Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue (don't own this disclaimer either)
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Harry woke with a start, shaking and sweating. He got out of bed and took the same icy shower he took every time he dreamed.
Why do I have to go through this? Why does he have to do this? Why did I have to help him return?
When Harry stumbled back out of the bathroom, Ron was up, waiting for him. It was like a schedule: every third night, Harry would wake up, take a cold shower, and when he finished, Ron would be up and Hermione would be waiting downstairs.
Ron handed Harry his glasses and they silently met Hermione in the common room. She always got the fire going strong again while she waited for Ron and Harry. They never asked about his dreams. They would sit with him, talk to him about classes and Quidditch and any other normal things, play chess, and generally just keep him company. They would never let him sit alone with his thoughts. They did this every night Harry was off Dreamless Sleep potion.
Two days later, Harry was gathering up his Potions supplies and was about to leave another awful Potions lesson.
"Potter!" Snape barked. Harry looked up.
"Come here!"
"We'll wait for you, Harry," Hermione said to him quietly, and she and Ron left and stood outside the dungeon.
Harry made his way up to Snape's desk as the other students left the room. Snape stood silently, scowling at the scum that was Harry, waiting for all the other students to leave.
"Potter," he said coldly at last.
"Yes, Professor?" Snape's scowl deepened.
"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "but you will have to go off of the dreamless sleeping potion you have been receiving lately." Harry opened his mouth to protest.
"*No,* Potter, it's for your own good. Now get out of my class."
Harry left, angry and confused.
"Well, what did he want?" Hermione hissed at him, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"He said I can't have the potion anymore."
"What?!" Ron said, furious. "That fucking dumbass bastard, I could KILL HIM!"
"Ron!" Hermione said.
"What? It's true! He can't do that!"
"Actually, he can," said Harry. "He says it's for my own good."
"I don't see how!" exclaimed Ron. He fumed and all the way back to Gryffindor tower.
"Hey, Ginny," he said huffily to his sister.
"Hello," she said, wondering why her brother was looking so angry. Hermione sat next to her.
"Ginny, would you stay with Harry for a bit? Ron and I have to go somewhere."
"All right," said Ginny, a bit confused. She didn't know where Ron and Hermione were going, or why. She figured it might have something to do with why he was so angry. She did know, however, the importance of staying with Harry, and wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to do so.
So Ron and Hermione left through the portrait hole and Ginny scooted closer to Harry on the couch.
"Hullo, Ginny," Harry said.
"Hey, Harry," Ginny greeted tentatively.
This is wonderful, Harry thought sarcastically. I get to be baby-sat all the time by Ron and Hermione, and when they want to go snog they sic Ginny on me. Can't everyone just leave me alone for once?
"So... who do you want to be Quidditch captain?" Ginny asked Harry.
"I think Angelina'd be good," he said.
"Oh, so do I, I hope she gets it." She lowered her voice a bit and leaned in closer to Harry. "I don't want Fred or George to get it." Harry looked at her.
"Why not?"
"Well, they're so busy with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and they can't *both* be captain, it'd be rather awkward, wouldn't it?"
"It would, come to think of it." Ginny's certainly better at making conversation than Cho....
"Would you like to be Quidditch captain?" she asked him.
"Hm. I've never thought about it, actually."
"I think you would be a good captain."
"I don't know..."
"Yeah, Harry, you would." Harry said nothing for a few moments.
"I do hope Angelina gets it," Ginny said.
"So do I," said Harry. Yes, Ginny definitely says the right things more than Cho. She's not even bothering me about what happened. Just normal conversation. This is good.
Ron and Hermione came to the stone gargoyle that was the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
"I'm sure this is it," Ron said. "I saw it on the map. But what's the password?"
"I think I remember Harry saying something about names of candy." Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," he tried. "Chocolate frog. erm... fizzing whisbees. licorice wands." The gargoyle jumped aside, and Ron and Hermione stepped inside.
"Woah," Ron said.
"Come on!" urged Hermione, and pulled him up the stairs, which started moving as soon as they stepped onto them.
"It's like an escalator!" exclaimed Hermione.
"A what?"
"Nevermind."
They both knocked on Professor Dumbledore's door, which he opened a moment later.
"Mr. Weasley! Miss Granger!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Please come in." They came inside, and each sat down in a chair, while Dumbledore sat in the chair behind his desk.
"What brings you here?" he asked, fingers tip-to-tip in a pyramid.
"Professor, Professor Snape told Harry he can't have any more Dreamless Sleep potion!" Hermione blurted out.
"I know," he said simply. Ron looked outraged.
"But Professor--" he started. Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him.
"It is for his own good."
"How could it possibly be?!"
"Just trust us, please, Mr. Weasley," he said, with such seriousness that Ron didn't protest. He needn't worry them with the details. They needn't know that Harry was getting dangerous amounts of potion built up inside of him. They were silent for a few moments.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"We're worried about Harry." Dumbledore sighed.
"So am I."
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Harry woke with a start, shaking and sweating. He got out of bed and took the same icy shower he took every time he dreamed.
Why do I have to go through this? Why does he have to do this? Why did I have to help him return?
When Harry stumbled back out of the bathroom, Ron was up, waiting for him. It was like a schedule: every third night, Harry would wake up, take a cold shower, and when he finished, Ron would be up and Hermione would be waiting downstairs.
Ron handed Harry his glasses and they silently met Hermione in the common room. She always got the fire going strong again while she waited for Ron and Harry. They never asked about his dreams. They would sit with him, talk to him about classes and Quidditch and any other normal things, play chess, and generally just keep him company. They would never let him sit alone with his thoughts. They did this every night Harry was off Dreamless Sleep potion.
Two days later, Harry was gathering up his Potions supplies and was about to leave another awful Potions lesson.
"Potter!" Snape barked. Harry looked up.
"Come here!"
"We'll wait for you, Harry," Hermione said to him quietly, and she and Ron left and stood outside the dungeon.
Harry made his way up to Snape's desk as the other students left the room. Snape stood silently, scowling at the scum that was Harry, waiting for all the other students to leave.
"Potter," he said coldly at last.
"Yes, Professor?" Snape's scowl deepened.
"I'm sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all, "but you will have to go off of the dreamless sleeping potion you have been receiving lately." Harry opened his mouth to protest.
"*No,* Potter, it's for your own good. Now get out of my class."
Harry left, angry and confused.
"Well, what did he want?" Hermione hissed at him, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"He said I can't have the potion anymore."
"What?!" Ron said, furious. "That fucking dumbass bastard, I could KILL HIM!"
"Ron!" Hermione said.
"What? It's true! He can't do that!"
"Actually, he can," said Harry. "He says it's for my own good."
"I don't see how!" exclaimed Ron. He fumed and all the way back to Gryffindor tower.
"Hey, Ginny," he said huffily to his sister.
"Hello," she said, wondering why her brother was looking so angry. Hermione sat next to her.
"Ginny, would you stay with Harry for a bit? Ron and I have to go somewhere."
"All right," said Ginny, a bit confused. She didn't know where Ron and Hermione were going, or why. She figured it might have something to do with why he was so angry. She did know, however, the importance of staying with Harry, and wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to do so.
So Ron and Hermione left through the portrait hole and Ginny scooted closer to Harry on the couch.
"Hullo, Ginny," Harry said.
"Hey, Harry," Ginny greeted tentatively.
This is wonderful, Harry thought sarcastically. I get to be baby-sat all the time by Ron and Hermione, and when they want to go snog they sic Ginny on me. Can't everyone just leave me alone for once?
"So... who do you want to be Quidditch captain?" Ginny asked Harry.
"I think Angelina'd be good," he said.
"Oh, so do I, I hope she gets it." She lowered her voice a bit and leaned in closer to Harry. "I don't want Fred or George to get it." Harry looked at her.
"Why not?"
"Well, they're so busy with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and they can't *both* be captain, it'd be rather awkward, wouldn't it?"
"It would, come to think of it." Ginny's certainly better at making conversation than Cho....
"Would you like to be Quidditch captain?" she asked him.
"Hm. I've never thought about it, actually."
"I think you would be a good captain."
"I don't know..."
"Yeah, Harry, you would." Harry said nothing for a few moments.
"I do hope Angelina gets it," Ginny said.
"So do I," said Harry. Yes, Ginny definitely says the right things more than Cho. She's not even bothering me about what happened. Just normal conversation. This is good.
Ron and Hermione came to the stone gargoyle that was the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
"I'm sure this is it," Ron said. "I saw it on the map. But what's the password?"
"I think I remember Harry saying something about names of candy." Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," he tried. "Chocolate frog. erm... fizzing whisbees. licorice wands." The gargoyle jumped aside, and Ron and Hermione stepped inside.
"Woah," Ron said.
"Come on!" urged Hermione, and pulled him up the stairs, which started moving as soon as they stepped onto them.
"It's like an escalator!" exclaimed Hermione.
"A what?"
"Nevermind."
They both knocked on Professor Dumbledore's door, which he opened a moment later.
"Mr. Weasley! Miss Granger!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Please come in." They came inside, and each sat down in a chair, while Dumbledore sat in the chair behind his desk.
"What brings you here?" he asked, fingers tip-to-tip in a pyramid.
"Professor, Professor Snape told Harry he can't have any more Dreamless Sleep potion!" Hermione blurted out.
"I know," he said simply. Ron looked outraged.
"But Professor--" he started. Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him.
"It is for his own good."
"How could it possibly be?!"
"Just trust us, please, Mr. Weasley," he said, with such seriousness that Ron didn't protest. He needn't worry them with the details. They needn't know that Harry was getting dangerous amounts of potion built up inside of him. They were silent for a few moments.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"We're worried about Harry." Dumbledore sighed.
"So am I."