A/N: Hey guys! I had quite the busy past couple of weeks, as well as a monster case of writer's block, so my apologies on the wait! I think I'm pretty much set up for at the very least another chapter, so that should be out fairly quickly. I thought this was one kind of short, but it says it's almost 2,000 words, which is holding strong with where I like my chapters to be, so, sorry if it seems short to you too! But I absolutely could not fathom making you all wait another second! After this and the next chapter, I think I'll get some action packed into here again, if my plot line doesn't completely escape me when I sit down to write again.

I'm also going to try and upload them with the spaces in between the lines, as that has been brought to my attention to be a problem by a couple of you! Again, my apologies! In my haste to upload, I hadn't caught that it kept going back and forth; I suppose that's due to my roundabout way of getting these posted- from iPod to email to archive to word and than finally to here. Anyway, I will be ten times more careful in the future!

I'm still looking for a beta/someone to be able to contact pretty regularly to bounce ideas off of and help when I get all stuck in my plot. Please, send me a message and we can discuss this! I would appreciate it so so much! And as motivation, I'm willing to throw in a one shot of any characters you want (which will also help me branch out from my Snarry lurch), about whatever you wish. Please, do take me up on this! I'm good to my word, I solemnly swear!

But enough from me, lets turn our attention to our favorite boys!


"Potter," Severus growled through the door, "Let me in this instant."

The lock clicked open and the door swung open, revealing a disheveled looking Harry Potter standing in a pair of stone washed jeans, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. His hair stuck up at the back and his eyes were still only half awake behind his glasses.

"How you convinced me to buy a house with one bathroom, I'll never know," he mumbled as he pushed past the Gryffindor into the small room.

"At least there's two sinks," Harry said as he spit into one.

Snape grunted as he reached for his razor.

"Long night?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Harry asked sleepily, blinking once.

"You seem more tired than usual," Snape pointed out.

"Oh, I guess," Harry shrugged noncommittally. "Haven't been able to sleep," he explained.

"Do you need a potion?"

Harry smiled at the thought of Snape actually caring about whether he was sleeping well enough to brew him a potion.

"Nah, I've just been thinking,"

"Always a danger," Snape agreed.

"Sod off. I've been thinking about Greyback," Harry added, not wanting to inform Severus about the nightmares that had recently been plaguing him.

"Ah," Snape nodded. "I'm sure the Ministry will think of something. In the meantime, the Order's wards are more than enough,"

"Yeah," Harry said, still dissatisfied.

"It would be nice to have my own life back," Severus mused as he wiped a damp cloth over his face.

"Yeah," Harry said again, trying to hide the tightness in his chest that Severus' words had caused. "I'm gonna go get dressed," he said and he promptly left the bathroom.

As he pulled on a faded burgundy v-neck he thought about what Snape had just said.

It would be nice to have my own life back...

Harry wasn't sure what had upset him more; the fact that he disliked this simple and very predictable viewpoint, or the fact that he was upset about it at all.

He thought the pair was doing well, under the circumstances. They hadn't gotten into a major fight in weeks. Sure they had little spats almost daily, but that was to be expected, of course.

Pushing thoughts of Severus out of his head, he sighed and ran a rough hand through his hair.

He slipped his feet into an old pair of sandals and headed outside.

x X x

Harry had spent the day studiously ignoring and avoiding Severus. While Snape did notice and think it odd, he decided it wasn't worth his time as long as the brat wasn't wandering off. He took it as a temporary repreve and had locked himself in his study for the day.

Come nightfall, Harry was still outside, having just transfigured his shirt into a thick sweater. He stared into the dying flames of his fire pit and turned his skewer. S'mores had always been comfort food to him, he could always rely on the smell of woodsmoke and melting marshmallows to calm his nerves.

He heard the glass door open and leaves crunching underneath soft footsteps.

He could feel Severus standing beside him, but he kept facing forward.

"You've been awfully quiet today," he noted.

Harry shrugged, and a tense silence ensued.

"Are you hungry?"

He held up his toasting marshmallow in one hand, and a box of Graham crackers in the other.

"Ah," Snape said quietly. "Well, I'm off to bed,"

"Night," Harry managed to mutter.

Severus didn't leave right away, as if waiting for Harry to do or say something else. After a stoic silence on Harrys end, the man issued a soft sigh before returning back inside.

Harry chuckled darkly once, before throwing his entire skewer into the fire. He put the lid on the fire pit and waited for the smoke to dissipate before finally retreating back to his bedroom.

x X x

He awoke suddenly, hands gripped into tight fists. He was shaking, his sheets stuck to his clammy skin by a sheen of cold sweat. He licked his lips and sat up slowly, trying to recall his dream.

He remembered a pair of vivid yellow eyes, staring at him from a dark cove in the woods. He couldn't remember how he had come to be standing in the middle of the dense forest, but that didn't seem to matter. All that mattered were the eyes, the eyes that were trained solely onto him. He took a step back, carefully and a twig snapped under his foot.

He jumped, and the creature lurched into the open.

Harry couldn't remember what happened next. From there on, it was a muddled mix. All he knew was that Severus showed up to protect him, and that there was blood. Whether it had been the beasts, or Snapes, he didn't know, but through the fog came enough terror to make his mind recoil from the images.

Every night was the same pair of eyes.

He splashed cold water over his face and neck and looked over himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and the dark bags he had noticed earlier that day were more prominent than ever. He sighed, thinking he might have to concede and take Snape up on that sleeping potion.

He glanced over at the door to the older man's bedroom and hesitantly made his way over to it.

He took a shaky breath and opened the door a crack, just enough to put his head through.

"Severus?" he whispered.

No answer.

"Severus?" he tried again.

Still no answer.

He opened the door wider, wincing as the hinges creaked slightly. He took a single step into the room, slowly putting all his weight down as to not elicit more noise from the wooden floorboards. As his eyes adjusted he took in the form stretched out across the bed. Snape was stretched sideways across his large, emerald comforter, all of his clothes as they had been that day. It looked as if he had simply collapsed onto the bed and fallen asleep.

He took in his features, softened by sleep. He looked calm, and peaceful. Very un-Snape like. He didn't look happy, Harry decided, he just didn't look angry or annoyed for once. His lips were slightly parted and his hair fell in sharp, contrasting tangles across his white pillow.

Harry could only imagine how quick that serenity would shift should the man wake to find Harry in his room.
He sidled backwards out the door, retreating to his own room. He laid down, deciding it could wait until morning. For now, he would let Severus sleep; he could bother him again tomorrow.

He tried not to think about how he knew that that peaceful image of Snape, sleeping just beyond the wall, would carry him through the night, nightmare free.

x X x

Severus awoke early the next morning, cold on top of the covers despite having fallen asleep in his cloak.

He got up stiffly and stretched, grabbing a fresh towel and heading to the shower. He let the hot water caress his skin and took a quick moment to ponder over Harry's strange behavior yesterday.

While he was never always around, Severus couldn't help but sense a bit of hostility. He had never secluded himself so completely before, and never had they gone a day without a single conversation. They usually ate dinner together.

It was as if he had offended the boy in some way, he just had no idea as to how he could've gone about that this time. He really was too sensitive; a Slytherin would never care about the thoughts of others.

He paused in his thinking, realizing how contradictory that was, when that was exactly what he was doing now.
He issued a low growl and turned the water off, dressing himself in silk boxers and a deep emerald robe. He tied it loosely around his waist and started to towel dry his long hair, before the unfamiliar smell of breakfast cooking hit his nose.

He wandered out to the kitchen, expecting to find at least one of Harrys friends, but instead was greeted by just Harry, clad only in pajama bottoms and an apron.

Harry turned as he entered and cast an eye over Snape's clothing (or lackthereof) and wet hair before raising an eyebrow and smirking.
Severus pulled the robe tighter self-consciously before sitting down.

"What brought this on?" he asked, almost fearing the answer.

"Hunger," Harry said simply.

Snape scowled, but didn't press the issue, instead resigned himself to being served.

"Coffee?" Harry asked, holding the pot above an empty mug.

"Please,"

Breakfast was a rather silent affair, the quiet only broached when Harry had stood to start cleaning.

"Do you still think you could brew me some Dreamless Sleep?" he asked, as if genuinely afraid of the answer being no.

"Of course, I'll have full stock for you by tonight," Snape said casually, waiting to see if Harry would offer some sort of explanation. Their conversation in the bathroom the day before hadn't been exactly enlightening.

"Thanks," Harry said, smiling tentatively at him. "I was thinking of going to the Burrow today. They've got all the same wards as we do, and their Floo is directly connected, so it's almost like an extension of our place, really..." he trailed off, looking at Severus.

He chewed the inside of his lip as he thought. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Harry, and saw a flicker of disappointment in the green eyes, however Harry never looked away.

"I suppose. But check in at lunch," he lectured.

Harry straightened and clapped a hand to his head in mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

He laughed as Severus rolled his eyes and patted his shoulder as he walked by, already on his way to the fireplace.

When the sounds had died from the roaring flames, and Snape was sure Harry was gone, he went to go inspect the boys bedroom.
If his suspicions were correct, he would have to have a chat with the young man.

He stood in the doorway and cast a quick revealing spell on the room. He nodded to himself as he uncovered a heavy silencing charm.
So he wasn't just thinking about Greyback, he was dreaming about him. Harry was having nightmares, and out of his Gryffindor pride, he didn't want to wake Severus or ask for help.

He cursed under his breath and went to set about brewing, trying to push back the memories of what it meant the last time Harry dreamt about the one who wanted him dead.