As Harry and Draco walked back into the Manor, Severus sighed in relief at seeing them return unhurt and quite happy.

"And how was your excursion to Diagon Alley?"

"Great Uncle Sev. And don't worry; apart from Harry having a fit in Twilfit and Tatting's, it was uneventful."

"I did not have a fit Draco. I simply didn't see the need for you to buy me even more…shorts than you already did. I have enough clothes now to last me for the next ten years."

Severus laughed at the two bickering and decided to spare Harry anymore of Draco's 'wifeing', "Harry, Draco naturally assumes that as he can never have enough of the best that everyone else is the same. Draco, Harry is not the type of person to wear something once and then get rid of it."

Harry smiled in gratitude at Severus for stopping Draco and added, "Draco, it's not that I don't appreciate the offer of more clothes but I really don't need them."

Draco threw his hands up in surrender before mumbling, "I wear stuff twice Uncle Sev."

Severus and Harry burst out laughing at the pout on Draco's face and he couldn't help but join in.

After dinner the men sat in the Library, Severus sipping brandy, the boys having tea, enjoying the peace and quiet of the evening when Harry decided it was time to talk more about what had happened earlier, "Severus, I'm sorry about earlier. I know I've already said that but I really feel as though I needed to say it again."

Severus nodded and saw Draco trying to ignore the conversation. "Harry, there is no need to apologize about something you have no control over. I'm only sorry I couldn't help you with whatever was bothering you."

"Well, that's just it. I don't know that anything was bothering me. I was tired and just fell asleep. Next thing I know, you're ordering me to wake up and Draco's hurt." Turning to the blonde he said, "I am sorry about that Draco."

Draco simply nodded knowing nothing he said would make Harry feel better about hurting him. Harry always took even the most innocent thing to heart and he doubted that would ever change.

"Sir, I was thinking maybe I would talk to Poppy about all of this. She's offered help and…well…maybe I should take it."

Severus sat his brandy on the table in front of himself and folded his hands on his lap. He studied Harry for a couple of minutes before nodding and saying, "Harry, I think that is a very wise and mature decision. Minerva has requested that we join her for dinner on Friday. Why don't we go early and you can set something up with Poppy."

Harry smiled at Severus and said, "Thank you sir. I think I'm gonna head up to bed." Harry stood and walked from the room leaving Severus and Draco to look after him in wonder.

"He's grown up a lot in a short period of time Sev. Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He always is, though I doubt it will be an easy trip. Now, what did he do while he was gone that had you so upset?"

Draco blushed and said, "Nothing for you to be concerned about."

Severus answered, "If it had you upset enough to dress him down and have him apologising to you about worrying his family and friends, then I'm smart enough to know there's something I should be told about." Severus raised an eyebrow and waited.

Draco squirmed slightly under the scrutiny and knowing he had no hope of lying or passing it off, he looked at his Godfather and said, "Harry went off, without anyone knowing, and had a little chat with Percy Weasley. He didn't tell anyone where he had slipped off to and Ron and Hermione were worried. Then when he came back, he wouldn't tell them what happened or why he had slipped off."

He watched to see how his Godfather was taking the information and added, "Percy isn't trusted by the family and has been all but disowned. I just didn't feel that it was safe for Harry to be slipping off into the woods to have a chat like that."

Severus leaned back in his chair and finished his brandy. He sat for a moment and watched Draco's face then abruptly rose, "I expect at some point you'll tell me the rest of it." He sat his snifter quietly on the bar top and walked from the room in a flurry of robes.

Draco knew he was upset at not knowing the complete truth but was content for now. He'd have to talk to Harry about all of this in the morning.

Draco's hand was on the knob of his bedroom door when he heard a noise coming from Harry's room. He approached the door and listened, realising the noise he heard was Harry's soft crying. Hoping he wasn't intruding, he slowly opened the door and found Harry curled up on the bed facing the window, shoulders shaking with each sob.

"Harry," Draco whispered, "is there something I can do?"

When Harry didn't respond, Draco rounded the bed and knelt on the floor in front of the boy. He reached out a tentative hand and placed it softly on the shaking shoulder, "Harry, what's wrong?"

Hearing the concern in Draco's voice, Harry sat up and scooted up the bed leaning against the headboard. Draco climbed up and settled next to him and waited.

"Why me? Why does everything happen to me? All those people are dead because of me. Sirius, Arthur, Albus, even Bellatrix. Why is it that whenever I'm around, people die?" He took a hitched breath and sighed. He didn't expect an answer to his rhetorical rant so he continued, "I feel as though anytime I find the slightest happiness, it's taken from me and shattered. It always seems to be just round the next corner and when I take the turn, it slips away, or explodes or is murdered in front of me."

Draco waited to see if Harry would continue, and when it was obvious he wouldn't he took his chance, "Harry, it's unfortunate that you only see the bad in everything you experience." He slipped his arm around Harry's shoulders as Harry began to shiver from the emotional overload he was feeling. "Yes, people have died but look at all those you have saved, myself included. If you hadn't taken a stand against Tom then many others would have died."

Draco pulled a blanket up and wrapped it around Harry's body as Harry curled into Draco's side. Draco kept talking quietly hoping Harry would relax enough to fall asleep. He tried to lighten the mood a little so Harry wouldn't drift off in turmoil, "You know, I probably shouldn't tell you this but when we were shopping today, one of the sales clerks at Twilfit's was checking you out. I'm not sure if it was the way you grabbed your bum when I held the boxers up to measure them or the blush when I suggested you show me the tag in the ones you had on that made her take notice but she didn't stop looking until we were well out of the store. She even followed us out so she could keep looking."

Draco suddenly realised Harry had stopped shivering and his breathing had evened out and he looked down at Harry and saw a slight smile on the tear stained face. He started to shift out of Harry's grip only to be firmly held in place by a set of strong arms. He shifted them down so they were lying on the bed instead of sitting and summoned another blanket for himself. Harry cuddled against Draco, sighed and fell deeper into his first dreamless sleep in over a month.

As Draco shifted his weight to slide out from under Harry, the sleeping boy shifted with him, unwilling to release his old. Draco sighed and resigned himself to staying right where he was, lying on his back with Harry tucked at his side. He gathered his blanket and made sure Harry was covered before he drifted off.

Morning light was streaming through the open curtains when Draco finally pulled himself from his sleep. He tried to sit up, forgetting about his companion, and it took a moment before he remembered why he was unable to rise. He looked to his side and took in the appearance of the boy cuddling into his side.

Harry's face was relaxed in a way no one had seen since his infancy, and when Harry's eyes slowly opened, he saw an ease that had never been present before.

Harry smiled at his bed mate and pushed himself up on his elbow but made no motion to leave. "Sorry about last night. I guess I was more tired than I thought. You didn't have to stay with me you know."

Draco laughed and began to sit up against the headboard of the bed saying, "I most certainly did."

Harry followed suit and looked at Draco, "No you didn't. I would have been fine alone."

Draco shook his head, "Harry, you wouldn't let me leave. I tried but you held on like you were drowning and I was a life belt. Anytime I tried to move, you followed."

Harry looked surprised and blushed when he realised that the 'dream' he'd had, had been anything but. "Draco, I must apologise. I thought I was dreaming about that and in my dreams, I tend to hand on to things like that. I also want to say thank you for helping me last night."

A knock interrupted the conversation, "Come in," Harry said quietly.

Severus opened the door and stepped inside, "Good morning boys. I trust you both slept well?"

Severus took in the appearance of the boys and smiled slightly. Harry and Draco were sitting in the centre of the large bed, no visible space between them, and both clad in the same clothes as they had been in the previous day.

"Draco, couldn't you even be bothered enough to conjure appropriate sleeping attire?"

"Well, had Harry not had me in a death grip all night, maybe I could have gotten to my wand," Draco replied pointing to the table by the window where his and Harry's wands sat. Draco placed his hand lightly on Harry's when he blushed in embarrassment at his behaviour in the night.

"Unless I am much mistaken," Severus said as he sat on the edge of the bed, "I believe our Mr. Potter slept the night through." He raised an eyebrow at the blushing boy awaiting an answer.

Harry looked at Draco and his eyes got quite large as he realised the truth of the statement, "I did didn't I?"

"Well, breakfast will be ready shortly. Why don't you two get ready and come down." Severus got up and left the boys smiling.

"Does it seem like he knows something he isn't telling us?" Draco asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest," Harry replied as he climbed from the bed and headed to the loo to shower. Draco followed his example and went to his own room to get ready for the day ahead.

The days flew by in a flurry of activity designed entirely to distract Harry from his life and from dwelling on the past weeks. There were lunches in the Manor gardens, marathon games on chess, long winded discussions about everything and nothing and as much laughter and mirth as the three could handle.

Friday arrived quickly enough that Harry hadn't had time to worry about what he would say to Poppy when he saw her, but as he walked onto the grounds of Hogwarts again, he felt the butterflies in his stomache start to multiply and begin their exploration of his insides.

Draco noticed the gathered skin between Harry's eyebrows and figured the worry was returning, "Harry, don't fret. You know Poppy. She's easy to talk to and if you don't want to, you don't have to."

Harry bumped Draco's shoulder with his own and smiled, "Thanks. I know you're right."

Poppy stood at the top of the entrance stairs with her arms open to receive Harry and Draco, "Boys, I'm so glad to see you both. Come in now and let's see about you."

She nodded at Severus as she led the boys inside the castle to the Hospital wing. Severus smiled and headed off to find Minerva.

Poppy smiled at Harry as he sat opposite her in her office. Having proclaimed Draco to be in perfect health, albeit a little tired, she sent him off to Minerva's office with a pepper up potion in hand.

"So Harry love, Severus said you wanted to talk to me about something. Is everything okay?"

Not knowing how or where to begin, Harry looked down at his lap and sighed. He felt like he had so much he wanted to say and ask but just didn't know how to get the thoughts out of his mouth.

Poppy sat quietly waiting while she watched his aura change colours with the emotions and magic swirling around him. He appeared physically healthy but his emotions were all over the chart and as she surreptitiously cast diagnostic spells on him to check his magic levels, she wondered just how drained he'd gotten in the fight.

"Poppy, I'm not sure where to begin. I guess the main problem is that I can't sleep."

"At all?"

"No, I can sleep for a couple of hours at a time and then I wake up and usually can't get back to sleep."

"What wakes you?"

"Dreams…well, nightmares I guess."

Poppy watched Harry's face as he answered the question quietly and knew the gravity of what Harry had faced. The images floating through her head alone could keep a normal person awake for weeks from fear.

"Okay, so nightmares, well, we can deal with them. What else?"

Harry looked at the formidable woman before him and wondered what was going through her head, "Potions don't stop them and neither does my occlumency. I have a number of emotional break downs and talked to Severus about some of this and even that doesn't work. I don't know what to do."

Sensing the growing frustration, Poppy walked around her desk and sat next to her favourite patient, "Harry, we'll work this out. I promise. It just might take some time. So, let's start with this, do you have the nightmares every night?"

Two hours, and many Reparo spells later, the pair emerged from the Hospital and made their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

Poppy had asked Harry to keep a journal for the next two weeks, recording each night's dreams and his emotional state before bed. She was determined to see if there was a trigger to his nightmares or if this was just the emotional baggage of a young life spent fighting against hell.

Minerva greeted Harry with a bone crushing hug and made him sit next to her so she could talk with him. She missed having him at the school where she could see each day that he was alive and well. She trusted Severus to take good care of him, but she knew he couldn't give Harry the loving support she could.

"Oh my boy, I'm so glad to see you." Minerva didn't release Harry's hand until he needed it to eat with, and even then, she wouldn't take her eyes from him.

"Um, do I have something on my face ma'am?" Harry asked as he was finishing his dessert.

Minerva looked confused and said, "No son, why?"

"Well, you have been watching me so intently I figured there must be something wrong with my face."

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I've just been so worried about you." Minerva leaned in before asking, "Are Severus and Draco treating you well enough?"

"Of course they are. I really enjoy being at the Manor. I've been able to meditate in the gardens and the library is something even Hermione would get lost in. Considering I wake them almost nightly with my incessant nightmares and there's the occasional burst of magic, I'm surprised I'm still welcome there though."

Harry saw Minerva about to jump on the statement and cut her off at the pass, "I've been talking with Poppy about this very thing and we've a few ideas to work on. I wouldn't worry Professor."

"Harry, please call me Minerva. We've really been through far too much together to be so formal. And you are welcome to stop by and say hi anytime you are here to see Poppy." She smiled at the blushing boy and added as an afterthought, "Or any other time for that matter. I do miss seeing you every day."

The dirty dishes disappeared as the party rose from the table and made for the entry hall. Good nights were shared and hugs all around, before the men headed back to the manor. Severus sent to boys to their rooms with instructions to, "Get right to sleep now. It's been a long night and you both could do with some solid rest. Harry, don't forget your journal."

"Yes Sev'rus," came the chorused reply, paired with two sets of rolling eyes.

As the boys walked up the stairs, Draco finally asked the question he'd been waiting to all night, "So, has Minerva always mothered you like that?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I don't mind though. She always let me go my own way unless I was really going astray, then she'd get me back on the way and off I'd go. I think since she had both my parents, she feels something like protective of me. Still, it's not something I would want to see ending anytime soon. It's nice to know I have her there."

Draco smiled at the love he heard in Harry's response. It was such a refreshing change from the defeat he'd been hearing. Maybe his time with Poppy would pay off. "Night Harry. Call me if you need anything okay?"

Harry stopped and looked at the blonde standing across the hall from him, "Yeah, night." He was about to ask Draco about what they were going to do tomorrow when he heard a tapping at his window. "Gotta go, owl at the window. Night."

Harry walked to the window and let the tawny owl in. It landed on the footboard of his bed and waited until Harry closed the window before hooting a request to be relieved of its parcel.

Harry chuckled as he strode over to the animal and removed the thin box from the owl. He stroked the bird's feathers and gave her a couple of owl treats as he unwrapped the package.

Harry opened the lid of the box and looked inside to find a wand nestled in silver silk. He studied the wand and tried to figure out why someone would send it to him. It looked familiar and the magical signature seemed to resonate with him though the owners name seemed just out of reach of his questing mind.

The owl that had been perched on the bed suddenly flew to the window demanding to be let out. Harry absentmindedly let the bird out and mumbled to himself about the origins of the parcel. Knowing the only way he was going to figure it out was to pick up the wand, Harry reached for the length of wood. As his fingers surrounded the mahogany instrument, the name of the owner flooded his consciousness and Harry fell to the ground.

Draco had just finished putting his silk pajama bottoms on when the door to his room suddenly burst open and he was thrown back onto his bed by a force of magic he knew instantly. He quickly righted himself and flew through the opening where his door had been into the hall running into his Godfather.

The men both ran into Harry's room and found the unconscious boy on the floor in a heap and the room destroyed. The windows had exploded covering the grass below with glass and Harry was surrounded by pieces of wood from his furniture.

Draco flew to Harry's side and fell to the ground as he threw pieces of wood off the prone wizard, all the while yelling the boy's name.

Severus, wand drawn, ran to the window and looked outside evaluating whether they were under some sort of attack. He saw nothing in the yard but the broken glass and wood from the window frame littering the grass surrounding an owl. As Severus watched, the owl bounced up and flew off obviously unharmed. Severus turned into the room to find Draco sitting on the floor with Harry's head cradled in his lap. Harry was grasping a wand, which wasn't his, so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Draco was rocking back and forth saying Harry's name as he gently pushed hair from the boys face and evaluated him for injuries.

Severus had never seen his Godson show such concern for someone else before and it surprised him that Harry would be the recipient. He quickly cast a charm to remove the debris and send it to the yard with the rest, and looked around the room to see if anything could be salvaged. When he saw that even the large wardrobe had been relegated to kindling, he looked at the boys and said, "Draco, take Harry into your room and I'll call Poppy. Whatever happened here, can be discussed once we make sure Harry's okay."

Draco levitated Harry and followed his body across the hall and gently placed him on the bed. He ran into the bathroom and got a wet flannel and began to clean the blood off Harry and heal the cuts that littered his face and hands.

Throughout everything, Harry did not release his grip on the foreign wand. When Poppy came running into the room with Severus, she asked why no one had taken the wand from his grip.

Draco replied, "Because he won't let it go. I tried as I was cleaning and healing the cuts on his hands and face and it's like it's fused to his hand."

Poppy looked at Harry whose head was cradled in Draco's lap and said, "Draco, you can move now. I need to look him over and see if there are any injuries."

Draco looked at his Godfather for approval before shifting to the side of Harry giving Poppy room to work.

Poppy ran several diagnostic checks as her wand passed over her patient and a quill recorded each of her findings on the parchment at her side. When the last spell had run its course, she looked at Severus and said, "He's fine. He's in shock but it otherwise fine. Do you any idea what happened?"

Severus shook his head and looked at his Godson with an eyebrow raised.

Draco lifted his eyes for the first time from Harry and met the eyes of the adults. Tears had been streaming down his cheeks and his eyes were red. "Um, well we had just come up for the night and I told Harry to let me know if he needed anything and he said goodnight and that there was an owl at his window. I came in here and got ready for bed. The next thing I knew, my door exploded and I was thrown onto my bed. I went running for Harry's room and found Uncle Sev in the hall headed there too." He looked at Poppy and quietly said, "Is he really okay?"

Poppy smiled and handed Draco a potion bottle before saying, "Yes dear, he's going to be just fine. The shock will wear off as he sleeps which is what you should be doing now. Drink up," she said indicating the phial, "it's a calming draught and will help you relax enough to sleep."

Severus nodded to Poppy in thanks and looked at Draco, "Draco, why don't you go next door and sleep there. Harry can stay in here."

Draco shook his head and said, "I'm not leaving here. When he wakes up, he's gonna be freaked out and I won't leave him alone." He saw Severus getting ready to argue and explained, "Uncle Sev, he stood in front of me in Diagon Alley when Greyback showed up. I'm not going to leave him alone until we know what happened. I owe him that much."

Severus and Poppy nodded and left the boys as Draco drank the potion and settled in next to his friend. Severus flicked his wand and a cashmere blanket emerged from the chest at the end of the bed to settle over the boys.

Severus led Poppy back to the floo in the study and said, "What do you think happened Poppy?"

She stopped inside the floo before activating the network and said, "I don't know what happened Severus, but I'd wager it's tied to the wand in his hand and whoever sent it."

Severus looked at the Medi-witch with raised eyebrows and she nodded, "That's not his wand Severus. I'm assuming that the owl brought it and what ever happened is tied to it. You'll need to figure that out right away. The burst of magic that caused all this, it came from Harry; you should have seen my office after his visit tonight. He's got to learn to control it and his emotions or there could be future problems." She activated the network and said, "Hogwarts Infirmary," before disappearing.