Snape relaxed back in his favourite armchair with a sigh, and directed his gaze at the flames dancing merrily in the fireplace. He had no doubt whatsoever that Dumbledore would be showing up as soon as he learned that Snape had woken up, and he wanted to have at least a few minutes of peace to sort out his thoughts.

He'd explained the bare bones of the situation with Potter to Dumbledore last night before he'd stalked out of the hospital wing to get some much needed sleep, but he hadn't managed to provide the details he knew the older wizard needed. All he'd been interested in at the time was making sure that Potter drank the potions and that Dumbledore knew both that it was the boy's visions that had caused the problem, and just how very serious the situation was at present. Once that had been accomplished, he'd had just enough energy left to make it to his quarters before he fell asleep.

It was now nine o'clock in the morning; he'd woken up about half an hour ago, and had just finished his breakfast. Potter would be asleep for another few hours - he'd mixed a sedative into the Healing Draught he'd given the boy - which would give him time to start brewing another batch of the Levatio Potion.

Snape sighed again. This had not been what he'd pictured when Albus had told him to go check on Potter. He'd thought that he would simply stop by Privet Drive - disguised as a Muggle, of course, to avoid unwanted attention - see that Potter was fine, and return to Hogwarts. The last thing he'd thought he would be doing was bringing the boy here for the rest of the summer; because no matter what Dumbledore or the Ministry might think, Potter was going to have to stay here. His Muggle relatives hadn't noticed or paid any attention to his condition, which meant that they simply couldn't be trusted to ensure that he stayed healthy for the next month.

His thoughts were interrupted by the expected knock on the door, and he called, "Come in!"

The door opened obediently at his words, and Dumbledore walked in, a serious expression on his face. "Severus. You're looking somewhat better this morning," the headmaster declared, sitting on the couch opposite Snape's chair.

"Getting seven hours of sleep does help, Albus," Snape replied evenly, and then waited. He was not going to bring it up; let Albus do that.

He didn't have to wait for very long. "When do you think Mr. Potter will be able to return to his relatives?"

Snape shook his head. "He won't. Not this summer." He met Dumbledore's eyes and let a grimace cross his face. "Much as I hate to say it, he's going to have to remain here."

Dumbledore frowned. "The protection he gets from remaining with his blood relatives--"

"Isn't going to help him if he takes any more damage from those visions of his," Snape interrupted harshly. "They didn't notice that anything was wrong, Albus. Based on the amount of additional damage I found when I went back after the meeting, and taking into account Voldemort's mood last night, I'd say that two more visions would have been all that was necessary to start making the damage irreversible. The wards here are more than adequate during the school year; they should provide him with sufficient protection for the rest of this summer."

Dumbledore's frown deepened. "Severus--"

"He's going to need three more triple doses of Levatio - combined with Healing Draughts - to deal with the damage that's already been done, as well as regular doses after each future vision," Snape said, interrupting a second time.

Dumbledore tapped his fingers on the couch's armrest. "It's not like you to suggest providing a student - especially Mr. Potter - with special treatment, Severus," he pointed out. "I will be in and out of the school on an irregular schedule, and the only other staff members here at the moment aside from you are Filch and Professor Binns. Surely if we spoke to his aunt and uncle, they would make sure that he takes the potions."

Snape shook his head again. "I told you, Albus, they didn't even notice Potter was unwell." He let a hint of the anger he felt leach out into his voice. "In fact, their attitude approaches what the Muggles refer to as criminal negligence.

"As for my... attitude..." Snape leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I told you last night, Albus, Potter is feeling the Cruciatus curses that Voldemort casts in his visions. Even if he's not getting the full effect - he would have been dead over a week ago if he was - that's still, at a minimum, the equivalent of one or two full curses per vision, whether it's a meeting or... other activity. You said he's been having the visions two to four times a week since the beginning of summer?"

Dumbledore nodded silently.

"He's still only a child, Albus, almost fifteen or not. I'll freely admit I don't like him in the slightest, but no child should have to put up with that sort of pain. You know how I feel about that."

Once again, Dumbledore nodded. It was, after all, Snape's feelings about causing children pain that had turned him from a devoted Death Eater into Dumbledore's spy.

"If he does stay here, Severus, you will have to be the one to keep an eye on him," the headmaster said, after a long moment.

Snape took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. Albus's statement wasn't really that much of a surprise; in fact, he wouldn't put it past the old wizard to have skillfully manipulated him into this position, pretending to oppose the idea of Potter staying so that Snape would be forced to take the boy on for the rest of the summer. Either way, he'd seen it coming from the moment he'd realized Potter was in no condition to be left with the Muggles, and had already made his decision. "I know," he replied simply.

It was obvious from the expression on Dumbledore's face that he'd expected more of an argument, and Snape felt a bit of pleasure at that. It wasn't often he had the opportunity to really surprise the headmaster.

"In fact, I have an idea or two that will help keep him occupied, at least until school starts again," he added.

Dumbledore gave him an encouraging nod.

"He's faced Voldemort - in one form or another - three out of his four years here so far, and had to deal with Dementors in his third year. I know Lupin was giving him additional tutoring in Defence his third year - there is no way he would have been able to produce a Patronus otherwise - but... frankly, Albus, the Defence teachers, for one reason or another, have been miserable for the past four years," Snape declared. "Lupin was the only one who bothered to give Potter extra-curricular training, and that was only in dealing with Dementors, not anything else.

"Voldemort is obsessed with the boy's death, and I have little doubt that they're going to end up facing each other again and again until he's defeated. He needs to learn more - much more - than what he's being taught in Defence classes."

"Severus... are you offering to tutor Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked. He looked astonished.

Another point to me, Snape thought smugly, amused. This was proving to be a very interesting conversation, if only because he'd just managed to surprise Albus a second time. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting," he answered. "After all, it does behoove us to make certain he has as much knowledge and training as possible.

"And..." He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair, in an unconscious imitation of Dumbledore. "Do you remember suggesting to me a few years ago that Potter might be another Sensitive?"

"Of course," Dumbledore replied. "Just after Sirius managed to escape from Azkaban, as I recall."

Snape's eyes narrowed at this mention of Black, but he didn't say anything.

"There was an incident at the Dursleys' - with his uncle's sister, I believe," Dumbledore continued. "It suggested that he might, at the very least, have a greater ability with wandless magic than most. Why?"

"I think you may be right." Snape met the headmaster's eyes. "While I was scanning him to check the damage, I encountered a peculiar resistance - one I've never encountered with anyone else I've scanned, even those in worse condition. And this link he has with Voldemort... Links generally go both ways, but I have no doubt that if Voldemort were experiencing visions of Potter, he'd have found and killed the boy by now. Added to that is the fact that I don't think even Lily's sacrifice would be enough to protect him so completely from the Killing Curse..." He shrugged.

"Either way, if I'm giving him additional training in Defence, I should also be able to test whether or not he is a Sensitive. If he is, then I can provide him with training in that as well."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "An excellent idea, Severus," he agreed. "In fact," he added, the usual twinkle in his eyes brightening, "I believe it may be beneficial to you both."

Snape gave a resigned grimace. Would Albus never stop meddling?

"Now, what was the meeting last night about?" the headmaster added, his tone becoming more serious.

Snape leaned forward, frowning. "It seems that Arthur Weasley is becoming quite the thorn in the Death Eaters' sides," he replied. "The raids he's been coordinating have been giving them some trouble; they've become so accustomed to being regarded as innocent that a number of them have been more than a bit careless. He's managed to locate at least one cache of Malfoy's Dark Arts paraphernalia, whether he knows it belongs to Lucius or not."

Dumbledore looked pleased. "That is good news - I'll have to let him know."

"You'd also better warn him," Snape added, a bit more sombrely. "Malfoy knows perfectly well who's responsible for the raids, even though Weasley hasn't been participating in them directly. He's going to have to start being alert for retribution - whether official, or through the Death Eaters."

Dumbledore nodded in grim understanding. "And so it starts all over again..."

---

Harry blinked up at the ceiling, feeling somewhat confused. His memory of last night was more than a bit foggy, but he did recall Snape bringing him to the Hogwarts hospital wing... and that appeared, from what he could tell without his glasses, to be where he was...

...But the sun wasn't shining directly in the windows, as it usually was when he woke up here.

Carefully pushing himself up to a sitting position, he automatically reached out one hand to the bedside table for his glasses, only to encounter some kind of obstruction. Turning to look, he saw that the table held what looked like two piles of books, with a tray and his glasses balanced on top of them.

Grabbing his glasses, he put them on, and then looked back at the table.

He'd been right; there were four large books there. The only one whose title he could see looked like it might be a text for Defence Against the Dark Arts: Defending Yourself: Shields and Other Useful Charms.

His attention focused more on the tray, however. Along with what looked to be a very large breakfast, there were two glass phials, one containing a blue-coloured potion - the same one he vaguely remembered from last night? - and the other one containing a green one that he recognized as a Healing Draught. Propped up against the phial with the blue potion was a piece of parchment.

Harry picked it up, and winced slightly as he recognized the handwriting as Snape's. He didn't even want to imagine what Snape must think about him now, after the state he'd been in last night, but he knew that things would be worse if he didn't read the note.

Mr. Potter,

First of all, you are to remain in bed. Do not get up, for any reason.

Secondly, the tray on your bedside table contains two potions as well as your meal. As soon as you have finished reading this note, take the blue one, followed by the green. Ensure that you take the entire contents of both phials.

After you have taken the potions, you are to eat all the food provided. You should be waking up around lunchtime, and I assume you will be quite hungry.

Lunchtime? Harry wondered, surprised, and glanced at his watch. He was astonished to see that it read 2:00 pm. No wonder the sun was in the wrong position - it was practically the middle of the afternoon!

Headmaster Dumbledore and I will be in to speak with you at 4pm. If you find yourself bored, I suggest you turn your attention to the books on the table.

-- Professor Snape

Harry sighed, put the note to one side, and obediently picked up the phial containing the blue potion. Uncorking it, he raised it to his lips and swallowed the entire contents.

It was the same as the first potion Snape had given him last night - he recognized the unusual taste, and the feeling of warmth spreading through his body, as well as the relief from that odd chill; the one, he realized suddenly, that came with the phantom pains from his visions.

Snape had been strangely concerned about the Cruciatus curse last night, Harry suddenly remembered - did this potion have anything to do with that?

With a mental shrug, he turned his attention to the green potion; and then, once he'd swallowed that, he focused on the food.

To his surprise, he was hungry enough to finish everything on the tray. He'd expected to be able to finish perhaps half of it - after all, his stomach had shrunk as usual during the month he'd been with the Dursleys - but before he knew it he'd eaten it all, and was still somewhat hungry.

He spent the next quarter of an hour or so staring up at the ceiling, trying to puzzle out what was going on. However, the pieces he had wouldn't fit together - there was too much information missing. Why had Snape taken him from the Dursleys, and why was the Potions master - who did, after all, hate Harry - so concerned about him? It didn't make any sense! It didn't help that he still, even after the potions and the meal, had no clear memory of what had happened last night after the vision.

Finally, realizing he probably wasn't going to be able to work anything out until Snape and Professor Dumbledore spoke with him - which wouldn't be for another hour and a half - and feeling boredom start to set in, he did as Snape's note had suggested and turned his attention to the books.

Besides the one on charms, there was a book on potions: 101 Useful Potions for Dark Situations; one on dealing with monsters: Everything You Need to Know About Dark Creatures; and one on - surprisingly - what looked to be physical defence: How to Defend Yourself Without a Wand.

The theme was rather obvious; they all had something to do with DADA. I wonder why Snape left them for me? Could he be trying to tell me something?

Deciding to start with Defending Yourself: Shields and Other Useful Charms, Harry removed it from the pile, opened it, and started to read.

---

Snape stirred the potion in his cauldron one last time, and then turned off the burner and froze the contents with a quick spell. It would thaw out over the next several hours, and be ready for Potter's next dose tomorrow morning.

At the thought of Potter, he found himself grimacing. The boy should have woken up by now; hopefully, he'd paid attention to the note and was staying in bed. Even with the first two triple-strength doses of Levatio, his condition was still such that he could do additional damage if he was up and about.

Putting the cauldron down on the table, he walked out of his workroom, closing the door and bespelling it to prevent Peeves from entering. The last thing any of them needed at the moment was to have that bloody poltergeist do something to the Levatio Potion - not when he had only one regular dose left, and it took several hours to prepare.

If he'd been able to, he would have given Potter the whole seven doses last night; but that would have placed too much of a strain on the boy's body. Snape was well aware of the fact that he was pushing it slightly with three, but he also knew that the faster the damage was repaired, the better off they'd be. If Potter had another vision before he was healed...

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he headed over toward his desk. Dumbledore would be coming down in just over an hour to discuss what they were going to tell Potter, and he'd do well to have a basic curriculum for the next month worked out.

For the first week, starting tomorrow, Snape had already decided that they were going to concentrate on theory. The sooner they got started, the better, and Potter wasn't going to be in any condition to handle the practical work until he was completely recovered from the damage the visions had done. So, theoretical work first, concentrating on Potions - maybe Potter would finally learn something about Potion-making - and wandless defence; the boy was already reasonably strong when it came to Charms, as evidenced by what had happened over the past year during the Tournament, and Snape knew that Lupin had drilled his classes intensively in Dark Creatures.

When they got on to the practical work, he'd divide things up more evenly, although it would probably be wise to concentrate somewhat more on wandless defence. The more options Potter had open to him, the better off everyone would be; and that would also give Snape the chance to check the boy's potential as a Sensitive.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose again, Snape leaned back in his chair and thought about that.

It had been Dumbledore who'd discovered that he was a Sensitive, shortly after he'd agreed to become the headmaster's spy. Dumbledore wasn't a Sensitive himself - although he did have a very powerful ability for wandless magic - but he'd known the signs, and had also known how to provide basic training in the gift.

Snape had accepted eagerly - knowledge was, in some ways, an addiction for him, and he'd also known how advantageous it would be to have abilities that Voldemort knew nothing about - and had thrown himself into the training. When Dumbledore's knowledge had been exhausted, he'd started researching it himself, discovering more and more applications of the gift along the way.

Sensitives were just that - more sensitive than other wizards and witches to the flow of power that was magic. Much more sensitive.

All Sensitives were capable of doing much more with wandless magic, even untrained, than the vast majority of the wizarding population. Not all wizards with wandless magic were Sensitives, of course - Dumbledore being a prime example - but it served to indicate who might have the potential. Snape himself found wandless magic to be as easy as magic using a wand, if a bit more tiring. And that was only the most basic application of the gift.

The scan he'd done of Potter to determine the damage that the Cruciatus curses had left was another way in which he could use his Sensitivity; though - before last night - it was something he hadn't had to do since Voldemort's disappearance. He was going to be exercising it a great deal more before this war was over, Snape suspected.

The only question was, how was he to tell if Potter was a Sensitive? Dumbledore had said that he didn't know for certain, and he hadn't been able to tell that Snape was a Sensitive until he'd turned twenty - which would be too late for this. There had to be some way for one Sensitive to recognize another...

Pushing his chair back, Snape stood up and headed over to his research shelves. Tapping the bottle that acted as a book holder three times with his index finger, he waited as the bookshelf swung out, revealing another layer of shelves behind it. This was where he kept the books he didn't want anyone to know about - including the ones dealing with the Sensitive gift. If there was some way for him to recognize another Sensitive, it should be in one of these books.

---

Standing next to the window of his office, his gaze directed outward, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, presented the perfect picture of a man contentedly surveying his domain.

The appearance differed greatly from the reality, however.

Dumbledore's mind was not on the majestic view in front of him; instead, it was focused on two other people - one currently in the hospital wing, the other undoubtedly busy in the dungeons.

He'd been worried about Harry ever since the events of the Triwizard Tournament; he suspected that the boy was blaming himself for what had happened. He'd done the best he had been able to at the time to prove to Harry that the responsibility for Cedric Diggory's death - and Voldemort's resurrection - was that of Voldemort, Wormtail, and Barty Crouch; that was one of the reasons he'd insisted that Harry remain for Crouch's interrogation. He'd been afraid, however, that it hadn't been enough. And while Molly had mentioned that Harry had been able to tell herself, Bill, Ron, and Hermione what had happened, he'd still been concerned.

Then, the first week after the end of school, Harry had begun sending reports of the visions he was experiencing. That had been unexpected, to say the least; and while Dumbledore couldn't dispute the fact that the information he'd managed to glean from the reports was useful, it had served to further increase his concern. Over the previous year, Harry had had a total of two visions of Voldemort. Now, he was having at least two a week - and some of them were of attacks on Muggles and Muggle-borns. Only three so far - Voldemort was being cautious - but that was three too many for a boy to be forced to see.

He'd finally managed to convince Severus to go check on Harry, thankfully. At the time, he would have preferred to send Minerva - she was, after all, Harry's Head of House, as well as being more sympathetic to him - but now he was glad he hadn't been able to. Minerva didn't have anywhere near the experience with the Cruciatus curse that Severus had - certainly not enough to recognize the symptoms Harry displayed - and considering how much damage Severus said Harry had taken already...

Dumbledore sighed. How had that happened? He'd never heard of anyone being able to feel things that they saw in visions, but Harry was something of a unique case. After all, he wasn't a Seer; his visions were due to the link with Voldemort through his curse scar.

The sound of a soft note made him turn around, and despite his worries, he smiled as Fawkes flew over and landed on the sill next to him.

"Good afternoon, Fawkes," he greeted the phoenix. "I don't suppose you have any answers to my dilemma, do you, my friend?"

The phoenix blinked at him, chirped, and then ducked its head under Dumbledore's hand for a scratch. Dumbledore chuckled and obliged.

"I must admit," he continued his thinking out loud, "I was surprised at Severus's willingness to look after Harry. I expected more of an argument from him. And then his offer of tutoring..."

Well, truth to tell, the latter hadn't surprised Dumbledore that much. Despite his public persona, Severus enjoyed teaching almost as much as research, and Dumbledore had the sneaking suspicion that he'd enjoy one-on-one tutoring better than teaching a full class. And Harry would certainly provide him with an interesting challenge. "Particularly if we're right and he is a Sensitive," he added to Fawkes.

A frown crossed his face as a sudden thought struck him. "Wait a minute," he murmured, tapping his fingers absently against the sill. "Could it be possible...?"

Abruptly pushing himself away from the wall, Dumbledore headed over to his desk, scribbled a quick note on a piece of parchment, and handed it to Fawkes. "Take this to Severus, please," he requested. "And do give him my apologies, but this might be important. Besides," he added, his eyes twinkling brightly as he looked at the phoenix, "he is going to have to learn how to deal with Harry on a one-to-one basis; he might as well start now."

---

Harry looked up from the book as he heard the door to the hospital wing open, and a moment later, the curtains around his bed were swept aside as Snape strode in. The Potions master's expression was one of... displeasure, Harry decided after a moment's thought. It was definitely better than the dislike that was usually his mildest expression when dealing with Harry, however.

"Professor," he said, making an effort to keep his tone neutral. Hadn't the note said the headmaster would be here as well? "Umm... sir, where's Professor Dumbledore?"

"He had something more urgent to see to." Snape then studied him for a moment, frowning, and demanded, "How are you feeling, Potter?"

Harry blinked, surprised at the question. But then again, Snape had acted as though he was concerned last night, hadn't he? So maybe... "Fine, sir," he replied, as he realized that Snape was waiting impatiently.

Snape's mouth tightened, and Harry shrank back a bit against the pillows as he approached. Then, much like he had last night - before the vision - he took hold of Harry's chin and raised his face slightly. A minute later he let go and stepped back. "No, Potter, you're not 'fine'," he snapped.

Harry blinked again. "Sir?"

Snape sighed - Sighed?! - pulled the chair beside Harry's bed around, and sat down in it so that he was facing Harry. "Why didn't you tell the headmaster that you were feeling the Cruciatus curses in your visions?" he demanded.

Harry hesitated for a moment. Snape sat back, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared. "Potter..." he said threateningly.

"I didn't think it was important," Harry admitted.

"You didn't think, period," Snape returned harshly. "I know Crouch taught you about the Unforgivables last year - he would have had to, or Dumbledore would have known that something was wrong. What did he tell you about the Cruciatus curse?"

"Umm..." Harry mumbled. He didn't really like to think about Crouch and the way the man had fooled him. "He told us about the pain it causes, and about its history..."

"Did he mention the other effects of the curse, aside from the pain?"

Harry shook his head. "But Dumbledore... Some people have gone insane because of the curse, haven't they?" He didn't know how much Snape knew about Neville's parents; and anyway, he had promised Dumbledore not to talk about them.

Snape nodded. "Indeed," he answered coolly. "However, that is not what I meant. Did you learn anything about the physical effects of Cruciatus?"

"No, sir," Harry said, shaking his head again. "I thought... I thought it just made you feel pain. Lots of pain," he added, in a quieter voice.

Snape looked irritated. "And none of you - not even Granger - thought to ask why or how?"

"No, sir," Harry repeated.

Uncrossing his arms, Snape steepled his hands and leaned forward slightly. "Listen carefully, Potter, for I don't intend to repeat myself, and this is something you need to understand.

"Pain is the way your body informs your brain that something is wrong. It is, in essence, a particular signal sent from your sensory nervous system to your brain. The amount of pain you feel depends on the severity of the injury and where it is located - some parts of your body are more sensitive to pain than others."

Harry couldn't help but feel surprised at this recitation. It was more in line with Muggle science than magic, and he'd never pictured Snape, of all people, paying much attention to anything Muggle.

"Are you paying attention, Potter?"

Whups. "Yes, sir. I was just... I mean..."

"Knowledge is knowledge, Mr. Potter," Snape said, leaving Harry to wonder if he'd been taking lessons on mind-reading from Dumbledore. "Now that I've told you how the sensation of 'pain' works, do you understand what the Cruciatus curse does?"

Harry thought for a moment, but he didn't really see what it was Snape was expecting him to understand now. "Not really, sir," he admitted after a minute.

Snape looked irritated again, and when he started speaking, it was in the same slow, contemptuous tone Harry vaguely remembered from last night. "When you experience some sort of injury, it stimulates the sensory nerves in that location in such a way as to produce a 'pain signal'. The Cruciatus curse overstimulates every sensory nerve in your body, and causes damage to your nervous system. This damage is cumulative, cannot be healed by ordinary methods, and if it continues, can become irreversible."

Harry gaped at the Potions master, stunned. Remembering the concern Snape had exhibited last night and the bits and pieces of the conversation he'd overheard between Dumbledore and Snape, he gasped, "Y-you mean..."

Snape gave him a curt nod. "Whatever pain you've been experiencing through your visions, it has been enough to do the same sort of damage as experiencing Cruciatus directly. Not quite as much - except for last night, I would estimate it has been the equivalent of one or two curses per vision - but still sufficient that as of last night, you were dangerously close to experiencing irreversible damage."

That was frightening. Very frightening.

Then something Snape had said came back. "But, sir... you just said that the damage can't be healed by ordinary methods..." Harry said hesitantly.

"No, it can't." Snape reached over to the bedside table and tapped the phial that had held the blue potion. "You did drink this all when you woke up, didn't you, Potter?"

"Yes, sir." When Snape didn't continue, he added, "It was the same as the first potion you made me drink last night, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was." Snape looked directly at him. "The damage done by the Cruciatus curse cannot be healed the same way as other neural damage because there is an added element to it. The entire purpose of Cruciatus is to torture someone, to cause them excrutiating pain, and it... twists the flow of magic in your body in such a way as to prevent healing potions and spells from working. Assuming you aren't held under too long, or too many times, your body manages to deal with the effects of the twisted magic itself. It generally takes about a week for the damage from being under twice for less than two minutes each to heal.

"If you experience the curse again, before that healing period is finished, the damage begins to accumulate, and your body can no longer deal with it.

"The solution is this." He tapped the empty phial again. "It is called the Levatio Potion, and works by... 'cleansing' the twisted magic from your system so that you can use healing potions or spells to fix the rest of the damage."

Harry nodded slowly, before something else occurred to him. "Then... why did I have to take it twice, sir?"

Snape frowned at him. "One dose can only do so much, Potter. The amount of damage done to you... You had triple-strength doses both last night and today, and you'll have them for the next two days as well."

Harry's eyes widened, and he swallowed.

"I told you, you were dangerously close to having irreversible damage," Snape said silkily. "You can consider yourself lucky that I came to check on you yesterday. By next week, I suspect it would have been too late."

Harry swallowed again. "So... w-what do I have to do, sir?"

"Stay in bed, for one thing, until your treatment finishes," Snape said. "Moving around too much will do additional damage. For the next two days, I will be delivering the triple-strength doses of Levatio with your breakfast, along with a Healing Draught. As you were instructed to do today, take the Levatio Potion first - to cleanse your body as much as it can - followed by the Healing Draught, to heal the damage, and then eat your meal to replace the energy the potions use up.

"In three days time, I will allow you to get out of bed. However, you will still have to avoid strenuous physical activity - including flying - for another few days; and if you have any visions, you are to inform me immediately so that I can provide you with another dose of Levatio. Your situation is such that it would be wise to make sure you take some after every single vision, so as to avoid the necessity of repeating this." Snape waved one hand around the hospital wing to illustrate.

Harry nodded, and then stopped. The Dursleys were not going to like this... "Sir, my aunt and uncle..."

Snape's expression turned cold. "You will not be returning to those... Muggles," he declared, his distaste for the Dursleys clear in his voice. Harry wasn't about to argue. "They obviously cannot be trusted to pay attention to what is under their very noses. Professor Dumbledore has made arrangements for you to stay here for the remainder of the summer."

He was going to get to stay at Hogwarts? Despite the bad news about his condition, Harry felt almost like cheering - and would have, if Snape hadn't been there. He could deal with the visions and the pain if he didn't have to deal with the Dursleys as well...

"Do not think, however," Snape continued curtly, "that you will be permitted to remain idle while you are here."

Harry blinked at him in confusion. "Sir?"

"As you are no doubt aware, Voldemort is very intent on your death."

Trust Snape to put it so bluntly.

The Potions master continued, "After all, he has attempted - and failed - to kill you at least five times so far that I am aware of."

"Five?" Harry repeated, frowning thoughtfully. He could only remember four: when he was one, and his first, second, and fourth years - assuming one counted the memory in Tom Riddle's diary.

He was beginning to think that irritation was Snape's latest favourite expression. "The Triwizard Tournament; what happened in the Chamber of Secrets; your confrontation with Quirrell over the Philosopher's Stone; your first Quidditch match; and when you were one. Do correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Potter, but that adds up to five times."

"Oh." Harry glanced down at his hands and fidgeted slightly. He had forgotten about the jinx Quirrell had put on his broom during his first Quidditch match - the jinx Snape had countered until Hermione had knocked Quirrell from his seat. The jinx Snape had been saving him from - when he, Ron and Hermione had all believed the opposite...

"As this appears to denote something of a trend," Snape continued, eyeing him suspiciously, "the headmaster has also arranged for me to give you advanced training in Defence for the rest of the summer."

Harry froze, his gaze fixed on his hands, feeling more than a little bit stunned. Not that he had any objections to learning more Defence Against the Dark Arts, but to have Snape, of all people, as his teacher... If Dumbledore wanted him to get additional training, couldn't Professor Lupin have come back?

Then again... His opinion of Snape had been undergoing a rather radical change lately, ever since he'd found out that the Potions master had been Dumbledore's spy; and considering what he'd seen Snape go through with Voldemort...

Maybe, just maybe, Snape would be the best person to train him in Defence. After all, Snape knew what Voldemort was like - better, even, Harry suspected, than Dumbledore did. And he'd actually seemed concerned about what Harry was going through with the Cruciatus pain from the visions...

Glancing up through his fringe, Harry realized that Snape was waiting for a response, and nodded in understanding.

"Good. We will begin the practical lessons a week from today, once your treatment has finished and you have had a chance to recover from the damage your body has taken. Rather than waste time until then, I suggest you get to work on reading the texts on the table," Snape added, gesturing to the pile of books beside the tray; and giving what might, possibly, have been a slight nod of approval at the sight of Defending Yourself: Shields and Other Useful Charms open on the bed next to Harry. "I expect you to have a general idea of their contents for our first lesson, which will be in two days time, immediately after lunch."

Two days time... that was his birthday. Harry knew better than to protest, however. Snape might be acting nicer than usual to him at the moment, but there was no telling how long that would last; and he didn't want to do anything that might make Snape return to normal sooner. "Yes, sir." Besides, if the lesson was going to be after lunch, that implied that he'd have the whole morning free.

Snape nodded shortly, and stood up. "I believe Professor Dumbledore intends to speak with you later," he declared curtly. "I will see you tomorrow morning when I deliver your next dose of Levatio."

With that, the Potions master swept out, leaving Harry alone in the hospital wing with a pile of four large books he had to get through over the next day and a half.

---

Albus Dumbledore closed the book he'd been reading with the utmost care and leaned back in his chair. He wasn't terribly surprised to see that it was dark out - this book was only the latest of several he'd gone through since his realization this afternoon. It had taken him some time to remember which book out of his extensive library on Sensitives contained the information he thought he remembered.

Not that the re-reading had been wasted. The last time he had gone through these books had been sixteen years ago, when he'd realized that Severus was showing signs of being a Sensitive. Now that he'd reviewed them, he was more certain than ever that Harry had the Sensitive's gift as well. As Severus had pointed out this morning, it would explain a number of things that had puzzled the wizarding world about Harry Potter since that fateful Hallowe'en fourteen years ago; including how he'd ended up with the ability to speak Parseltongue.

And what he'd found in the book he had just finished reading... well, it would explain a great deal about the current situation. Combined with the reports Harry had written describing his visions - which Dumbledore had also reviewed earlier - it even suggested an explanation for why Harry had been experiencing the pain from the curses.

He would have to check with Harry which was the first vision he'd felt the pain in, but he had the feeling that Harry would just confirm what he'd already guessed.

Severus is not going to like this, Dumbledore thought in amusement, as he collected up Harry's reports and put them in a neat pile on one corner of his desk. Neither is Harry, I suspect. Nonetheless, this might just be the best news I have received since last summer. If I'm right...

It was a big 'if'. But remembering Severus's actions over the past two days, and what he'd been able to discern of Harry's attitude from his reports, Albus Dumbledore felt confident that he was.