Severus jerked awake, sprawled across his desk. He blinked owlishly and looked around. The candles that he’d lit just a moment ago were burned to stubs. He wondered what had woken him.

A piercing scream filled the silence and Severus flew to his feet. Without even thinking he ran into Harry’s room and found the boy curled up on the bed, clutching his forehead, sweat streaming off him. The screams rattled his very soul, but they were not characteristic of the Cruciatus.

Severus stepped to the bed and laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder and gave him a small shake. As in the Hospital wing, Harry came awake instantly. But instead of tensing Harry started to shake, tears flowing down his face in floods. Severus knelt down and drew him into his arms, whispering a stream of comfort into his ear. Holding him like this, Severus could feel Harry’s racing pulse and the heat that radiated from him. Gently he rubbed Harry’s back, he was completely soaked and when Severus drew his hand away it was streaked with red. There was a spreading stain on Harry’s pyjama bottoms and on the sheets beneath. The tears had become broken sobs, now, that shook Harry’s whole frame, even as he clutched Severus with desperate strength.

"Harry calm down, please." He said, pulling away so he could look into the boy’s eyes. "Harry, you have to tell me what happened or I can’t help you."

Harry looked back at him with wide eyes, his pupils dilated with fear. With difficulty he took several great gulps of air and managed to calm his sobs, but the tears still glistened in his eyes.

"It was a…a nightmare…" Harry managed to say between breaths, "Dudley was there and he…and he…and then…and then my scar hurt…and it was…it was Voldemort…and it hurt so much…I was so scared…it felt so real." When Harry finished he broke down into sobbing again. Severus held Harry tight as the implications sank in. His mind reeled, Severus knew about Harry’s visions but there was no way that this could be a vision, or could there?

"Harry, I’m going to help you get cleaned up now, and then I need you to tell me everything you remember about this dream, alright?" He spoke softly but decisively. Harry looked at him and nodded hesitantly.

With permission given, Severus picked Harry up and carried him back into the bathroom. On his way he sent for a house-elf to change the sheets on Harry’s bed. As an after thought he sent another one to get Poppy and Albus.

For the second time he helped Harry wash and then he cleaned and sealed the wounds that had somehow reopened, Poppy would have to look at the appendix scar but the other internal wounds would stay closed without anymore help. Then he shrank a pair of his own pyjamas to dress Harry in and carried him back into the sitting room.

Harry was still shaking and his pulse was still much faster than normal, so Severus fetched a blanket from his own bed and lit a small fire to warm the room a bit. Sitting down on the sofa he cradled Harry in his arms, it felt odd but there were no protests from Harry so he thought he must doing it right. In fact Harry seemed quite happy where he was, his head resting on Severus’ shoulder. They had just got comfortable when Albus and Poppy arrived.

"What’s the problem, Severus?" Albus asked as he stepped through the door.

~*~*~*~

It took Harry a moment to realise that this wasn’t another part of his dream, and that it was actually Snape comforting him. It was a strange feeling. When he spoke it was with quiet command and Harry could not help but trust him. It hadn’t really occurred to him before that he could trust, really trust, Snape and that was strange too.

He took big breaths to stop himself sobbing and told Snape about the dream. It was still vivid, as if it had been burned into his memory. Even the short account that he gave, however, made him cry again and a small detached part of his brain informed him he was being weak, (blubbing like a baby!), but he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to stop.

Snape was speaking again, something about getting cleaned up. For the first time Harry realised he was soaked and bleeding, his appendix scar felt like it was on fire. Getting cleaned up sounded like a good idea so he nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and he was carried back to the bathroom. He was surprised at Snape’s efficiency at cleaning and closing his wounds. It wasn’t really surprising that Snape had Antiseptic Solution and other healing potions in his bathroom cabinet. Harry was grateful because that hopefully meant that Madame Pomfrey wouldn’t need to poke and prod him again.

Once he was dressed again he was carried back into the living room. Despite his best efforts he was still shaking and he was grateful that Snape wrapped him in a blanket before sitting down with him in his lap. It was weirdly comforting sitting like that, his head fitted almost exactly into the dent between Snape’s neck and his shoulder and it didn’t matter that his glasses were digging into the side of his face. This must be what it feels like to be held by a parent or something, Harry thought distractedly. He was faintly aware that they were no longer alone, Harry turned his head and saw Dumbledore dressed in purple and yellow stripped pyjamas complete with night-cap. Only Dumbledore could pull off a colour combination like that, especially with pink fluffy slippers.

Harry felt more than heard Snape speak, he wasn’t paying attention as it took almost all his will power trying to ignore the little voice in the back of his head. It was telling him he was being weak letting people treat him like a baby and it sounded too much like a cross between Uncle Vernon and Lucius Malfoy. It wasn’t until Gus jumped into his lap that he realised the others were trying to get his attention. He heard a female gasp and turned to see Pomfrey stood beside Dumbledore, he hadn’t noticed her before. She seemed to be glaring at the cat, and Gus was glaring back. Harry ran his fingers down Gus’ back and he transferred his attention to Harry and leant into the attention. That seemed to stall any comment Pomfrey was going to make.

"Harry, we need to you to tell us everything about the dream you had, even the little things. We need to find out what caused it before we can be sure it will not happen again."

Snape’s words reverberated through Harry and he took a deep breath but couldn’t find the right words to start. He looked up at Snape and then to Dumbledore, both gave him reassuring encouraging looks but it just made it harder to speak. Then he looked at Gus, who had his head cocked to one side as if he understood what was going on. Given that this was Snape’s familiar he probably did. Gus broke eye contact and as Harry watched he started to wash. Somehow this helped Harry focus and as he spoke he watched Gus and the details just tumbled out. Gus seemed to have a calming affect on him and he didn’t really notice what he was saying.

When he was finished he looked up at the others; Pomfrey looked like she had just seen a ghost and had tears in her eyes and Dumbledore was frowning into the middle distance. Harry didn’t need to look at Snape to know that his face was a carefully blank mask. There was silence for several minutes before Dumbledore spoke.

"Severus, how’s the translation coming along?"

The question startled Harry in its randomness, and he wasn’t the only one, Pomfrey was staring so hard Harry thought her eyes might pop out.

"Quite well, actually Albus. I’ve just finished with the first chapter. I should be able to start on the first section of Potions tomorrow. And it seems that Harry has received a degree of tutoring in Latin so perhaps it would not be a bad idea if he helped me with the scribing, if not the translation." Snape’s reply was measured and Harry blinked up at him. Harry wasn’t sure what surprised him more, that Snape wanted help with something, or that he wanted his help with something.

"An excellent suggestion!" Dumbledore exclaimed smiling again, "but don’t forget Harry has his holiday work to finish first… Yes, a most satisfactory outcome, now if you don’t mind I would like a few more hours of shut eye tonight. I will leave you in the capable hands of Madame Pomfrey and bid you Good-night, or is it Good Morning?"

With a final twinkle Dumbledore left and Pomfrey shifted into nurse mode. Harry let out a resigned sigh as Pomfrey started prodding him with diagnostic spells. Fortunately she pronounced Snape’s repairs adequate and promptly insisted Harry go back to bed. Harry wasn’t sure whether he wanted to, he was unsure about if he would dream again, as he’d never been allowed to go back to sleep afterwards.

When Snape had carried him back to his room, it was getting rather weird just how helpful Snape was being, Pomfrey made a show of tucking him in and feeding him more painkiller potion. But before she had finished Gus had leapt up and made a swipe for her hands.

"Get that thing out of here," she ordered Snape, snatching her hands away. "This is a sick room not a menagerie!"

Harry was very surprised at Pomfrey’s tone, it was obvious that she disliked Gus and Gus made it obvious that the feeling was mutual. Despite the order Snape just stood back looking amused.

"If Gus wishes to watch over Harry I’m not the one to ask. Harry do you mind Gus being here?" Snape tried to keep the amusement out of his voice but he did not fool Pomfrey, she scowled and bustled out of the room muttering.

"What just happened?" Harry asked confused at the sudden change such a supposedly calm woman could show. Snape grinned at him, and Harry was almost sure he would have winked or some such thing if he hadn’t suddenly realised what he was doing.

"Oh, nothing much," he replied casually, "Gus and Poppy have a long history. Perhaps you might hear it, perhaps not, but right now you need sleep. I shall be putting a ward around the bed so I will know if anything untoward happens. Good Night, sleep well."

Harry watched as Snape made a few sweeps with his wand before leaving the room. Everything is getting weirder and weirder, Harry thought to himself as he snuggled down. It took a moment for Gus to find a comfortable position, but in short order both cat and boy were fast asleep.

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