Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe.
A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers- Danni, nicky12330, emma, sweets2, Dragon, sweet as lemonz, Dumbledore13, shannyauburn, Riker15, and Arica, Princess of Rivendell.
ERMonkey Burner of Cookies: The dreamless sleep potion is mentioned in this chapter. It will come up later as well.
saiyanwizardgurl: I know that Dumbledore isn't completely in character, but I wasn't really trying to accomplish that. Probably none of the characters in my story completely follow how they act in canon.
Rosaleen: I'm glad that you like the pace of the story. I will probably have to speed it up a little bit later, though, in order to fit everything in that I want to happen. I haven't decided yet.
When Harry woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to get oriented. His nightmare eventually came back to his mind, however, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment when he realized that he had cried on the Headmaster afterwards. He knew that Dumbledore would want to talk about his dreams, but Harry wasn't sure if he could go through with it or not.
Harry slowly got out of bed and started putting his clothes on. He tried to draw out his morning rituals as long as he could, but he knew that he would have to face the Headmaster at some point. Once he had finished getting ready, he left his bedroom and walked into the kitchen. The table was already laden with eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. Dumbledore had been reading The Daily Prophet, but he looked up when he heard Harry enter the room.
"Good morning, Harry. Sit down and get something to eat," Dumbledore said.
Harry silently sat down and piled food on his plate. Harry didn't know how he should act around the Headmaster after the events of last night. Dumbledore went back to reading his paper and allowed Harry to sit quietly in his thoughts.
After breakfast was over, Dumbledore turned to Harry who was sitting at the table with his head bowed.
"Harry, please follow me to my office. We have some things that we need to discuss."
Harry reluctantly got out of his seat and trailed after the Headmaster. When they entered the office, Dumbledore conjured up another chair in front of his desk. They sat down facing each other in silence for a few moments.
"I would like for you to tell me about your nightmares," Dumbledore stated after awhile.
"Do I have to?" Harry sighed.
"I'm not going to force you, but I do think that it would benefit you to talk to someone. You can't keep your emotions bottled up forever. That will only hurt you in the long run. Ever since the Tournament ended, you have been having trouble sleeping. Anyone can see the circles under your eyes," Dumbledore said.
"What made you come into my room last night?" Harry asked.
"I woke up because I could hear a noise very faintly. I decided to go investigate it, so I went into your room. You were tossing about on your bed and moaning. Every now and then you would mumble something in your sleep. I thought that it would be best to try and wake you up. Did you have any more nightmares after I left?"
"No. I slept fine afterwards." Harry hesitated before continuing to speak. "Would it be possible for me to take some Dreamless Sleep potion?"
Harry looked down after he asked his question. His face was tinged a slight pink, and he was biting his lip. Dumbledore's eyes softened as he gazed upon Harry, and he placed his hand on Harry's knee.
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You have been through a traumatic experience. It is only natural that you would be having trouble sleeping. I don't have any sleeping potion, but Severus should be here in a few days. When he gets here, I can ask him to make you some. It won't be a permanent solution, however, because it can be addictive, and your body can become immune to it over time."
"Thank you, Professor. I just…" Harry stopped in order to swallow past the lump in his throat. "I just don't know how much more I can take."
"How often do you have the nightmares?" Dumbledore questioned.
"I've been having them on and off ever since the Third Task. They've been getting worse, though."
"In what way?"
"At first, they were just about Cedric dying, but now, other people are there," Harry whispered. "I've seen Ron and Hermione in my dreams. They accuse me of killing him right before they receive the Killing Curse as well."
Dumbledore wanted to go give Harry a hug and reassure him that everything was okay, but he was afraid that Harry would stop talking if he did. He decided to continue listening to whatever Harry wanted to tell him. It would make Harry feel better later if he got everything off of his chest now.
"Was that what happened in your dream last night?" the Headmaster asked. He could tell that Harry was still hiding something.
Harry sat silently for a few minutes with his head looking away from Dumbledore. When he finally turned his head back, his eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"It started out that way, but then it got worse. You were there. You said that you didn't want me, and the only reason you took me in was because there was no other option," Harry choked out.
Dumbledore couldn't stop himself from going over to Harry's chair, kneeling beside it, and pulling Harry into a hug. Harry's tears slid silently down his cheeks, but his body was shaking with suppressed sobs. They sat that way for several moments before Harry calmed down and pulled back slightly.
"Harry, I have never felt that way about you. I care about you and want to help you through your grief. I think that the reason your dreams are occurring this way is because your subconscious mind is playing out your deepest fears. You saw Cedric die, and now you are worried about your friends leaving you, or worse, being killed also. You heard me say those things in your dream because you are afraid of rejection from people close to you. Your nightmares will get better in time. I will do everything in my power to make you feel wanted and welcome."
"Thank you," Harry answered softly giving Dumbledore a small smile.
It had been painful for Harry to relive his nightmares, but he felt a kind of relief now that someone else knew what he went through. He felt like the burden on his shoulders had eased a little bit. Harry knew that his problems wouldn't go away that quickly, but he now had someone that he could go to.
"I'm glad that you decided to confide some of your secrets to me," Dumbledore said. "Know that I am proud of you. That took a lot of courage. You have always had to depend on yourself, but you aren't alone anymore."
The Headmaster stood up from his position on the floor before he continued speaking. "Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, why don't you go flying before lunch? I have some work to do, but you can come in here if you need me."
Harry locked eyes with Dumbledore and nodded in agreement. After gazing at each other in silence for a few seconds, Harry stood up and headed towards his room to get his Firebolt.
Harry flew for most of the morning and afternoon. That night he and Dumbledore sat in the living room talking to each other. They both sat on the couch drinking from mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows.
"Tomorrow you and I will go into town, Harry. There is a muggle town a few miles from here. I will apparate us to a safe location, and then we will walk into town. I will put a few charms on us so that we won't be recognized. They will only last for a few hours, but it should be long enough for us to get everything done."
"What all are we going to do once we get there, sir?" Harry asked.
"We will go ahead and pick up some groceries while we are there, but I mainly want us to look for some new clothes for you. Those rags that you have on are too old and too big for you. We will get you some clothes that actually fit."
"I don't have much money with me, Professor. Will I be able to go to Gringott's?"
"I will be paying for your clothes," Dumbledore said. He raised his hand in order to halt Harry's protests. "I am your guardian now, so it is my responsibility to buy you the things that you need. I have plenty of money. You don't have to worry about that."
Harry could see the determined look on the Headmaster's face. He knew that Dumbledore wasn't going to back down from this very easily. Harry was willing to give up the topic for now, but he would bring it back up later. He had plenty of money in his vault to pay for his necessities.
"Will I be able to get out of the house very often and go somewhere?" Harry questioned.
"I'm afraid not. No one knows that you have left the Dursley's house, so they won't be looking for you yet. Someone will probably find out eventually, though. The temporary charms that I place on us will fool muggles and many witches and wizards, but some people can see through them. I don't want to risk us being accidentally discovered by Death Eaters."
Harry felt a little disappointed at that news, but he was glad that he would at least be able to leave the next day. He glanced over at the clock and was shocked to realize that it was about time to go to bed. He grew nervous just thinking about going to sleep. Dumbledore followed Harry's gaze and seemed to know what Harry was thinking about.
"It will be okay, Harry. I will be in the next room if you need me. Don't hesitate to wake me up," Dumbledore said seriously.
Harry gave the Headmaster a grateful smile. He said a soft good night before leaving the room and heading towards his bedroom. As he slid under his sheets, he marveled at what had happened this morning. When his eyes finally slid shut, he enjoyed a much needed dreamless sleep.
A few hours later, the Headmaster silently crept into Harry's room in order to check on the boy. He relaxed when he saw Harry sleeping peacefully. It seemed that the talk had really helped Harry, but he knew that the nightmares would be back. He hoped that Harry would begin to open up with him more. After pulling Harry's covers up a little bit, Dumbledore quietly walked back into his own room.
