I would like to thank everyone who reviewed chapter 4: Arili ~ Bena Hummel ~ fan ~ Mikee ~ Starr Light1 ~ UltraHighDragonFly ~ mara ~ Heat Wave on Ice ~ selua ~ Jes Imagin ~ Agar ~ Kira-Leigh ~ Anarane Anwamane ~ Corgi1 ~ crowlegs

Now, a few brief responses –even though I'd love to write huge paragraphs to each of you- before I let the next author take over:

xikum - *grins* 'Tasty'….I like the way that sounds….^_^

goldenpaw - *blushes* I'm sure we're all happy with that praise…

KittenBabyGirl – Thankyou. I completely agree. Rushing the couple into fluff is something that I was tempted to do…but thought better of. It would just be far too unbelievable at that point in time, in my opinion.

Jaded Angel8 - *blushes again* Thankyou…I was rather proud of the chapter, to be honest…and, in answer to your question, I do have a story under the title of 'Escapology', however, it's nowhere near as good as this fic. (Namely because I think I gave in and made it too fluffy and OOC…and others don't like it because it's an Mpreg.)

Thanks again to all of you that reviewed. My face is still burning. ^_^

Ciao for now,

~*~ ChaCha Chica ~*~

Taking Away the Loneliness

Chapter 5 Dreams

Harry made his way back to Gryffindor tower still wrestling with the realization that Snape intrigued him in a way no other person had. The confused Gryffindor went up to his dorm room long enough to snag a couple of books and parchment to make an attempt to do his homework, as he silently thanked the powers that be that he didn't have Potions tomorrow. He didn't know how he would react during class. He struggled for an hour trying to keep his concentration focused on his Charms homework but failed miserably. His thoughts constantly turned towards Snape and his own reaction towards the man's revelation and actions.

Finally managing to get the Charms essay done, Harry trudged back up the stairs to his dorm room; thankfully Ron and the rest of the seventh years were already asleep. Harry changed and slid into bed expecting that sleep would not come easily with his confused thoughts. He pulled out his wand and cast a silencing charm around his bed so that he wouldn't wake his dorm mates if Voldemort was acting up again. He pulled his blankets up to his chin and closed his eyes and surprisingly enough drifted off to sleep.

The room was softly cloaked in darkness, the only light coming from the two sconces on the headboard. Silken sheets caressed his back while warm long fingered hands glided over his chest, stomach and thighs. He couldn't see the face of his companion due to the shadows but the voice whispering was easily recognizable, after all he had heard it every day for the past seven years.

Dark lust ridden eyes seized his, and stared for several long moments before swiftly capturing his mouth in a slow and languorous kiss. As the kiss deepened, Harry's arms snaked around the older man's neck as the Potion Master's hands roamed down his neck pausing to play with his nipples before moving lower. The older Wizard then broke the kiss and applied his mouth to Harry's neck and then began travelling lower and lower, following the path his hands had taken moments before. Nipping and kissing his way down the extremely aroused body before him, Harry's lover paused to play with the younger man's navel before tracing the thin line of hair lower to…

Searing pain erupted through Harry's head concentrated along the Gryffindor's scar. Feelings of anger spread along the link between Harry and Voldemort shattering his sleep and dream. Trying to slow his speeding heart, Harry thought back to the moment the pain had roared into existence. There were no images attached to the pain searing his skull, only emotion. Wondering what had happened to get Voldemort's knickers in a twist, Harry lay back down and tried to sleep. Tired as he was he couldn't fall back asleep; he tossed and turned for what seemed to be hours and thought back to the dream he had been having before being rudely awakened.

He couldn't believe he was having that kind of dream about Snape. One little episode in detention and his subconscious takes over! Did he really want the man? How could he after years of verbal abuse? He was so confused. He spent the remaining hours of the night picking apart seven years worth of memories of his Potions professor, looking for some clue to his current reactions.

********

Severus spent the rest of the evening following Potter's detention, marking the worthless trail of words his students called essays. Red ink left trails over every surface he read, making corrections or snide remarks. Only half of his mind was on the task in front of him, the other was carrying on a monologue inside his head berating him for his actions in the classroom earlier. He didn't know what he was thinking when he advanced on Potter like that. He must be going insane; yes that must be it. Thankfully, he had scared the Gryffindor off with his actions.

The frustrated and befuddled Potions Master finished his marking, finally. He arose from his desk and made his way to his private quarters, not far from his office where he poured himself a much-needed drink before retiring for the night. With a snifter of brandy in his hand, he sat by the fireplace and picked up an old Potions tome. He opened the book to where he last left off and sipped his drink as he read; his mind drifted back to earlier in the evening. He couldn't understand why he felt disappointment over the supposed reaction of his student. After all, he had made sure he didn't see any of the boy's face after his little display.

Snarling at his inability to concentrate, he abandoned the book, downed the remainder of his drink and retired to his bedroom. He debated taking a sleeping potion and tossed the idea aside. He never knew when the Dark Lord would call and he would need the potion then. If he took it now then he wouldn't be able to when he really needed it, better to do without. He changed into his boxers and slid into bed. He performed several calming and meditative exercises before his body finally relaxed, allowing him to drift off to sleep.

A warm body lies beneath him and soft lips yield to the demands of his tongue. His hands caress the pliant body that arches into his touch. He moves on to unexplored territory, tasting the skin of his lover's neck and shoulders. Moving further down, he attacks the pink nipples on the other man's chest, eliciting moans of pleasure. His lover runs his hands up his back until the fingers tangle in his lanky hair.

Severus works his way teasingly lower drinking in the sounds of his young lover's moans and pleas; he pauses on his journey down to play with the other man's navel before resuming his journey downward again. He stops just short of the other's erection and returns to capture his lover's lips once again, chuckling deep within his chest at the other's growl of frustration.

The younger man tires of the older one's games, he shifts and rolls his lover onto his back. Emerald eyes shine brightly with lust and mischief as he begins to return the sweet and prolonged torture that his lover has been bestowing on him. He lightly nips and kisses his way down the artery in Severus' neck as he grinds their swollen erections together causing them both to groan. Harry works his way along the older man's collarbone, then down to the dusky nipples, like a starving man.

Severus reaches into his nightstand while his lover is occupied and brings out a vial of lubricant, which he coats his fingers with after he pulls the stopper out. He then trails his greased fingers along the younger man's spine until he reaches…

Molten lava flowed through Severus' veins sending lances of pain through him as his right hand moved of its own accord to the Dark Mark on his left arm. The Dark Lord's anger surged along the link; it wasn't a summons, but a warning, an indication of his displeasure.

I wonder which of his schemes failed tonight, Severus thought to himself.

Slowly the agonising pain ebbed away and Severus became aware of a slight stickiness in his boxers. At once he knew what it was and fell back onto his pillow with a groan of despair, he was having extremely erotic dreams starring he and a student, and not just any student, but Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, Albus' favourite Gryffindor. If the old man found out about this, he'd remove Severus' head from his shoulders, better that then what the Dark Lord would do to him, however.

Severus glanced at the clock and decided to give up on attempting further sleep. He had Potions at the end of the week with Harry and if these dreams continued he wouldn't survive the class. Resisting the temptation to bash his head against the wall in frustration, Severus began his morning routine.

********

The week for both Severus and Harry went by uneventful during the daytime hours. The two avoided each other like the plague but if anyone were observant enough at meal times, they would see the two staring at each other when the other wasn't looking. Severus had taken to hiding in the shadows while Harry barricaded himself in the library studying for N.E.W.T.s with his friends, or relaxed somewhere on the grounds; he watched the object of his desires whenever he had the chance.

Harry did the same as Severus, but instead of the shadows, he stood beneath his cloak with a silencing charm around him. He watched the man intently, trying to figure how those little pieces of information he had, fit together. He watched the man during his nightly patrols of the school and on those rare occasions that his professor brewed potions with the lab door open. Harry still couldn't figure out his own feelings about the older wizard.

In Potion's class, each did their best to ignore the other; Snape said nothing to Harry during the entire period nor did he come near him at any point during the lesson. Harry for his part didn't look at his professor, and his gaze never left his table top except to copy down the instructions for the day's potion.

Despite their careful avoidance of each other, both continued to have nightly dreams involving the other. Severus continued on in his belief that Harry was repulsed by him and Harry continued trying to figure out why he desired the dark wizard.

Harry was once again heading into dreamland when his scar burned and a vision began to form.

He was in a barely lit room furnished with costly things. He glanced at the two dark cloaked figures cowering before him. Nagini circled around the three figures while hissing obscenities at the two Death Eaters.

"Where is the talisman I sent you to get?" He hissed at his two minions.

"We failed to find it, Master," the heavier of the two men replied, bracing himself for the punishment he knew was coming.

"Crucio!"

The heavyset man screamed in agony and convulsed, knocking his mask off in the process. Harry recognized the man as the senior Goyle. The Dark Lord lifted the curse and turned to the other cowering figure.

"Why did you fail to find it?"

"We followed the trail from its last known location where it was bought by a shop keeper from Wales when the last of the house died. The shopkeeper sold it to another Wizard. When we tracked the buyer, the trail went cold in France, we could not find any trace of the man or the talisman. The foolish shopkeeper did not have a record of the buyer's name or address."

"Not good enough! Crucio!"

The bouts of the Cruciatus alternated between the two until the mad man grew bored and ordered them to leave. Anger radiated throughout the body Harry was looking out from. Voldemort must really want to possess this talisman badly. Before Harry could continue this line of thought Voldemort shouted out again.

"Bellatrix!"

"Yes, my Lord," the woman cried as she bowed and crawled over to his robes to kiss the hem. "How may I serve you, Master?"

"Have you discovered who the spy in our ranks is?"

"Yes, I believe I have, Master. All the facts point to Severus, my Lord."

"Then prepare a cell for him; I will get a confession and information on Dumbledore's actions before I dispose of the filthy traitor. Your arm, Bellatrix."

Lestrange pulled up her left sleeve and presented her arm to her Lord who stroked the Dark Mark with one long pale finger, turning the brand black and summoning his followers to him. Tonight he would show them what happens to traitors.

Harry woke with a start and fear filled him as he leapt out of bed. He raced down his dorm room stairs and out of Gryffindor tower without bothering to find his slippers or robe. He only had his wand because he grabbed it out of sheer instinct. He was too intent on intercepting his Potions Professor before the man left. He raced through the halls and down the stairs tripping on every little thing in his haste. He finally made it to the ground floor after what seemed to be an eternity. He raced to the Entrance Hall where he could see Severus just reaching the Oak Doors from the dungeons. Harry put on a burst of speed, barely reaching the main doors and grabbing the man's arm, preventing him from leaving.

"You can't go, Professor!" Harry cried, gasping for breath.

"Don't tell me what I can or can not do, Potter!" Snape glared at the green-eyed student, silently ordering him to let him go.

"Voldemort knows you're a spy; Lestrange has gathered evidence against you." Harry paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "Voldemort plans on torturing you for information before killing you in front of the others."

"Why do you care what happens to me?" The older man snarled, "I knew the risks when I turned, Potter! Let me go!" Severus voice reached a roar in his frustration and anger at the boy.

Harry refused to let go, and in that moment, all the little bits and pieces he had been trying to put together all week finally fell into place; yes he did have feelings for Severus Snape and did care for the man, perhaps too much. All his pent up emotions surged and shone in his eyes as he looked up to meet Severus' eyes; he spoke in a shaky voice.

"I don't want you to die."

Written by: Corgi