A/N: Hey, guess what? I'm back! After about a year, I have finally returned to try to continue with this story. I apologize for the long long long absence, but it was my senior year of high school and I had no time. Sorry! But here goes….

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Harry sat there, trying to slow his breathing down and relax. He was barely aware of the man across from him staring at him until he quietly said, "It's time you know the truth."

…………….

But how to explain? It was such an awful truth to tell. "As I'm sure you've gathered by now," he began, "this problem isn't merely going to go away. We cannot be sure as to what exactly is causing this, but our best theory is that something happened when the prophecy broke last month." Snape could tell that the boy was listening intently. "The magic of prophecies has not been and cannot be studied to much extent. The headmaster and I have discussed the matter and we believe that, as the prophecy is what caused the Dark Lord to kill your parents and then unwittingly create the link between him and yourself, it might itself have contained a bond that connected the two of you. If this is true, then the prophecy's demise might be what caused this latest development in your dreams."

The boy looked confused and Snape waited for the questions he knew would come. "But how could that be? How can I stop it? Could I fix the prophecy? It is my fault that it broke," the boy said desperately.

Normally the idiocy of the boy at thinking that something so magically complex as a prophecy could be repaired by something so simple as a reparo charm would irk the man, but Snape decided to let it go because he knew the boy was only grasping at straws in his desperation. "No, it cannot be fixed, but that is about all we know about the subject. There is good reason why the prophecies were contained in the Department of Mystery- nobody knows for sure how they work.

"But how could the breaking of a crystal ball cause me to feel that much pain in my dreams?"

"We do not know," Snape said evenly.

"Well how can we stop it?"

"We haven't figured that out."

"Isn't there anything I can do?"

Snape sighed. "I don't know."

"Well then what the bloody hell good are you?" Harry yelled, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth in the office. "You say you're going to tell me the truth and then you just sit there saying 'I don't know, I don't know.' This is the top-secret truth that Dumbledore couldn't tell me? That you think it might possibly have something to do with the prophecy? What the hell good is that? You don't know why this is happening, how to stop it… you don't know anything! Who gives a damn about 'all you have been doing to try to find a way to help me' when you can't even give me any answers! How the hell am I supposed to live like this?" Harry nearly collapsed against the back of the chair he had previously occupied, breathing heavily and obviously exhausted from the yelling and pacing.

"Sit," Snape ordered. "Don't overexert yourself, you'll need your energy." Harry nearly fell into the chair as Snape continued in hostel tones. "As I am still your professor, you will treat me as such and cease speaking like that to me immediately. Also, I would kindly appreciate that you not listen into any more of my private conversation in the future." He watched as the boy's face fell at realizing that he'd essentially admitted to eavesdropping by quoting Dumbledore's earlier words.

"Sorry, Sir," the boy whispered quietly.

Snape nodded and continued in a softer tone. "It is true that we know little about why this is happening, which has proven to be a great difficulty in finding a solution to the problem, but we do know the potential outcomes of it." He sighed again. "As I am sure you know by now, prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus can cause irreversible damage, as in the case of Mr. Longbottom's parents, which is definitely a concern. While you have managed to tolerate your dreams rather well so far, I fear that you will not be able to be this strong forever."

Snape hoped that the boy had not picked up on the two subtle compliments. It appeared he hadn't, for the boy was merely sitting across from him staring into nothingness with a look of fright mixed with that same resignation Snape has seen earlier in his eyes.

"Another concern is that the Dark Lord may find out," he saw the boy look up in surprise. "I have no reason to believe that he is aware of this connection, as he has not become anymore vicious than usual. I am certain that if he knew that you felt every Cruciatus curse he cast he would never cease cursing people until he knew that you'd been driven crazy, which is why it is crucial that nobody find out. It is only Dumbledore, you, and myself that are aware of these circumstances. You have not told your friends, I assume?"

The boy shook his head then said sarcastically, "What would I tell them? That I am now experiencing excruciating pain in my dreams that I cannot explain and that it's getting worse?"

"I figured as much. Please continue keeping them in the dark, as it is prudent that as few people know about this as possible. Especially do not mention anything of importance through owl mail; we can never be sure what could fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes, Sir." The boy said quietly. He seemed to be considering something before saying, "But Sir, I can't exactly hide from everybody that I'm screaming myself hoarse in the middle of the night. And I can't just not sleep for a few months."

Snape sighed. "Hopefully I will have figured out a cure before school begins."

"And if not?"

"Then we will deal with that when the time comes," he replied quietly.

The boy sighed. "Well what am I supposed to do for now? Just go to sleep knowing what to expect? Can't I just take Dreamless Sleep Potion?"

"As I've told you before, the potion is addicting-"

"So what?" the boy exclaimed. "So what if it is? From the sounds of it, this little problem isn't going to go away any time soon, so who cares if I do get addicted to a potion, considering the alternative?"

Snape sighed, the boy did have a point, but still… "Knowingly getting addicted to a potion is incredibly foolish. It would likely affect you for your entire life, causing irreparable damage to your psyche." He paused before continuing, "However I am going to supply you with the potion on occasion, at least until I can figure out a better way." He pulled a small bottle full of liquid out of a desk drawer and handed it across to the boy. "Go back to your dormitory now and get some rest. This should be enough to ensure that you sleep well through the morning."

The boy rose to leave. "Thank you, Sir." As he walked out of the office, much steadier on his feet than when he came down, Snape drew his wand and whispered a spell at the boy's back.

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A/N: Oooooo! What did Snape do? Sorry this is kind of short, but I don't think I will get another chance soon to write (Ugh! Work and Calculus homework!), so something is better than nothing, right?

Sorry if there are any bad mistakes in here, feel free to let me know so I can correct them.

So please review and let me know what you think! Thank you to everybody who reviewed before and to everyone who told me where they are from! I'm easily amused.

Random Question: Have you ever seen a ghost? (Answer in review please! Amuse me?)