"I can see it now… the next dark lord."

Harry jumped awake, his heart racing wildly. Where was he? Everything was dark, and he was half asleep.

"You're a good boy…" It was Emwood's voice. Harry felt hands on him and panic raced through his body.

oOoOoOo

Harry's screams jolted Severus awake. He grabbed his wand and rushed to Potter's room. The boy was tangled in his sheets, fighting off an invisible attacker.

"No! No! Let go of me! Stop!" Harry shrieked and Severus rushed to shake him awake.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up! You are safe!" Severus said as the boy slowly stopped his struggles and looked up at Snape with tear filled eyes.

"S-snape…" he mumbled. He looked around and covered his face. "I-I… I feel sick…" He whimpered.

"Alright… sit up… I'll get you a potion…" He said helping the boy up. "You're shaking…" He said softly as he went to grab the lilac potion. The boy grabbed it and chugged it down. He wouldn't meet his eyes. "Harry… what happened?" He asked.

Harry shook his head looking away. "N-nothing…" He whispered.

"Here… have some water." He said gently. The boy took it gladly and gulped it down. Severus frowned looking at him, trying to discern any answers from his behaviour. He was tense, his free hand clenched tight onto his pyjama trousers.

"Severus… sorry for waking you…" He mumbled.

"Don't be… tell me what happened." He encouraged him.

"…It's just… I don't know… I… something woke me up but… but I suddenly just… I thought I was…" The boy was rambling, finding this very hard. The worst part was that Severus could not guess what was wrong with him, after all that he had gone through. But he waited patiently. "I felt… like… I was with Emwood…" He whispered. "I was… there…" He said through a clenched jaw, shaking again, hands clenched into fists.

"You are safe now, Harry. Look at me." The boy hesitated and looked up at him. "I'm here for you." He said.

The boy looked down still tense as a rock and Severus patted his head.

oOoOoOo

Harry closed his eyes trying to resist the urge to burst into tears and trying to find comfort from the other's presence. He felt Severus start to pull him up and he looked up as the other led him out of his room and into the kitchen.

"Sit… I'll make us something warm to drink." He said. Harry watched him, trying to get that feeling out of his mind. He lay his head on his hands, shaking as he still remembered the feeling, the disgust, the weight, the hands and he wanted to kick something. He wanted to scream. Before he exploded Severus was back and he looked up, seeing a cup of hot chocolate. He seemed to have a cup of his own. "Come on, let's go out." He said.

"But… It's two in the morning." He mumbled grabbing the hot chocolate and going after him.

"I am aware, but it does not look like you are quite ready for sleep." He said walking out into the garden, transfiguring a couple of stones into garden chairs. Harry came to sit beside him, looking up at the stars. The sky was completely clear.

"Is it clear because of a spell?" He asked.

"Yes, quite simple due to the height of the terrain, making a clear sky is easier that way." Snape said. Harry sipped his hot chocolate as he looked up, trying to relax. The chocolate did help and he sighed softly.

"I'm sorry…" Harry whispered.

"Your apology is unnecessary." Severus said looking above. "You have been through a lot." He said and turned to look at him. "Would you like me to have you see a mind healer, Harry?"

Harry cringed at that. "I'm not crazy." He said defensively, glaring at Snape.

"That is not what I said… a mind healer can help you more than I could… they would listen to you and make a plan with you on how to move on from everything that happened."

"But… only crazy people see mind healers… I… people will… will know I'm messed up." Harry said. He couldn't see a mind healer. It would just be proof that he was broken. That he needed fixing.

"I will make sure they are sworn to secrecy before the two of us." He said. "But I'll leave the decision to you Harry."

Harry looked away from him, sipping his hot chocolate. "No… I don't want it." He said without having to think about it. He didn't need some medic dissecting his memories and making him talk about what happened.

"…Then do you want to talk to me?" Harry hesitated as he looked up at Snape.

"Maybe… but not now…" he mumbled. Snape nodded and ruffled his hair, turning to look up at the stars. Harry glanced at him but sipped his hot chocolate. "I… wouldn't even know where to start." He said softly.

"Wherever you like. When you decide you want to talk, whether it is to me or a mind healer… it will be all about you, so you can decide where to start, where to end, how much you say and how much you decide to discuss later on." He said. "I won't judge you."

Harry felt his heart clench painfully. What did he do to deserve this? He refused to cry again but it was difficult. He looked up and saw a light streak across the sky.

"…A shooting star." Harry mumbled.

"Hmm… yes, they are quite the common occurrence at this time of year." Snape said and Harry kept his eyes focused up at the sky, seeing another one a minute later. Sleep eventually began nipping at his eyes and Harry yawned as he finished the chocolate. "Ready to go back inside?" Harry nodded and stood with the potions master, following him back inside and making his way back into his room. He got into bed and sighed as he lay back down. "Call me if you need anything." Severus said and Harry nodded.

"Good night…" Dad. He wanted to say. But it didn't feel right in his mouth just yet. So he simply turned onto his side and closed his eyes to sleep.

oOoOoOo

Severus watched over the boy for a few minutes. Sleep came quickly to him though he did not seem to be able to relax even in his sleep. He made sure his sheets were not tangled over him and sighed as he left the boy to sleep.

He would keep an eye on him… if he kept getting flashbacks like these, a mind healer may not be an option for the boy to refuse. He should have known the struggles would not end so easily with the death of the Dark Lord.

He went to the kitchen to have the cups cleaned when he saw the date on the calendar. July 30th. Tomorrow would be Harry's birthday. He'd been discussing with the Weasleys about doing something for the boy. Of course it was an area entirely out of his expertise. He could barely remember what a birthday party was supposed to be like from when Lily invited him to hers but that was when they were children.

All he remembered about his own birthdays was that his mother would make him something special for breakfast if his father hadn't taken their money to spend it on alcohol.

Thankfully the Weasleys were there to help him out. He hoped the boy would appreciate it. He deserved to have a day of celebration just for him.