A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof.

Chapter 47

October 17th, 1993

I'm so tired that I can barely see straight but I can't sleep. My nightmares are happening every night. I see Voldemort, dead unicorns, Basilisks trying to eat me, and Dementors now haunt my dreams too.

I've finally realized that what I hear every time a Dementor gets near me is my mother giving up her life for mine.

That's not how I wanted to remember her.

I finally got caught up on my homework. A person would think that with all the studying I'm doing and with Quidditch practice every night, I'd be too tired to dream.

As an aside, I really like Ancient Runes. While it doesn't seem to come as natural to me as defense, charms, or even potions, it's not that hard - at least not yet.

Hagrid seems to have lost his confidence in teaching. We've been taking care of flobberworms in Care of Magical Creatures.

Malfoy is still moping around with his arm in a bandage. He's faking it. Everyone knows that.

I'm going to go stare at my canopy some more. Maybe I'll get lucky and finally fall asleep.

-Harry

Severus eyed Potter with hidden concern as he and his friends left his classroom. The boy looked okay but his movement indicated that he hadn't slept in over a week.

"Ron, I'm going up to take a nap. If I'm not at dinner, make sure you wake me up because if I miss practice, Oliver will murder me."

"Harry, you won't be able to sleep tonight if you take a nap," said Hermione.

Severus barely heard the reply. "What else is new?" He frowned at the boys retreating form.

The pitch darkness was startling. A noise nearby caused Harry to jump slightly, reflexively raising his wand - only to realize he didn't have his wand.

Suddenly a dementor passed right in front of him - engulfing him in bone chilling coldness.

Harry opened his mouth to scream and fell out of his bed.

Another nightmare.

He sighed, looking around as he picked himself up. After removing the silencing charm on himself he saw that he was still alone.

It had apparently only been 45 minutes since he had left Ron and Hermione. Harry knew that if he didn't get some sleep soon, he was going to go stir crazy. He had noticed an increase in his accidental magic 10 fold over the past two weeks. He glanced at the freshly repaired dorm clock. It had went off the other morning and scared him senseless causing him to accidently blow it up. The explosion had woke the rest of his dorm mates.

He sighed again. It was time to go to Madam Pomphrey.

Harry quickly reapplied his glamour to the circles under his eyes before venturing up to the hospital wing. (He had looked up glamours during the past month when he realized that he was starting to look like a zombie.)

"Madam Pomphrey?"

"Yes Mr. Potter? Something wrong?"

Harry sighed. "Is there anything you can give me for sleep?"

She got up, scanned him, and frowned. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Well ..." he hedged. He didn't want to admit any weakness but knew he needed the help.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me."

He sighed again. "It's been at least 3 weeks since I've slept through the night. I keep having nightmares."

"You don't look like you've been deprived of sleep but your scans show that you're exhausted."

Harry removed his glamours. He watched her eyes widen in surprise. She then began bustling around and tsking. A minute later she returned with a potion.

"This is a dreamless sleep potion. You can take one sip of it once a week. It's highly addictive."

Harry looked at the little bottle. "That barely looks like enough for one sip," he exclaimed.

Madam Pomphrey scowled. "This is two doses. Come see me again if after two doses you are still unable to sleep."

"Can we keep this between us Madam Pomphrey?"

"Certainly Mr. Potter. I'll see you again in two weeks."

He nodded his thanks, took the vial, and went up to his dorm to store it before heading out to the Quidditch Pitch. He wasn't hungry enough for dinner.

Harry was currently in detention with McGonagall. He had accidently vanished Neville's hair and then had turned his friends skin a neon green color during the days practical - something that most likely would not have happened had he done his homework.

Yesterday, after Quidditch practice, he had taken a very small sip from the vial Madam Pomphrey had given him and slept nearly ten hours. He couldn't remember if he dreamed but assumed that he didn't.

He idly wondered why it had never occurred to him before to check to see if there was a potion that could have helped him.

After detention, Harry went to hunt down Neville again to apologize.

"Any third years not going to Hogsmeade this year?" Albus asked during one of the staff meetings.

When no one else spoke up, Minerva did. "Potter can't go. He said his uncle didn't understand Hogwarts' forms. He asked me to sign it but as that would be inappropriate, I told him that I couldn't."

"Anyone else?"

They all shook their heads.

"Alright. Unless there's anything else, we're done."

Severus approached the Headmaster after everyone had left. "Well it should be easier to keep an eye on Potter if he can't go to Hogsmeade."

Albus nodded. "I'm afraid he'll still try to go and honestly, I wouldn't blame him what with being the only third year left behind."

"That cloak won't be able to protect him from the Dementors."

"I know Severus," said Albus.

"Hermione, you need to keep that cat on a leash! I'm telling you that he has it in for Scabbers!"

Hermione turned red in the face. "Oh honestly Ronald. I keep telling you that he's just doing what all cat's do."

"I don't see any other cats chasing Scabbers, it's just your furball that's doing it."

Hermione huffed off in one direction while Ron took off in another.

Seamus, who had just came into the Gryffindor common room asked, "They fighting again?"

Harry simply nodded. He hated it when Hermione and Ron fought, which was all they seemed to do anymore.

October 29, 1993

I've finally been able to sleep every night the past week. I feel so much better. I reckon I just needed one good nights sleep to make me sleep normal again.

Ron and Hermione are still fighting and ignoring each other because of Crookshanks chasing Scabbers. They're driving me batty.

The first Hogsmeade visit is Sunday (Halloween). I'm sure I'll be able to find something to do.

Oliver told us last night that we're playing Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin in the first game because of Malfoy's arm. They just don't want to play in this weather - not that I blame them.

I've not been properly dry since August.

-Harry

Severus stopped dead in his tracks. He was bringing Lupin the wolfs bane potion. However he was not expecting to see Lupin and Potter chatting.

"Ah, Severus. Thank you. I was just showing Harry my Grindylow specimen."

"How delightful," sneered Severus. "I made a whole cauldron full this time."

"Thank you. I'll probably take some tomorrow too."

Severus narrowed his eyes but nodded. He then stormed from the room.

Remus looked at the clock. It was almost time for the feast to start. He was waiting on Severus to come back to his office. Not because Severus had said he was coming back but because he knew the man.

And sure enough ...

"Enter." Remus smiled at the potions master standing in the doorway. "Can I help you with something Severus?"

"What did you and Potter talk about this afternoon?"

"Nothing about you Severus," said Remus.

"Lupin ..."

Remus sighed. "Severus, I would never tell him anything about your past."

"Planned on telling him about what your buddies Potter and Black got up to in the past?" asked Severus, seemingly ignoring what Remus had just said.

Remus' hackles raised but he kept himself calm. He had, after all, been expecting this. "Severus, I would not tell him anything that would harm his opinion of you."

Severus opened his mouth in sheer disbelief.

"But if he does ask me about James and Lily, I will give him some details. He was 15 months old when they died. I doubt he can remember them at all. Now, as for your question, we discussed the grindylow and why I wouldn't let him face the boggart that day in class."

Severus mind stopped working. Finally, it latched onto the thing that Lupin said last. "Why wouldn't you let him face the boggart?"

Remus had taken a step back and turned around to calm himself. "Because I thought Voldemort appearing in the staff room would have been a bad idea."

Severus merely said, "Oh."

"However, I need not have worried. Voldemort is not Harry's greatest fear." Remus turned around to look Severus in the eyes. "Fear is. His boggart is a Dementor. The feast is about to start. I suggest we go to it before Albus comes to make sure we aren't murdering each other."

That said, Remus left Severus standing in his office and headed towards the feast.

"Professor Dumbledore, the Fat Lady's portrait was slashed!"

That stopped Albus and several professors mid-step.

"What?"

They all ran towards Gryffindor Tower.

Albus breathed a sigh of relief as he passed Harry on the stairs. That meant he was safe. Then he caught sight of the painting.

He carefully examined the portrait. It looked like it had been cut with a knife.

"Search the portraits Mr. Filch. We need to find the Fat Lady."

"You won't find her your Headmastership. Ashamed she is," cackled Peeves as he floated upside down.

Albus turned around to stare at the Poltergeist.

"Did you see what happened Peeves?"

The Poltergeist grinned as if he was holding a big bomb shell.

"She wouldn't let him in because he didn't have the password. Nasty tempter he's got, that Sirius Black."

Everyone gasped.

"Mr. Filch, secure the castle. Students, go straight to the Great Hall."

Albus watched as Harry frowned at the portrait and his friends dragged him away.

"Severus, alert the other teachers and have them take their students to the Great Hall as well."

He nodded and swooped off.

"The rest of you, follow me," said Albus.

Harry was currently listening to Dumbledore receive reports from different professors that each section of the castle they searched was empty.

"I tried several tracking spells Albus. They all fizzled out. That means he can either do advanced wandless magic or he has gotten his hands on a wand somewhere."

Albus frowned. "All right. I really didn't expect him to linger. We'll move the students back in their dorms tomorrow morning."

"How do you suppose he got in Headmaster?"

"I'm unsure."

"Surely you don't think he did this alone?" Snape asked in a near silent whisper that Harry almost missed.

Albus looked at Severus and frowned. "Not a single person would have helped him to get in here." The tone told the potions master the subject was closed which made Harry frown.

"What about Potter? Should he be warned?"

"Something tells me that he already knows," said the Headmaster as he glanced down where he was laying. "But we'll keep an extra eye on him."

Harry done his best to stifle a groan.

"I can't locate the will that is setting off the alarm. I've searched up to 10 years back. I must have missed it," the goblin said after he had sat down in a chair across from his boss.

"Take some of the apprentices and have them hunt with you. If they still don't find it, go further back."

The goblin sighed. "Very well. We really need to make these vaults non-resistant to our magic."

"So you and every other goblin tell me."

A/N: In case you're wondering why the goblins are having such a hard time searching for the ringing will, it's because the vaults are resistant to all types of magic this AU world ... human and goblin. The reason being that if a thief is going to spend the time searching through ... let's say the will's to find out which vault has the most treasures in it, well, they will be caught since it has to be done by hand. It's a good system in that way, but as the goblins are finding out ... a PIA when a will rings that has modifications to it. hehe

And don't worry, they'll find it soon. ;-)

As an aside ... who thinks Remus is hiding something? *grins mischievously*