Authors note: Harry Potter and all related characters belong to J.K.Rowling and not to me. I and psychicpikachu own only the plot and events. PLEASE PLEASE review as we LOOOVE reviews and this is the only way we know our work is being read. Sophie and Lucy this is still dedicated to you and now on with the story!!

Chapter 12

Dementors were coming… He had to warn Sirius……… Voldemort was there … he was running… running and all was lost as he watched Sirius tortured by the Dark Lord… Over and over as the Dark Lord found him and he uttered the words …a jet of green light and he howled in anguish as his godfather died and then Voldemort was turning to his parents and he stood there paralysed and he yelled as there was nothing he could do and he would be alone forever and helpless. And then Voldemort turned to him and he could feel the pain, the white-hot knives of Crucio and he was screaming and no-one could hear him…

Gasping and shaking Harry awoke. Groaning, he clutched his head wishing that the nightmares would abate and let him sleep once in a while. One per night was enough for him, but two was simply exhausting. Wearily he got up and made as if to move to the window seat.

He halted suddenly, as he heard heavy footsteps approaching his door. Hurriedly he jumped in bed and put a pillow over his head pretending to be asleep, because the last thing he wanted was to deal with an irate Snape directly after a nightmare. Then again, Snape was a nightmare.

He heard the steps pause and a knock at his door. " Potter?" Snape called, miraculously not sounding angry.

" Potter, I know you're awake." Receiving no reply from Harry, whose pretence of sleep was apparently not suceeding, Snape opened the door and stepped in.

Just at that moment Harry sneezed. " Potter, stop playing games like a six year old and get up now," said Snape in a world-weary tone."

Kicking himself mentally, Harry sat up and took the pillow off his head. Not sure what to say he said " um… er… Well… Professor… er..."

Snape cut in impatiently.

"What is the mater now Potter? Is it an attack of the famous Nothing? "

Again Harry was amazed he didn't look angry. After his behaviour at lunch he would have expected him to berate him on loss of sleep, childish behaviour etc.

In fact Harry was half- sure he had caught a flicker of worry as he entered, to be replaced by the cold expression.

Harry bit his lip. Deciding to go for lying he smiled and said, " I'm fine Professor, never been better." Try as he might he failed to remove the bitterness from his tone.

" If you're fine Potter than I suggest you stop screaming at night, and sounding like you've been hit by Crucio. Nothing must be quite awful, in my opinion."

Harry didn't say anything but continued to regard Snape with a sort of vaguely panicky look that he couldn't quite hide. Snape sighed and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Harry heard him mutter as he went down the hall, " Honestly. Nothing my foot."

With a sigh of relief Harry hear him go. With the beginnings of shame he realized he wanted someone at least to care he was having nightmares but no-one was there.

He whiled the night away, knowing he wouldn't sleep again, looking at photos of his parents and staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. When seven am came he got dressed and waited for breakfast.

Again he was so tired with minimal sleep from the night before that he could hardly summon the enthusiasm to eat his toast. Snape regarded him like a big overgrown bird of prey throughout but didn't say anything.

It was an effort to keep his eyes open and he would gladly have gone to sleep on the breakfast table. However he forced himself to keep awake, as he was sure Snape would just make another cutting remark, and he really did not feel up to coping with them.

He slowly made his way up stairs. He realised that he hadn't been outside in ages – since Snape picked him up, in fact. The house was far too dull and depressing, seeming to close in on him. He wanted to go outside, to feel the sunshine on the back of his neck and just relax for the first time in ages.

He suddenly felt a streak of rebelliousness. Damn Snape. He wasn't a prisoner here. Grabbing his Firebolt he opened his window and flew out. The cool, pleasant breeze Helped wake him up, and he revelled in the familiar sensation of flight.

Dropping low, he landed and set out. The moor was green and pleasant and relaxed him, now that he wasn't tense from the constant presence of Snape. He wandered around drinking in the pleasant scenery. Today was bright and cheerful unlike the previous few days. He was finally out of the house, finally in the fresh air again. Finally free from the constant memories that seemed to crowd upon him in the manor, filling his dreams. In the dull house there had been nothing cheerful to distract him from the memories and dreams, but now he felt wide awake and almost happy.

Then the first drops of rain alerted him, to the time and the weather, and he started to head back. Storms were common in July. He remembered one time when he had been quite young how a sudden summer storm had felled a tree, a tall pine in a back yard not far from the Dursley's. It had crashed down at about half nine at night and woken him and Dudley up. Of course Dudley, being about four at the time, had started screaming for his mum, so loudly Harry could hear it in the downstairs closet.

He headed back and flew up to his room. Snape presumably didn't know that he had been out, and Harry intended to keep it that way. If he told Snape he had been out he would probably keep him in out of sheer vindictiveness.

Somehow, he was even more tired after the walk than he had been before, although when he had been outside he had felt wide awake. He supposed that it was the after-effects of the exercise. Yawning, he walked to the sitting room. Snape was in the kitchen, but another sudden surge of rebelliousness swept through him. He was going to sit there and no one was going to stop him. He had a perfect right to sit there.

Emboldened he sat on the sofa and looked out the window at the countryside. Before long his eyes drooped and he fell asleep.

Unknown to him, Snape entered the room and was confronted with the sight of Harry asleep on the sofa. Steadfastly ignoring him he went about his business.

When the house- elf appeared and squeaked that lunch was ready, Snape snorted in impatience.

"Potter!" the word with a crack of irritation woke Harry from his sleep and he clambered off the sofa with a mumbled apology, sleepy and still tired.

Lunch was some meat with vegetables; he was too tired to taste it. The desire for sleep overcame him and he slid into a doze.

"Potter! Do you make a regular habit of falling asleep everywhere at your relatives house?" inquired Snape, which woke him up.

"No." he mumbled, still dozy. "I hate them too much to do that."

At this Snape raised his eyebrows. "They are your relatives Potter."

" So? They hate me and only have me on sufferance. You saw Aunt Petunia at their house, screaming. They hate anything to do with magic. "

" I spent 10 years with them and hated every second." Harry was still half asleep and didn't really know what he was saying. His face was pale from lack of sleep, but his drowsy eyes had a hint of fiery green anger in them.

Snape looked slightly amused. Harry looked at him trying to discern what was behind the naturally (to him anyway) cold expression.

Let him laugh. He doesn't believe me, thought Harry. With that he fell asleep again.

When he woke again, refreshed and revived, he stretched and looked at the clock in the kitchen. The time was 3 pm. Obviously Snape hadn't bothered to wake him up this time.

Making his way up the stairs there seemed to have been something funny about Snape, he paused for a minute thinking hard. Snape had seemed too calm last night. This was NOT the Snape that Harry knew. He'd expect him to come storming in and take 1000 points off Gryffindor for disturbing his sleep at night. Well that may be as may be but there was no way he'd EVER tell Snape he was having nightmares.

What Harry really wanted was some Sleeping potion so that he would have one night of untroubled sleep. He was living with a Potions Master, but he stood as much chance of getting one as he did of being invited to Voldemort's wedding.

He'd also have to be on the lookout for Snape tampering with his food. He was secretly worried that he might make his threat good about the Veritaserum. Or possibly put something worse in his food. There would be no limit to the vindictiveness of his mind.

This was one of the most stressful holidays ever. He'd probably be grey- haired by the end.

Reaching his room he decided to stay out of Snape's way for a while as he was afraid that overlargeness of the nose could be catching, and he didn't particularly relish the feeling of being a piece of live prey for a large black hunter bird.

He sat upstairs and wondered what to do. In the end he tidied his possessions and checked what clothes the house –elf had brought back to him. One particularly disgusting t-shirt of Dudley's he put on one side, he was determined never to wear it. It was vomit-green with a picture of a rabbit on. Privately resolving to burn it as soon as he had the chance, he put it away.

Sorting his clothes and generally tidying his room up a bit took him till about 6, as he kept on checking the skies for Hedwig or any other owls. It struck him as he crossed off days on his chart that this was the 7th day he had spent at Snape's and he'd already been locked in his room, almost fallen out of a window, made the traumatizing discovery of the photo, found and read Snape's work diary, and broken his arm.

If this was what a normal week here would be he would be in St. Mungo's by August, either being treated for horrific injuries or stark raving mad. Or quite possibly both.

There was nothing for it but to go down to dinner, as he was quite hungry.

Snape spoke as he sat down. " So I see you've finally woken up Potter."

Harry ignored him. He concentrated on the fact that dinner would be over soon and he didn't have to see Snape again till breakfast.

"What was the noise about last night?" Snape asked, in a manner that reminded Harry of the phrase 'flogging a dead horse'

Harry kept his mouth shut and ignored Snape. Mentally he rolled his eyes. If Snape thought that he would get anything out of Harry he had another thing coming.

"Very well. I have a… guest arriving here tomorrow at 3 o' clock. You will kindly keep out of our way, and please refrain from any disturbances."

This suited Harry fine so he nodded and finished his meal. He didn't want to disturb them anyway. If he did then Snape would probably use a really nasty hex on him.

The end of the chapter, MORE TO COME.

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