Severus paused at the door. What was that sound? He heard it again and realized it was coming from Potter's room. Reluctantly, he pushed the door back open and stood in the door frame, eyes adjusting to the darkness again. The sound came again, a cross between a moan and a whimper. Clearly something was wrong with Potter. Severus scowled. He wished he could just leave the boy, but he knew he needed to make sure he was okay, especially considering his recent injuries. When he had seen Potter earlier that day, he had been certain that he was fine; although he had woken up earlier than expected, and was naturally a bit shaky, he hadn't displayed any alarming signs that would indicate something was wrong; Severus would have been able to spot them within a few seconds.
But Potter had been fine, and he had quickly snapped back into his irritating self. Severus had meant to remain neutral and calm with the boy, but after hearing the way he talked to Draco that plan had flown out the window. Snape had chided himself for that afterwards. If the boy was going to stay here, even for a few days, things needed to run smoothly. It also seemed like Potter had won some sort of grudging respect from Draco; although this didn't make much sense to Severus, he needed to take it into account.
It clearly wasn't easy to remain neutral with Potter. Years and years of mutual dislike barred the way, clouding Snape's usually logical mind. Rationally, he knew that Potter was just a teenage boy, and that teenage boys were difficult to handle, and that he himself was the adult. He also knew that Potter had suffered several different traumas. His recent discovery of the Dursleys' treatment added a whole new layer to that. And that should be a layer Severus understood; he had grown up in an abusive household himself, and he was still dealing with the effects of it; he knew how deeply the pain went.
Yes, he knew all these things rationally. He was normally so good at being rational; his work as a Potions master depended upon precision and understanding. His work as a spy depended upon these things even more so; keeping his emotions under control and thinking logically were a matter of life and death. So why was it so difficult for him to do these things when it came to Harry Potter?
Well, he knew why, even if he didn't like to think of it. As much as Severus liked to think that he kept his emotions under the steady control of logic, they were still there. Beneath his calculating mind, his emotions sat, deep and painful. They often reared up when he least expected it, the pain almost unbearable. When his emotions reared up, it was as if he temporarily lost control of himself. Severus had experienced this time and time again throughout the years, and whenever it happened he despised his feelings more and more.
No one seemed to ignite his emotions more than Potter did.
Lost in these musings, Severus almost didn't hear the next soft noise coming from Harry's room. He did hear it, though, and he walked closer to Potter's bed. He seemed to be trapped in some nightmare; Severus could almost feel the tension emanating from the boy. Severus watched him toss and turn. This was Lily's boy, he thought, somewhat guiltily. Lily's boy was so troubled that he couldn't sleep normally. What would Lily think if-
Potter let out a loud noise; it was almost a scream. Severus jumped. That was it, he had to wake the boy up. He braced himself before leaning down to shake the boy.
Harry woke up abruptly, eyes snapping open. He stared at Severus blankly for a few seconds, panic blotting out any recognition of the man before him. Then, slowly, he realized where he was.
"What-" Harry began, but he couldn't get any more words out. His hands shook as he brought them up toward his face and began rubbing his eyes.
"You were making noises," Severus said, somewhat awkwardly. The statement didn't hold any of his normal malice.
"Oh," said Harry quietly, still rubbing his eyes.
Severus didn't know what to do. He stood there for a few more minutes, watching as Potter collected himself. He looked quite shaken.
"Would you like some dreamless sleep potion?" he asked finally.
"What?" asked Harry, surprised.
"Dreamless sleep potion, Potter," Severus said. "Your dreams are clearly troubling you."
"Uhm, okay," said Harry. Severus nodded.
"I will be back shortly," he said.
Severus strode downstairs. He opened his potions cabinet, nudging vials and bottles around as he looked for the dreamless sleep potion. He used the motions to distract himself from his thoughts. Once he found it, he lingered for a few minutes before going back upstairs, swirling the potion around a few times.
Harry was sitting up in bed, looking a bit calmer than he had before. His hands weren't shaking anymore, but they did clench the sheets rather tightly.
"Here," said Severus, handing the vial to Potter. "Just two or three swallows will do."
Harry nodded, uncorking the vial and taking a few tentative sips. He made a face, but handed the potion back to Severus with a quiet thanks.
Severus nodded. "It should only take a few minutes for you to fall back asleep."
As he spoke, Harry had already started to relax. His head hit the pillow gently as he dropped back down from his sitting position. Severus stood there for a few more minutes, making sure his breathing was even and normal. He looked much more peaceful now. Without his glasses on, his relation to Lily was much more pronounced.
Severus shook that last thought away as he left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
000
Severus got up in the middle of the night He hadn't been able to sleep much, anyway. The new day dawned slowly around him as he sat in the kitchen, a glass of firewhiskey next to him. He sipped it as the kitchen lit up around him, lost in thought.
Last night's events revealed that Potter was far from okay; the boy needed some type of help, that was clear. But Severus knew this wasn't the right place for him to get it. Severus realized the wall that spanned between him and Potter, and he also realized that it was probably too late to breach it. No, it would be better for someone else to take the boy in now. Maybe Lupin, or some other Order member.
Severus decided he would go visit the headmaster today. Albus should be back from his Order work by now, and he had a lot to discuss with him. Although he didn't care for Potter, how could Albus have left him in that awful house? It was a big mistake to make. That was, if it even was a mistake. Severus regarded that thought uneasily; what was the probability that the headmaster knew what Potter's relatives were like, and left him there anyway? Even if that weren't true, the fact that Albus had left Potter there without properly checking on him was...disturbing, to say the least.
When the kitchen was lighted well enough, Severus started making breakfast; he treated cooking the same way he treated potion making. He chopped, measured, and stirred everything precisely, giving over his total concentration to the task. The work distracted him from his thoughts a bit.
Draco eventually wandered in, still in his pajamas. He looked like he hadn't slept well, either. Severus served him up some breakfast and poured himself some coffee before sitting back down.
"Trouble sleeping?" Severus asked, surveying his godson.
Draco just shrugged and picked up his fork. Severus decided not to push it right now.
"I will be visiting the headmaster today," Severus said.
Draco looked up. "What are you going to say to him?"
"That will be between the headmaster and me. However, you can be assured that I will be expressing my displeasure to him about the situation he left you in."
Draco nodded. "Could he...could he make us go someplace else?" he asked finally.
Severus didn't say anything at first. He noted the use of us. "I don't know about Potter, but I will make sure you stay with me."
"He wouldn't make Potter go back, would he?"
"Under no circumstances."
"Good," Draco said finally. They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Severus was glad to see that Draco finished everything this time.
"I will be going soon. I gave Potter some dreamless sleep potion last night, so he'll probably sleep late. Leave some breakfast out for him," Severus said, standing up.
"Alright. How long do you think you'll be gone?" Draco asked, also standing up.
"I shouldn't be gone for more than a few hours," Severus said, heading toward the front door. He walked outside, past the wards, and apparated with a sharp pop.
000
When Harry woke up, he was surprised to find himself well rested. The bed felt pleasant and cool around him, instead of the usual sweaty mess he was used to waking up to. He sat up, put his glasses on, and stretched. The curtains blocked out most of the light, so he got up and opened them a bit. A pleasant summer sunshine filtered through the room. He noticed a plate of pasta sitting on the desk, but it was probably from last night.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Harry realized that he had definitely missed breakfast; it was past ten. Oh well, he thought, sitting back down on the bed. He turned his thoughts toward last night's events.
Snape had been a git to him earlier. That was expected; of course he would take the chance to bully Harry and let him know that he was in charge. What wasn't so expected was the whole dreamless sleep thing. That had been decent of him, Harry had to admit. Although the fact that Snape knew about his nightmares was troubling. He would probably just use it against him somehow.
Well, he would worry about that later. Harry got up again and dressed, then went downstairs. He wasn't confined to his room, was he? He felt rested enough, and Snape hadn't said he needed to stay there all day, anyway.
Entering the kitchen, Harry was surprised to see that food was still out. He grabbed a plate, sat down, and started eating. After that night of rest, his appetite was fully present, and he dug in.
While he was eating, Draco came into the kitchen.
"I thought I heard someone moving around," he said.
"Well, you did," Harry answered.
"Right," Draco said. Silence stretched between them.
"Where's Snape? I thought he said I would miss breakfast if I was late."
"He mentioned some potion he gave you...said you would probably sleep late," Draco answered. "And he's visiting Dumbledore."
"Oh," said Harry, suddenly feeling a lot less hungry. He set his fork down. He hadn't had time to think about Dumbledore throughout all of this. Now the man would definitely know about the Dursleys. That was, if he didn't know already. Harry didn't really like either possibility.
Draco sat down at the table.
"Severus said you definitely wouldn't be going back there," Draco said quietly. He glanced at Harry, trying to determine how mad he still was.
"That's..that's good I guess," Harry answered, staring off into space. The boys sat quietly at the table for a while, Harry occasionally picking at his food.
A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed! I'd love to hear what you guys think.