A/N: Howdy all. Long time no update huh? Well, here it is by popular er...begging :) I'd like to thank you peeps for being so supportive even though I'm not very dependable on the updates.

"POTTER!"

Harry leapt out of the bed in shock, wildly looking around before spying Sev glaring at him from the bed.

"What do you think you were doing!" He spat angrily.

Harry shook his head. "I was sleeping."

"Do you think this is funny?" Sev hissed, struggling to get out of the bed. He started stalking towards him. "Did your pet wolf set you up to do this?" He looked down. "And what the bloody hell did you do to me?"

Well, this is different, Harry mused, backing away slowly from the angry four year old. Dumbledore had said nothing about him thinking he was a different person. All he had been told was Sev would be getting memories back. But what if….he looked down to see Sev sneering at him.

"Sev?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"And another thing Potter if you so much as lay one more finger on me I will go straight to Dumbledore." He jabbed Harry's leg to prove he was serious, but Harry could only shake his head in amusement. Obviously, Sev thought he was poking him in the chest not the leg.

Severus wobbled slightly before crashing forward. Harry quickly caught him up in his arms before he could hit the ground.

He looked up at Harry with innocent eyes. "Harwy?" He asked drowsily.

Harry sighed, smiling ruefully, "Mornin kid."

"Harwy, what's wrong?"

He shook his head depositing the five year old on the bed. "How are you?"

Severus cocked his head to the side, before crying out, "She didn' do it, Fadder!"

There was a pause before Severus curled up into a ball and started rocking back and forth. Harry was immediately on the bed and pulling him into a hug. But nothing could distract the little boy from whatever he was seeing.

"Momma." He asked shakily, reaching forth with his hand, then jerking it back as if stung. "Momma, wake up." He pleaded, struggling out of Harry's arms and crawling over to the edge of the bed, Harry grabbed him back before he toppled off the bed. "WAKE UP!" He screamed, shaking the invisible person.

The shaking lessened and he burst out into tears. "Momma, why won't you wake up?" Sev sobbed, still clinging to the invisible woman.

Harry felt his heart breaking for the small child as he tried to snap Sev out of it by shaking him gently. All this move accomplished was another round of tears from the little tyke and they didn't seem to want to stop. Harry could do little more than hold Sev closely and wait for them to stop.

"Harwy." Came the muffled sniffle. Harry held Severus away from him so the little onyx eyed boy could see him properly. "Momma won't wake up." His bottom lip quivered and Harry knew the five year old was about to go off on another crying jag if he didn't do something to prevent it and now.

Harry gently twirled Sev's longish hair between his fingers all the while trying to think up a good reason why the boy's mother wouldn't be waking up ever again. And he was coming up entirely too short on ideas. He could see Sev's eyes beginning to water and he blurted out the first thing that came to him mind.

"Sweetie, your mommy won't wake up." It was a bad answer, but it was truthful. Still, Harry couldn't help but wonder what the middle aged Snape would think of that answer. He'd probably snort and mutter something about his stupidity, but it didn't matter because Severus calmed down and looked up at him pitifully.

"What do you mean?" Severus asked, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "Yes, she will."

Harry shook his head. "No, she won't."

It was said so quietly that Harry almost missed it. "She has to."

Harry drew the five year old close and just held him.

"Harry!" Hermione called, running down the hallway to catch up to him. "Harry wait up!" She growled when he seemed to speed up and rounded a corner. "Harry, will you slow down?" She turned the corner and gasped. Harry was no where to be seen. She sighed and leaned against the wall to catch her breath and yelped when the wall suddenly wasn't solid anymore.

Soft laughter reached her ears as she stood up. It wasn't amused laughter either it was mocking, harsh. "Potter, I warned you what would happen if you came near me." Hermione started to follow the voice and saw Harry struggling to keep a hold on Severus who was twisting and turning in his grasp.

The little boy snorted derisively. "I'm so afraid."

Finally he slumped down in Harry's arms and asked in the very recognizable tone. "Where are we?"

Harry met Hermione's confused stare with an eye roll, before transferring his gaze back to the five year old. "We're going back to our rooms, ok?"

"OKs."

Hermione bit her lip and sidled up next to Harry who had sagged against the wall of the secret passageway.

"Has that been happening all day?" She asked, recognizing the memories for what they were.

Harry nodded, turning tiredly to face her. "Ever since he woke up. Even when he sleeps he gets them and none of them have been good either."

Severus hugged Hermione around the legs and looked up at her with a big smile. Hermione ruffled his hair distractedly. "None have been good?"

"None." Harry confirmed.

She hummed in puzzlement, gazing down at the five year old who seemed to be falling asleep against her legs. Harry seemed to be noticing this too. He leaned over and picked up Severus who didn't seem to process what had happened.

"Has he gotten any sleep?" She asked, following Harry as he led her through the twisty path.

"Not since last night." He answered worriedly, "And then it was only because his body couldn't handle the pain and shut itself down."

"Well, he is five." Hermione pointed out. "Maybe he's just being stubborn."

"You misunderstood me." Harry said, walking through what looked like another completely solid wall. Hermione paused in hesitation, but she didn't get much of a chance to steel herself when a hand reached through and pulled her through.

Harry looked at her with amusement and with a twirl of his robes started off towards his rooms. Once they were inside them Harry turned to address Hermione who had seated herself on the couch. Severus immediately ran off into the bedroom muttering something about a potion he left waiting for him.

"I know why he hates the dungeons." He announced sitting down next to her. She looked at him inquisitively, waiting for him to say more. "His father thought it was 'fitting' to have him be the unwilling participant in many of his insane potion concoctions."

Hermione stared at him incredulously. "But then why-?

"Why did he become a Potions Master?" Harry supplied.

She nodded. Harry frowned in contemplation. "I honestly have no idea." He answered reluctantly. "I'd like to say it was because he wanted to make helpful potions and prove he wasn't his father, but that sounds too farfetched and much too Gryffindor-ish."

"I agree." She conceded. "It would be so much easier if we could just ask him."

"Maybe we can." Harry mused looking at the door to their bedroom.

"Dumbledore said he'd get back the memories; he never said they couldn't return with some prompting."

"Are you sure you wish to do that?"

"No." Harry agreed. "But I need to check up on him anyways. Dumbledore warned me that his past was tumultuous at best."

"Should I go?" She asked, already standing.

Harry considered it for a moment. "Can you get Draco?"

"Of course, but why?" She asked confusion clearly written across her face.

"I have a suspicion about something, but before I go about finding the truth I need his opinion."

"All right, Harry." She gave him a brief hug before disappearing.

Harry sighed and slumped back in his chair. He had been prepared for the return of the memories, but not that many in such a short span of time. He scowled. The worst bit was he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't even help the little boy sort them out because seemingly the second they came back Severus didn't remember them again, or maybe he just refused to acknowledge them. Harry thought back to that morning when Sev had broken down after the memory of his mother's death and decided that while Severus obviously remembered them, he shoved them down violently, repressing them.

That last thought worried him more than any other. He knew firsthand what happened when you retained your feelings then squashed them down brutally. His mind flashed to his fifth year when he had destroyed a great deal of Dumbledore's office.

"Harwy?"

Harry turned in his chair to see the five year old exit the bedroom, angry red scratch marks covered his left forearm and his face was tear stained. His onyx eyes conveyed defeat.

"Oh, Sev." Harry murmured, his voice conveyed his sadness for the situation as he climbed out of the chair and positioned himself on the ground. Without hesitation, the little boy ran into his waiting arms and buried his head under Harry's chin. Harry hugged him closely rocking him and muttering nonsense to him, neither noticed when the door opened.

Draco Malfoy was accustomed to many sights having spent most of his life around dark magic. Yet, none of that prepared him for the tableau spread out in front of him. Never in his seventeen years of existence could he recall seeing his godfather crying. He was unsure of how to handle the situation, Harry was staring off in space, but still murmuring unintelligible babble to calm down the child.

Entirely uncomfortable, he took up residence on the couch waiting for either boy to notice his presence.

"Hello, Draco." Harry murmured, interrupting the inane gibbering in acknowledgement. He bent his head and brushed a kiss over the crown of Severus head, before turning to look at Draco. "Thanks for coming."

"Honestly, I thought you'd still be angry at me." He admitted ruefully. "It came as a bit of a surprise when Granger told me you wanted to speak with me."

Harry smiled faintly, his hands unconsciously running up and down the little boys back even as the crying turned into soft whimpers.

"How does Voldemort mark his followers?" Harry asked, knowing that the answer to this question was probably going to be the most important thing he would ever hear from the blonde.

Draco seemed to realize this as well as he took a few moments to collect his thoughts. "You of all people know I'm to be marked so I have gone to a few initiation ceremonies to find out what exactly it will entail." Here he shuddered. He gulped and looked at Harry almost pleadingly. "You sure you can't hide me?"

"Actually I can, but Dumbledore," He spat out the name like a curse word, "refuses to let me shelter you in any of my various properties."

"Why?"

"It's Dumbledore, need I say anything else?"

Draco shook his head. "So what do you want to know about the marks?"

"How does he call people, is it through other people's marks, or does Voldemort have his own. How exactly does he mark people? And what does he do to people who try to refuse it at first?"

"Slow down, Harry." Draco said with a small smile. "And maybe you should sit down on the couch; this might take a while."

A/N: so, what did you think good bad interesting mediocre?

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