave of limb numbing tiredness washed over the black haired man and for a moment he hesitated. What was the point of going after Potter anyway? The boy would only clam up, burying whatever emotional angst he needed to deal with, and then there would be nothing left but shared sarcasm and dislike.

Still, as a teacher it was Snape's duty to see to the safety of all students, not just the ones that he preferred. With a lurch he continued forward into the trees. A flick of his wand sent its tip blazing in a tiny ball of illumination. The dull light made Severus' features appear even more sallow than usual, his dark eyes buried in their sockets. Thin lips pressed into a thin, pale line as he resisted the urge to sneer at the Forbidden Forest.

The spring in his step was lent entirely by the layers of dead pine needles under his soft soled boots. Severus could not see the boy's trail in the dark, but he was certain that the Black Lake would be where Harry would end up. All students eventually ended up there when on similar hormone driven treks. His knees aching from the cold, Severus continued forward at an even pace. There was no rush.

.....

Snape! He had been so stupid to assume that it was Hermione. Harry clenched his hands into fists and pressed them against his temples in despair. The teenage girl, wonder-witch that she had become over the years, was probably snoring obliviously in her bed. He felt so ridiculous. Now Snape probably thought he was crazy too.

It was no secret what Professor Severus Snape thought of Harry Potter and Gryffindors in general. 'Elitist attention mongers' was the best way to sum it up in only a few syllables. Yes, Gryffindors had a lot of scorn sent their way from the proud Potions Master. If only he had not been the one to see Harry in such a vulnerable state.

The young man shook his head, trying to convince himself that it was not true. There was no Snape, there was no reason to panic, everything would be fine when he woke up to find this all a dream. A truly terrible dream.

.....

A halo of orange light sent shadows skittering up the tree trunks at the edge of the lake.

"Nox." Snape stowed his wand in a sleeve pocket and watched the boy pace a few hundred yards ahead.

It was easy to see that Potter was both embarrassed about being seen in his current state and emotionally upset about another matter entirely. He had a clump of messy, black hair clutched tightly against his skull. The pull of his white knuckle grip looked painful.

Severus walked forward, his footsteps soft, but not unnoticed. Harry turned to face him.

"You need someone who can understand you, Potter. I assure you, I will do my best if that is what it takes to stop this nightly meandering that has the entire castle staff in an uproar." Snape offered in a neutral voice.

He felt the urge to gag, but ignored it. He had done far more miserable tasks for the Dark Lord. Potter was one boy and each night for the past four days he had gone missing from the Gryffindor tower. Severus worried for the Headmaster's health if this unecessary stress continued. The old man was growing soul-tired and it terrified Severus. He would do anything to keep his mentor and friend safe, even if it meant having a heart-to-heart with Potter.

"Well?" Snape pressed when the boy made no move to respond.

Harry fixed him with a dark, stormy gaze. The familiar green of his eyes sent an electric spark through Snape's heart. Melancholy settled easily into the tension between them. He missed Lily - every day. Potter was a different story. A sneer tried its best to escape the stoic mask Severus held onto tightly. There was nothing to miss about James, bloody, Potter.

"No." The answer was curt, but not rude. Harry took a deep breath before saying evenly. "I apologize for any inconvenience I have caused you or the other teachers, sir. I merely needed time alone with my thoughts. If it is alright with you, I will return to the tower now."

The boy did not wait for a reply. His words may have been civil, but the way he brushed hastily past the Professor and walked towards the castle reminded Severus of a wild animal. Appearing domesticated at first glance, but ready to tear you limb from limb at the slightest provocation. What had happened to the Harry Potter that had disrupted his Potions class so epically just a year before with his carefree manner? Snape was not entirely certain he should care.

With a slight lift of his eyebrows, the man followed his young charge into the darkest shadow of all, that of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

.....

Albus Dumbledore was pacing back and forth behind his large wooden desk when Severus entered unbidden. Worried blue eyes studied him sharply from behind a pair of spectacles.

"Is he alright?" There was the slightest of vocal tremors.

The raven haired Potions Master closed the door. "Yes, Albus. He is in the tower now, apparently the child feels himself entitled to such wandering. I dare say he could use with a detention...or a dozen."

The Headmaster fell into his large chair and slumped, exhaustion evident on every inch of his wrinkled face. The twinkle had returned, however, the moment he knew the boy was safe. Snape knew that his mentor had always treasured Lilly and James Potter as dear friends and that love had been transfered to Harry at the moment of his parents death. It was a miracle, to Severus, that the boy could not see how much he was loved by those around him. Personally, it had put him off his dinner more than once.

After all, what was to love. The boy was average. Nothing special, nothing sacred and certainly nothing to fawn over. He was only a child who had been thrust into a position where too much was expected of him. Severus understood this perfectly well, but that changed nothing. The boy was...problematic.

"Thank you, Severus, for doing everything that you have. I know how you feel about Harry."

"Yes, well, anything to help you." Snape replied, his mouth softening into an almost smile.

Dumbledore's brows drew together and his chin trembled. "Severus, I have thought of you like a son for so long now. I think it only right that you be the first to know." The familiar kindly glint in the old man's eyes grew into something more like pity.

The black haired man felt his heart thud heavily against his chest, his skin turning cold at the sense that he would not like what he was about to hear.

"I am dying, Severus. I have been for some time, but I feel the end will come soon. I am sorry." The genuine pain and regret was almost more than both men could handle. "Please, look after the boy for me."

"Albus -." His denial was interrupted when the old man leaned forward in his chair and reached out, across the table, towards Snape. "I promise." He meant every word.

After all, how could he deny the old man his last wish.

They talked for hours that night and when he finally fell asleep in his own quarters, in the dungeons, Snape knew that Albus had lead a full and contented life. There was little tying the old man to this world any longer, the outcome of the war was up to Potter now. Thanks to two words, it was also his personal responsibility to see the teenage boy through the course of the battles and wars that would come.

Snape did not feel the tears that coursed slowly down his cheeks from under sleep-heavy eyelids. He did not hear his own whimpers in the dark.

.....

Harry Potter knew that he was probably in a lot of trouble and he really did feel bad about breaking curfew, but there was only so much room in the tower and when depression fell over him, he needed space. Fresh air that smelled of pine and soil. Nature was the best medicine that he had found over the years - the sheer beauty of it could sometimes pull him right out of a blue mood.

Snape had been suspiciously quiet, almost frighteningly so, during Potions class earlier that day and Harry could not help but feel relieved. He had thought that the teacher might use the previous night's encounter as a new way to taunt and ridicule him in front of the other students. He felt glad that something else was eating at the greasy Professor.

The teenager stood in front of the door leading to the Headmaster's office. He had been summoned there after his last class for what he could only assume was a good dressing down. He squared his shoulders, ready to give a lengthy and vague explanation. Dumbledore was a great man, a powerful wizard and a meddler. Harry had learned to become wary of the old man's manipulative ways.

The boy reached up, his robe falling back across his forearm to reveal the scar on the back of his hand - I Will Not Tell Lies. With a resigned grimace at the memory of how that particular scar had been created, he knocked four times in quick succession.

"Come in, my boy." The voice was muffled, but pleasant.

Harry pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside the large room. Albus was standing in front of a floor to ceiling bookcase on the left hand side of the room. He did not appear to be angry, but Harry tread softly as he walked forward. He watched Dumbledore carefully, looking for some kind of indication of why he had been called.

"You wanted to speak with me, sir." Harry said by way of greeting.

Albus nodded, one hand caressing a worn book spine. "Yes - Yes, I did."

Harry waited, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had rarely felt so uncomfortable in the older man's presence. He supposed it was guilt from causing so much trouble the past few nights. He had hoped that the Headmaster would understand or at least be lenient in punishment. This unremarkable reaction gave Harry the creeps.

"If this is about last night, I -."

Albus shook his head, cutting off Harry's words with a brief wave of his hand. The old man turned so that he was facing the boy. It was then that Harry felt something shift in the atmosphere between them. An unspoken understanding. Albus Dumbledore was dying.

Harry did not know how he could feel so certain. Maybe it was because he had seen so much death in his life, he was not sure, but he knew that the white bearded man before him would not live much longer. A gasping sob shuddered through his body.

"No!" Harry denied the unspoken truth loudly, his brilliant green eyes going wide in disbelief.

Albus smiled sadly, an understanding expression on his face. "I am sorry to be the one to bring you pain, dear boy." Then, so there would be no misunderstanding, he explained. "I am dying. My years have long since been spent and now I am ready to leave this plane of existence in exchange for the next."

"You can't leave! You can't leave me alone!" Harry threw the plea and accusation out at once. He hugged himself tightly, trying to control his breathing. "What about Voldemort. I can't defeat him alone. I - I need y - you."

The Boy-Who-Lived, savior of the wizarding world, broke down into tears of anguish and fear. How could he go on alone. First his parents, then Sirius and now Dumbledore.

Albus gathered the young man in a close hug and rested his chin in the ruffled hair. The old man had known that this would be hard on the boy. After a long moment, the Headmaster pulled away.

"You will not be alone. Minerva is always available if you need a listening ear. Hagrid will do his best as well." Dumbledore let his gaze fall to the floor. "I have asked Severus to watch over you. I want you to know that."

Harry felt like someone had upended a pail of cold water over his head. "Excuse me, sir?"

The ghost of a smile flitted through the Headmaster's blue eyes and a soft chuckle filled the room. "Your expression is priceless, but hardly warranted. You can trust him."

"Like hell!" Harry clapped both hands over his mouth, eyebrows shooting up. "Sorry." He said the muffled apology through his hands.

The chuckle turned into true laughter and Albus walked over to a chair by the floo, motioning for Harry to join him. After a moment the older man regained his composure, but a wide smile remained stretched across his face. The weary marks around his eyes wrinkled at the humorous, but expected, response from the boy. Harry sat down in a plush chair opposite his friend.

"Harry, I know that you and Severus never did get off to a good start, but I want you to trust me when I say that he is a loyal friend. He may be a bit...brusque...at times, I admit, but that does not negate the fact that he has a carefully hidden paternal instinct."

Harry's mouth fell open. He had expected to hear something more along the lines of, 'his heart is in the right place', instead he had been told that Severus bloody Snape had the urge to be parental! Green eyes blinked slowly, lit up by the raging fire in the floo.

"He keeps it well hidden, even from himself, but I've seen into his mind. I know." Albus said.

Harry's mouth fell closed. He let his hands rest between his knees, shoulders falling forward. His eyes misted with tears. He was going to lose a dear friend. Waiting outside the office door, Harry had only thought of himself. He had been wondering what the old codger would do next. Now he felt like he was losing a grandfather.

"Harry." Albus spoke softly, his voice soothing. "There is no shame in feeling overwhelmed. I know that is why you have been taking to the forest."

Harry glanced up anger flitting across his expression. "If you knew why didn't you help me? I tried to talk with you last year, but things kept happening. I think...I think we missed out on a time that could have been ours."

"I know what you mean, dear boy." The Headmaster agreed. "I am sorry. Only in hindsight did I realize my mistake."

The conversation fell into silence as they both became lost in thoughts of regret and impending loss.

.....

END CHAPTER ONE

((Author Note: I will beta the entire story AFTER it is finished so don't bother pointing out the mistakes. I'll fix them.))

Please, review, if you liked it and want more.