Author's Note: This would have been up yesterday evening, but my internet went psycho. Enjoy!
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"Feel free to fight me." His voice rasped in Harry's ear. "You're only wearing yourself out." Harry fought to free his hands and brought up a knee towards his attacker. "Close, Potter." The man chuckled and slammed Harry onto the ground again. Harry's head hit first and he saw stars behind his eyes. His body stopped moving as his brain tried to process exactly what happened. "Remember this, Potter: you are no longer a civilian. You are a soldier now and the sooner you start acting like one, the easier your training will become." The man's weight lifted from Harry's body and the door shut behind him.
"You can't make me a killer." Harry whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "You can't make me."
"Harry?" Harry blinked. That voice was not supposed to be here.
"No." Harry denied the voice's existence. The gods were laughing at him if that person was here.
"HARRY!" Harry's eyes snapped open as he leapt to his feet. His wand slid out from his sleeve, and he brought it up to cast a shield. "Whoa!" Harry looked down at the ground and noticed a small, black-clad figure cowering next to the seats of the compartment. Wait. Compartment? Train? The Hogwarts' Express? "Harry, it's Draco." The ball on the ground said. "You awake?"
"Now I am." Harry said as he dropped onto the seats. "Sorry. You startled me." Harry told Draco.
"No worries. Your nightmare looked intense." Draco said as he stood up and brushed himself off.
If you think that was a nightmare... "A little." Harry said with a shrug. "Thanks for waking me."
Draco didn't say a word. He only smiled at Harry and held out a handkerchief. Harry took it and frowned. What? Draco saw his look and motioned to Harry's face. One hand rose up and he felt that his cheek was wet. He snorted and wiped his face quickly before casting a quick cleaning spell to return Draco's handkerchief to its normal pristine condition. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. We're almost to the school." Draco said as he picked up the Latin book that had fallen to the floor when Harry jerked out of his nightmare.
"Oh." Harry opened his trunk and rummaged around for his school robes. He pulled them on and threw on his Ravenclaw scarf for good measure.
"Your hair is a bird's nest." Draco commented from beside him.
"And yours could stop a Bludger." Harry smiled as he delivered the comment. Draco held up his hands in surrender and smiled.
"Touché." Draco said. The train slowed and stopped at that moment. The announcement that they had arrived at Hogsmeade didn't surprise him anymore. He followed Draco out of the compartment and down to the carriages. He ignored the threstrals and settled onto the seat. He personally couldn't wait until he made it back to Hogwarts.
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Snape sat back in his chair and studied the returning students. Most of them were overly excited and energized by too much sugar on the train ride. His eyes ignored every Gryffindor possible, no matter that the Weasley twins were most likely planning some kind of mischief at that moment near the doors. Wait a moment. His eyes slid back to the doorway. They were planning something! Snape stood and made it around the table in time to see a flash of smoke go up and hear two simultaneous screams. He had expected the screams to have come from first years; he hadn't thought he would ever hear the Weasley twins make that type of noise.
Someone had obviously ignored the prank and retaliated in the most embarrassing fashion possible for the twins: the two stood in their pants and nothing else. Snape felt the corners of his lips twitch. Must...not...laugh...aloud. "Mr. Weasley?" He drawled. "Did you forget something?" The students gathered around the pair started snickering. Snape only had to raise an eyebrow, and the laughter ceased.
"Uh, no, Professor." Fred or George said calmly.
"Actually, Professor-"
"We have forgotten-"
"To screen the firsties"
"For new talent." Snape hated twinspeak more than any of their other trademarks. It had to be a spell.
"Oh?" I should really stop baiting the students...nah.
"Yes. The person who-"
"Saw through that prank-"
"Has a bright future-"
"As a prankster-"
"A partner, we should say, George!"
"Quite right, Fred! A partner-"
"In the pranking business!" The two finished together and smiled all around. "Please step forward so that we may acknowledge your abilities."
"Mr. Weasely, you both have detention-" he was going to say with me, but he remembered that he had a lesson with Potter the next evening. "with Filch tomorrow evening." He said, watching as their faces fell and then lit up. Filch would need backup tomorrow night. He flicked his wand, and their clothes reappeared on their bodies. "Now, stop blocking the doorway." The twins bowed and walked over to the Gryffindor table, heads together, obviously plotting their detention for tomorrow night. The students gathered in the doorway slipped past Snape and towards their own places.
Snape returned to the head table and resumed his seat. "Nice work, Severus." Dumbledore commented. "I arrived to see the end of that. What was it all about?"
"The Weasley twins had set up pranks...someone was clever enough to reverse them. I'm claiming it was a Slytherin." He told Dumbledore. His eyes swept over the Slytherin table and stopped at Draco. The boy smirked and pointed at something. Snape followed the direction, and his eyes landed on a small boy with his nose in a book. Was Draco saying that it had been Potter? Interesting.
"Go ahead, Severus." Dumbledore said. "Whoever managed to thwart the Weasely twins has a fair bit of cunning." Dumbledore smiled at Snape and turned his attention towards his meal. "So, have you any interesting plans coming up for the term?" Dumbledore asked as he spooned some vegetables onto Snape's plate. Snape ignored the vegetables.
"There is something that is troubling me." Snape admitted as he cut into his steak.
"Oh? Something with your snakes?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, one of my Potions students." Snape answered. He studied his plate and smirked. He could hide that huge piece of broccoli under his potato jacket...
"One of your students?" Dumbledore asked with a perplexed expression.
"I had thought that you would already know about it." Snape said, genuinely surprised that Dumbledore hadn't confronted him about tutoring Potter.
"Severus, while your confidence in my supposed omniscience is flattering, I'm afraid that I'm a bit out of the loop." Dumbledore said as he replaced the hidden broccoli with more. Snape scowled and wondered how he would get around that particular vegetable.
"I have a student displaying talent in Potions." He waved his wand and the hidden broccoli disappeared. He smirked to himself.
"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said, eating his own broccoli with a smile. "Who is this student?"
"I'm not telling. We agreed that it is a secret for now." He and Harry hadn't agreed on any such thing, but there were some things that he didn't feel like sharing. This was one of them. "I'm worried about the lack of challenge. Do I only allow work up to form level, or do I allow more advanced work?" He mused as he chopped the broccoli on his plate into tiny pieces.
"Let the student dictate what he...she...can handle. You'll find the proper level." Dumbledore assured him. The headmaster paused and chuckled. "That broccoli isn't going to eat itself." Snape scowled. He hated broccoli.
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Draco relaxed into his chair in the Slytherin common room and opened his stationary box. He had promised to send his parents a letter once he returned to Hogwarts.
Dear Mother and Father,
Harry and I arrived at Hogwarts safely. The welcoming dinner was nice, and the pudding was amazing...though not as good as the cake we had at Christmas.
Harry fell asleep on the way to school. He had a nightmare. Father, Mother, I know he wouldn't want me to tell you this, but he was talking in his sleep. Even I know that it's not normal for an eleven year old to say "You can't make me a killer" in his sleep. I must admit that his dreams worry me. They're all so violent. His words disturb me. What should I do? Any advice is appreciated. I hope for an answer soon.
Your loving son,
Draco
Draco sealed the letter and stood up. He had just enough time to send it off before curfew.
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Snape glared into space and pondered the reason behind his empty coffee cup. He was sure that coffee had existed at one point. It disappeared. Most likely a student prank. He considered which House deserved to lose house points when he saw a hand with a coffee pot appear in front of him. He quirked an eyebrow as his cup refilled to the brim. "There you go, Severus." McGonagall said with a smile. Snape nodded to her and started on his second cup of the day. Perhaps Gryffindor House would get away with all of its points intact. He nearly dropped his cup when an owl dropped down in front of him.
He glared at the offensive creature and started cataloguing the various potions he could make with owl parts. The bird stuck out a foot and waited for Snape to take the letter. Snape sneered but removed the parchment all the same. He slid a finger under the seal and stared at the neat script before him.
Dear Severus,
Draco wrote home and told us all about his train ride back to Hogwarts. He said that Harry had a terrible nightmare and was talking in his sleep. I don't wish to alarm you, but he said "You can't make me a killer." What do you make of that? What eleven year old says something like that? Please, Severus. Could you talk to him? I think that he might confide in you. Let me know if I can help you.
Sincerely,
Narcissa
Snape read the letter through a few times and glared. What was he, a Gryffindor? He stopped and looked up at the students. His eyes traveled to Potter, and he sighed. The boy looked as though he hadn't slept at all. His eyes were bleary and dark circles lingered under them. Why must I always save students from themselves?
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Harry toyed with his cereal and sighed. He didn't have much of an appetite this morning. His dreams were bad last night, full of images he wished his mind would just suppress. He didn't want to remember such things happening, didn't want to know that humans were capable of such cruelty. Such...animalistic behavior. His stomach turned and he dropped his spoon. He wouldn't be finishing his breakfast this morning. Perhaps Madame Pomfrey would give him a Stomach Calming Draught.
He jumped when a flash of white landed in front of him. "Hedwig!" he said happily as she perched next to his bowl. "You're such a clever owl! You found me first thing, didn't you?" He scratched her head and snatched a piece of bacon from Terry's plate to feed her. "You're the smartest owl in the whole world!" He whispered to her.
Hedwig hooted and presented a small box to Harry. "Thank you, girl. Would you like more bacon?" He asked, offering more of Terry's bacon. Hedwig hooted and accepted her reward. She nibbled Harry's fingers affectionately and then left the table for the Owlry.
"Did you forget something at home?" Terry asked as he replenished his bacon from the serving dish.
"I wasn't at home, so no." Harry told him. "I spent the holiday at the Malfoys." Harry said as he checked the package for any pranks or spells that could be harmful.
"That must have been...different." Terry said diplomatically.
"It was different. Very educational. Did you know that every single decoration used in traditional celebration has a special meaning?" Harry commented as he opened the package. An envelope sat on the top. He picked it up and opened it.
"No, I didn't. I'll have to research that." Terry said as he returned his attention to his breakfast.
"It's very interesting." Harry said absently. He was staring at the letter.
Dear Harry,
I hope that you're very excited about your upcoming term. I know that you will study hard and do your best. Just be sure that you don't exhaust yourself. Go outside once in a while for some exercise. Play games. Too much study can make you ill. Please allow me to thank you for coming for Christmas. Lucius and I are more than happy to welcome you home whenever you wish. He agrees that you felt like one of the family while you were here. Take care of yourself and have a good term.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Malfoy.
P.S. – There are some sweets and other things in the box for you. Dobby was quite fussy until we said that we had planned to send packages to both you and Draco. Enjoy.
NBM
"Hmm." Harry slid the letter back into the envelope and looked into the box. Ice Mice, Bertie Botts, and several types of biscuits. Dobby's trying to make me fat. Harry thought. He closed the box and put it into his satchel. The other boys would help out with the candy, right?
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Harry dried the ink on his Herbology homework and allowed the parchment to roll shut. Herbology done. Now, Potions. He pulled out a new sheet of parchment and his book. He had just finished his first sentence when he felt eyes on him. He paused mid-word and looked up.
"Hi, Harry." Hermione said. "May I join you?"
"Sure." Harry moved some of his books across from him to make space for her. Hermione set her satchel on the table and dropped into a chair. "Did you have a good holiday?"
"It was brilliant. Mum and Dad were happy to have me home and I got a lot of new books for Christmas. How was yours here at Hogwarts?"
"Madame Pomfrey threatened to send me to St. Mungos. She said that I had to leave the school to rest, so I accepted Mr. Malfoy's invitation." Nice and simple.
"That must have been interesting." Hermione said.
"Mm. Yes." Harry told her with a shrug. "Draco was happy about it."
"Harry?" Harry looked up from his Potions work. "You look like you haven't slept." Hermione said with concern showing in her eyes. "Worse than usual."
"We have already established my poor sleeping habits, Hermione." Harry said as he returned his attention to his homework. "It's nothing to worry about."
"I do worry." Hermione said. "So does Draco." Hermione pointed out. "He's just afraid of saying anything to you about it."
"You two talked about my sleeping habits, and he appointed you the one to come and talk to me about it." Harry said with a raised eyebrow.
"Almost. I volunteered." She said with a smile.
"Hmm. I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I'm fine." Harry told her as he started jotting down his next essay.
"You're not fine." Hermione snapped. "You look horrible. Let us help, Harry. Talk to us, at the very least." Hermione said to him as she stole his quill. Harry's hand dropped to the desk, and he glared at her. "We're your friends. Don't push us away."
"Are friends supposed to test your patience?" he asked with a grin so she would know that he didn't mean it.
"Absolutely." She told him. "So, about that talking to me?"
"You're not going to leave this one alone, are you?" Harry asked as he held out his hand for his quill.
"No. You're doomed." She told him. She dangled the quill in front of him. "Just one little talk is all I'm asking." She said.
"And from there it will be 'just one more' over and over until you know all my secrets." Harry folded his arms and rolled his eyes.
"That's what best friends do." Hermione said with a smile.
Harry groaned and lowered his head to the table. "What is this, some new form of torture? 'A Heart to Heart with Hermione'? Spare me if you're really my friend." He watched as Hermione appeared to be getting ready for a fight. He had just had another of those brilliant thoughts. I'm getting those more and more often.
"Okay, you win." He told her in the next instant. Why didn't I think of this before? She would be better at this than I ever could be. "I've been having these dreams."
"I know." Hermione said with a smile.
"Could you not interrupt me?" He asked, trying to look hurt. "I'm trying to talk about my feelings here." He whined a bit for good measure.
"Could you be any more pathetic?" Hermione asked.
"I could, but I would have to have a little practice before I could manage to be convincing about it." Harry answered with a wide smile. He had missed this kind of banter.
"You were saying?" Hermione ground out between her teeth.
"Hey, you're the one who interrupted me!" Harry was actually enjoying this. "Anyway, my dreams don't make sense." He could tell that Hermione was fighting to keep from saying something. "There's a man in them. He says that his name is Sirius Black." Harry saw the familiar signs that Hermione was starting to think. "He just sits down next to me and says that he was framed, that he wasn't the Secret Keeper, but Pettigrew was. He says that Pettigrew framed him." Harry folded his arms again and looked away. "Then it gets really cold and I hear someone screaming 'Not Harry'." He sighed and snatched his quill back from her. "Now, will you leave me alone so I can finish this essay?"
"Sure, Harry. Thank you for talking to me." Hermione said. "It may not feel like it now, but I'm sure that talking about whatever bothers you helps."
"Me, too." Harry knew that it worked. Ginny and Hermione had both goaded him into talking in the past. It worked, but it also created nightmares in a new way. He shoved that thought away as Hermione smiled at him and stood up.
"I'm going back to Gryffindor Tower now." She told him. "Try to get some sleep this evening." She pleaded.
"I will." Harry promised. He hadn't had the time to brew Dreamless Sleep yet, but it was on his list for that evening. He wasn't going to try sleep again any time soon.
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Hermione left the library and headed back towards Gryffindor Tower. She chewed her bottom lip and wondered about what Harry had told her. Who, exactly, was Sirius Black? And what did he have to do with Harry? What was a Secret Keeper?
Hermione paused at the portrait. She felt the urge to return to the library and start looking up the answers to her questions. Would Harry allow that? She doubted it. He practically dismissed the dreams as nonsense. Hermione bit her lip as her indecision started to frustrate her. She wanted to help Harry, but he wouldn't do the sensible thing and go to a teacher. No, he would ignore the problem or something worse. He needed to talk to a teacher. He wouldn't. She knew he wouldn't. Harry didn't like asking for help at all. He seemed to think that he needed to do everything on his own. She wondered if he would appreciate her going to a teacher for him. Well, better to beg forgiveness than ask permission... She only knew of one person she could talk to. She turned away from the Pink Lady and went to Professor McGonagall's office.
Hermione found herself at a bubbly portrait that was having tea with friends from other paintings. She reached out and knocked on the frame. "Come in!" She opened the door and walked inside. "Hello, Miss Granger. Is there something wrong?" McGonagall asked with a smile for one of her lions.
"Yes, Professor. I was wondering what a Secret Keeper is?" She said as she dropped into the seat McGonagall had motioned her to.
"Secret Keeper?" McGonagall said, her obvious surprise showing. "Where did you hear about that?" She asked.
"I can't tell you yet." Hermione answered. "What is it?"
"There is a spell called the Fidelus. It's a charm to hide something or someone. The hidden object or person could be in plain sight, but no one could see it or them so long as the Secret Keeper keeps the secret. They know where the object or person is. They keep the secret so that the person or object is not lost forever." McGonagall explained.
"He wasn't the Secret Keeper?" Hermione mumbled to herself. "That doesn't make sense."
"What doesn't make sense?" McGonagall asked. "You're not acting like yourself, Miss Granger."
"I'm sorry, Professor. It's just that my friend Harry is having dreams." Hermione told her. "I'm sure he wouldn't be happy about me talking to you about them, but I think his mind is trying to tell him something. Do you know who Sirius Black is?"
"Sirius Black?" McGonagall squeaked as her face paled. "How do you know about Sirius Black?"
"Harry's dreaming about him...or someone who says he is Sirius Black." Hermione said slowly. "This Sirius Black in Harry's dream tells Harry that he is 'innocent' and that he wasn't the Secret Keeper, but Pettigrew was. I don't know who or what Pettigrew is, but Pettigrew framed him."
"Really?" McGonagall asked. "Did Harry say anything else?"
"Just that and something about it getting cold with someone screaming 'not Harry'. I didn't understand that part." Hermione admitted.
"Mmm. I can understand where that would be confusing. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Miss Granger. I'll have his Head of House talk to him." McGonagall promised.
"Thank you, Professor. He looks like he never sleeps." Hermione said as she stood up.
"Yes, I know. Have a good evening, Miss Granger." McGonagall waited until Hermione had left before going to the fireplace to Floo the headmaster. This was something that the man needed to know about. Harry Potter was a mystery none of them could figure out. "It's time for one of those Heads of Houses meetings." McGonagall said in lieu of a greeting. The Headmaster's twinkling eyes faded a bit as she explained what Hermione Granger had told her.
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Good evening, sir." Harry said as he entered the classroom.
"Potter." Snape nodded towards him and returned his attention to readying the Potions materials. Harry dropped his bag onto one of the desks and dug out his new Potions journal Snape had given him for Christmas. He had already catalogued every potion he had made since the beginning of the school semester, both in class and in his individual sessions. He slid off his outer robes and removed his tie. He took his smaller apron off the hook from Snape's closet and grabbed Snape's preferred one as well. He tied the strings on his and rolled up his sleeves.
"Over here, Potter." Snape said, motioning with one hand. Harry carried the man's apron over and handed it to him. The man nodded in thanks and motioned to the table as he pulled on the garment. "What do you see?"
Harry studied the table and frowned. There were several different ingredients laid out and a potion already bubbling away in the cauldron. He studied the potion in the cauldron and felt like he should know this potion. "You're halfway through a Calming Draught." Harry said after a few minutes of thinking.
"Yes." Snape said. "Now, what should you do at this stage?" Harry studied the color, the thickness, and smell before answering.
"You add the nettles here, sir." He answered. "And stir counter-clockwise for every clock-wise stir." Harry noticed that his quotation quill was already taking down his words. He could get used to that.
"Why?" Snape asked as he started setting up another work station. He paused to pull out his wand and spell his hair to stay in place.
"To disperse the nettles, sir." Harry answered. Snape nodded and turned to Harry.
"You may complete this potion on your own." Snape said. "I have another to start over here." Harry nodded and brought his Potions journal closer. He started adding the nettles and stirring. He finished the draught almost an hour later and waited for Snape to get to a stopping point so he could tell Harry what to do with the potion. Snape looked up from his own potion fifteen minutes later and rushed over to the cauldron. "This is correct." He told Harry. "Bottle it up and label it. Now Pomfrey won't bother me for at least a week." The man growled more to himself than to Harry. Harry hid his smile and retrieved the bottles he knew Snape used for the Hospital Wing.
He ladled the potion into the bottles and wrote out neat labels. He used the Sticking Charm Snape had taught him and corked each one. He moved the bottles to the shelves reserved for medicinal potions and moved back to his work station to clean up. He finished and waited for his dismissal.
The dismissal never came. Snape appeared to be deeply involved in his potion. Harry settled at a desk and opened one of his books. He was not allowed to leave without a dismissal. He didn't feel his eyes drift shut or his head lower to the desk around midnight. He twitched as he fell into sleep. His grip loosened on his book and his body fully relaxed. He dreamed.
Harry's eyes drifted around the street, unable to quite process the scene before him. Diagon Alley was in ruins. Fires burned from the remains of the buildings and glass crunched under his feet as he wandered aimlessly. There was silence ringing in his ears. They had come to the Alley for a few last minute things to do with Bill and Fleur's wedding. He had been separated from the Weasleys in the fight. Now, he could only hope they were alive.
He shuffled forward, ignoring the sight of an eviscerated corpse next to him on the ground. He kicked some debris out of his way and saw that the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes storefront had been completely blasted away. He stumbled through the doorway and looked around. Skiving Snackboxes littered the floor and reminded him of the body he had seen earlier...the skull had been open completely and the wall behind it...He shuddered and pushed the memory away. He didn't want to remember such things. He heard a noise from the right and turned to see what it was.
"For Merlin's sake, Potter! Where in the devil is your wand, boy?" Moody demanded as he advanced on Harry. "I thought you were better trained than this, Potter." Moody grabbed Harry's arm roughly and raised his wand for Apparition.
Harry stumbled when they appeared outside of the Burrow. Moody threw him to the ground and opened the back door. "I found the boy." Moody snarled at someone inside. Harry blinked up at the figure of Mrs. Weasley and collapsed against her when she sank down to hug him.
"Thank goodness you're alive!" she all but wailed. Harry breathed in her familiar scent and felt something choking him in his throat. "It's alright, Harry." She said as she brushed his hair back. Those words allowed Harry to break down and cry. He was safe with his foster mother. He could forget that he was the Boy-Who-Lived for just a few minutes. He could forget those words, the battle scene, his responsibilities-
"Let's get him inside, Molly." Mr. Weasley said sometime later. "He needs rest." The two adults lifted Harry to his feet and guided him inside. His friends were in the living room, staring into nothing. Hermione glanced up and then looked away when she saw Harry. He didn't care. He wasn't safe to look at right now. None of them could know what it had felt like to feel everything Voldemort did as he killed those around him without a thought. They shouldn't know that Harry felt the wizard's enjoyment of each life, that he had tasted the death like the lightest champagne. That Harry had felt what he had felt. That Voldemort had told Harry only he could end all of the killing if he surrendered. Harry stumbled away from his foster parents at the top of the stairs and lurched into the bathroom to empty his stomach. A sleeping potion was forced into him, and he found his bed a while later. His resistance to sleeping potions kept him away from sleep for as he wept into his pillow.
"POTTER!" Harry gasped as he felt rough hands grab his shoulders and shake him. He jerked away but the hands only held him still as he fought his way out of his nightmares. "It's just a nightmare." A voice told him. Harry reached up a hand and latched onto the shirt front before him as he fought to control his breathing. "Deep breaths."
Harry nodded as he felt a hand remove his glasses from his face. The person didn't move as Harry calmed down. He wasn't sure who it was, but he needed someone at that moment. He couldn't calm down by himself usually. He would stay awake and fight his feelings of terror until dawn came. He took another person's presence as a blessing when reality started to assert itself. "Drink this." The voice commanded as he held a cup to Harry's lips. Harry smelled a Calming Draught and sipped at it tentatively. "Drink, not sip." Harry followed the directions and felt it start to take effect. He took a few more deep breaths before releasing his grip on the person in front of him. Harry was glad when the person didn't move. He shuddered a bit as the potion's effect fully hit him. He pulled away and the hand left his shoulder.
He looked up and found that he was still in the Potions classroom. His eyes widened as he saw Professor Snape standing in front of him. "Are you fully awake, Potter?" Snape asked as he put the cup he was holding on the desk next to Harry's book. Harry shuddered and nodded. Snape frowned and picked up his outer robes and draped them around Harry. "Forgive me. I had thought you had left." Snape said as he secured the robes around Harry. He gave the still shivering Harry a moment's consideration before stepping forward and picking Harry up. "Merlin, Potter. Do you ever eat?"
Harry was in too much shock to answer. The Potions Master of Hogwarts...the Greasy Git...Death Eater Extraordinaire...had picked him up. Snape carried him through his office and through another door. Harry felt himself lowered onto a soft surface and left for a moment. Snape went over to a fireplace and the flames turned green as he stuck his head into the flames. Harry studied the room he was in. It appeared to be a bachelor's dwelling, but that didn't mean it was untidy. The rooms appeared to be as fastidious as the man who called them home.
Snape returned to his side a few moments later and sat next to him on the couch. "It's well after one in the morning." Snape informed him as he released his hair from its magic. A house elf popped up next to Snape, and the man accepted a tray from the little creature with a nod of thanks. He removed a mug from the tray and held it out towards Harry. "This will help." He promised.
Harry unfolded one of his hands from the voluminous robes around him and accepted the mug. "It only helps if you drink it, Potter." Snape told him tiredly. Harry raised the mug to his lips and started to drink the hot chocolate. "Dare I ask what your dream was about?" Snape asked him. Harry's eyes flickered upward for a moment before returning to study the hot chocolate. "Or why you were crying?" Snape asked as he turned to the tray again and lifted something from it. He moved closer to Harry and lowered the mug. A warm cloth rubbed over Harry's face. Harry allowed it. He figured he wasn't looking his best at the moment. The cloth disappeared and Harry blinked. "Finish your hot chocolate, Potter." Snape said quietly. Harry did as instructed and decided that he kind of liked it. Kind of.
"Do you go through this every night?" Snape asked. Harry shrugged. "Does that mean 'yes' or 'no'?" Harry looked up and shrugged again. "Right." Snape rubbed a hand over his face. Why must I always be the one to do things like this? "I'm going to assume that you meant 'yes'." Snape said. "From prior experience." He remembered Potter's dreams at Malfoy Manor all too well. "Potter, it will help if you talk about it."
"I can't." Harry told him.
"Can't...or won't?" Snape asked as he turned to face Harry. Harry actually stopped to contemplate the question. Could he talk about it? He could pass it off as a seer dream. Maybe.
"Can't." Harry answered as he finished off his hot chocolate. Snape reached out and took the mug from him.
"Very well." Snape stood and banished the tray. "I'll walk you back to the Ravenclaw dormitory." Snape said as he pulled Harry to his feet. He summoned Harry's outer robe and satchel from the classroom. Harry abandoned Snape's robes and pulled on his own. Snape shouldered the satchel and put a light hand on Harry's shoulder as he guided the boy out of his quarters.
Snape left him at the Ravenclaw dormitory after a silent walk down the halls. "Good-night, Potter." Snape said as he handed over the satchel. "Try to avoid nightmares, if possible." Snape smirked at him and Harry nodded. He would try. Snape tapped Harry on the shoulder and held out a vial. "I can't give you a sleeping potion, but another Calming Draught won't hurt you." Snape told the boy before turning on his heel and walking away. Harry stared after him and wondered when Snape had changed to a paternal figure. He pushed that slightly disturbing thought away and said the password. His bed was calling his name.
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Author's Note: Thanks for reading!