There was a flash of green and Harry felt pain on his forehead, a burning that made him cry in his crib. Eventually he calmed down enough and reached for his mama, lying on the ground.

"Mama…" He wanted to be held. "Mama…" Seeing that she didn't move Harry started crying all over again. He then saw a tall dark man walk in, looking at Lilly in grief, dropping to his knees beside her, pulling her into his arms and crying. The two cried together, Harry afraid, feeling alone and Severus grieving the loss of the only woman he ever loved. Whimpering Harry pushed himself onto his legs, holding onto the edge of the crib wanting to be let out.

The dark man gently lay his mama down and stood up, his back still to Harry. Harry reached with one hand, babbling for him to pick him up. Thinking the other wouldn't, Harry brought his stretched out hand to his mouth, starting to cry once more.

The man turned to him then, and silently took him out of there.

-o-O-o-

Harry jumped slightly, startled out of that memory. The sadness and loneliness felt so real. So real that he couldn't stop the tears that flowed from his eyes. The remnants of the dream induced feelings reminded Harry of that painful throbbing in his chest he'd gone to sleep with.

He'd been feeling like this since he left Snape's office. Without thinking twice about it he got the invisibility cloak and walked out of Gryffindor tower, making his way steadily to the headmaster's office. Surprisingly he didn't need a password because the staircase opened for him. But at the door he did knock.

A couple of minutes later the door opened to reveal Snape, in sleeping robes, but to be frank, they looked almost identical to what he normally wears. Harry let the invisibility robe fall and looked at the other.

"Just what do you think you are doing out of bed, at this hour mr. Potter. I'm aware the eighth years can sleep late, but it is, three in the morning." He said.

"I had a nightmare."

"I am not your head of house, Potter, and normally when little first years have nightmares they go to their head of house." He said sternly.

"I only came here because you were the one that caused it professor. When I left detention yesterday I felt sad." Snape narrowed his eyes at him. "Not because I left! You probably felt sad and then I got sad and then it kept getting worse and then I had that nightmare, where Voldemort killed my mother, and you walked in after and held her and…"

"Enough!" Harry looked up surprised. "How could you possibly know that?" He whispered. Harry shrugged not knowing himself. He kept looking at his feet.

"It felt so real though… so… now." He said, tears forming again.

Snape could feel it now, the anguish the other was holding. How was it even possible? He only allowed himself to get upset for a couple of minutes as he remembered Lily, then he had distracted himself preparing a potion, soon he was fine. Why was it that the other had felt it so strongly… was still feeling so strongly?

Harry sobbed and Snape frowned stepping back. "Get in here then." He grumbled going off to find a calming draught. Harry knew he would probably feel embarrassed in the morning, but right now all he could think about was how real his anguish had been in that memory. How lonely. He rubbed his chest once more as his chest clenched in pain. "Here." He said, a mug with hot chocolate being placed in front of him.

"I thought…"

"I put the calming draught into it, I changed the potion a while back so it would have no taste." He said. Harry reached for the cup, taking slow steady sips whilst Snape went away, rummaging around. The sound of glass coming in contact with glass was heard. The warmth of the chocolate and the calming potion effectively eased the throbbing in his chest until it was completely gone.

-o-O-o-

Severus returned with a dreamless sleep potion only to find Potter curled up in the chair, already asleep. "Oh no, I don't think so." He said going to wake him up when Dumbledore stopped him.

"Don't wake him, Severus… Not when he's finally calmed down." The old head master said.

"Really head master, having a student spending the night in the headmaster's quarters, I am not allowing it."

"He's your soulmate Severus, just let him sleep, no one will judge you for it." He said. Snape looked a Potter's peaceful expression and grumbled under his breath, transfiguring the chair into a bed, and straightened the other out, taking his shoes off and transfiguring a book into a douvet.

Once that was done he turned to return the dreamless sleep potion. "Why did it happen, Albus?" He asked finally, trying not to look at Harry.

"It's obvious my dear boy, because you yourself felt sadness."

"I know that, but it only lasted a couple of minutes for me, explain to me how it didn't for Potter." He said.

"Oh my boy, perhaps you should read more about soulmates. He was only around to connect to your sadness, but he wasn't around to feel you get over it. Should you both accept that you're partners you wouldn't have to be close to realise that, but as you're both rejecting it, Harry didn't understand why he was sad, just that he was, and it got worse until it sparked a sad memory from the past." Albus explained.

"This is madness Albus. I will not ever consider this… child to be a partner."

"Oh but he is no child anymore, Severus." Severus looked up to state quite the contrary, ready to point out how the other came to him after a mere nightmare but Albus interrupted him. "There is a reason that mirror was kept under lock and key for so many centuries Severus. I think it would be best for you to read up on soulmates to know just what it is that you're dealing with." Albus said.

"I won't be dealing with it if I don't accept it." He said.

"As you can see from the sleeping young man in your office, that is not quite true, Severus." Albus said gently. Severus growled and didn't look at Harry as he went back into his room, trying to go to sleep himself. Something that was not accomplished and he refused to take a potion to aide his sleep since the boy could wake up at any moment.

Snape stood up once more and walked outside. Checking the clock he could see it was four thirty in the morning.

Glancing at the sleeping golden boy he scoffed and sat by the fire, picking up a book, opening to the bookmarked page. That seemed to distract him slightly, until his eyelids started feeling heavy. He certainly didn't plan on sleeping in the same room as Potter so he got up and returned to his room, only to find all sleep leave him.

Really? Now this?

He turned back and went to stand by the bed, just as expected, sleep affecting his senses. He scoffed and walked back to the chair, then back to his room, then back out in frustration.

Harry himself was frowning in his sleep, and the moment the other went back towards the chair once more Harry growled in his sleep.

"Stop moving around and go to sleep, Ron!" Harry exclaimed.

Severus narrowed his eyes, glaring menacingly at Harry, though it went unnoticed as the boy relaxed at the silence and carried on sleeping. "Of all the nerve, Potter, comparing me to Weaseley." He growled and returned to his room, taking a sleeping potion when sleep once more left him.

He would not sleep next to the boy. He refused. Gladly the potion helped him succumb to sleep for the remainder of the night. Harry himself giving a sigh in his sleep, his muscles tensing slightly when the other left and all Albus' portrait could do was smile.