“What do you want to do today?” Harry asked as he slipped through the door leading into the Room of Requirement. All the DA members turned to him, a bit surprised. Usually Harry knew what they were going to do.

“Can we do a joint attack?” Ernie asked curiously. “We haven’t done that in a while.”

“Sure,” Harry said. A joint attack was when everyone just attacked each other, like a real battle. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna were usually the ones that stayed up the longest, so they had stopped participating in them and just commenting on the others style.

All the members got into stance. “Go,” Harry called out and instantly they started to attack. Harry watched as Cho spun around and attacked Ernie who just barely blocked it. Justin took Ernie’s lack of defensive to shoot another spell at him, causing the boy to fall over. But before Harry could comment, Neville did.

The rest of the DA meeting went as usual. After the joint attack, Hermione taught them a new spell, which took several of them only two tries to learn. When Hermione and Harry taught they always found that the others seemed to learn quicker. Maybe it was the way they taught.

Harry had the feeling that because he had a hard time of adapting the concept himself, it was easier for him to teach it on a level they understood. Hermione was just a born teacher.

Finally, the meeting was over and only the six of them were left in the Room of Requirement.

“Harry,” Neville called out as the others began to pick around the room. Hermione was already pouring over the Defense book for Sixth years. “Thanks for sending me down there, to the Hospital Wing.”

“I didn’t do anything. It was Hermione’s idea and I just pushed along with it.” Harry commented as he picked up a pillow and threw against to the wall with the others. “So, what happened? She tackle you?”

Neville grinned. “Nah, she offered me a position as a helper. She’ll show me the basics, all I do is go down on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday after dinner.”

“That’s great,” Hermione said from her side of the room. Obviously she had been listening in. Neville turned and smiled at her, then walked over seeing Hermione wanted to talk about it. In her lap was a book Harry had gotten for her from the library. ‘Societies of Magical Creatures,’ she hadn’t taken her nose out of it in a while.

“I’ve got Prefect duty,” Ron announced before he left. He looked disappointed and a bit bored. “See you later,” he declared before leaving.

“I’m going to go work on my History of Magic essay,” Luna declared herself before leaving. Ginny and Harry just shrugged at each other and went back to working on arranging the room. It wasn’t that necessary, seeing as the room was usually orderly when they came, no matter the night before, but for some reason they just liked doing it.

“Harry, can we talk,” Ginny whispered and Harry nodded.

“I’ve got Prefect duty, see you.” Hermione called out and Neville looked around, a bit bored.

“Hey, Neville, have you finished your Potions?” Neville’s eyes suddenly went large and he dashed from the room. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s just,” Ginny paused, trying to form her words. Harry respected her silence and went on cleaning up. “I need to talk to someone...about...about what happened.” Harry tensed, she didn’t mean him did she? He wasn’t going to be much help. “Don’t you ever feel like that?”

“That I just need to talk to someone about it all? Yeah, all the time. Especially...well especially at certain times.” Harry breathed, pausing as he put up a book. For a few seconds Ginny and Harry just stood there, in a thick silence.

“But its no use,” Ginny finally began again. “Talking to Hermione, Luna, Ron, Neville, or you I guess because we’re all having the same problems. I just want to talk to an adult...” she trailed off and Harry caught her drift. He wanted to talk to an adult, someone like Sirius, someone who would understand. “Mum’s no help, she’ll just be motherly, and well Bill, Charlie, and Dad...they’ll just be awkward.”

“McGonagall’s no help, she’ll just try and be motherly and Dumbledore...well he’s a hard man to talk too.” Harry continued. He turned around and saw that Ginny was slumped against a wall.

“I just need to talk to someone,” she muttered. “I keep having these nightmares, and they’re getting worse. I need someone...I dunno...who’ll understand.” Harry stared at her, and understood. All six of them were wrapped up in this misunderstanding of what had happened and what was going to happen. They all felt it, they all felt lost.

“Someone like Sirius,” Harry muttered, falling backwards against the wall. Ginny looked up.

“I’m sorry, Harry.” She mumbled.

“No, it’s okay, really. It’s just, I know, in a way he’d understand...” Harry trailed off, staring blankly at the wall. “Maybe I’m wrong.”

“No, Harry, Sirius would understand.” Ginny said hurriedly but Harry shook his head.

“Not in the right way,” Harry muttered. “There’s only one person...one person I can think who’d understand.” Harry whispered, his head spinning.

“Who?” Ginny whispered.

“Snape,” Harry replied but Ginny didn’t respond like Harry thought she would. She seemed chew on the idea, and then realized that it was true. He had been the only adult there, he’d be the only one to understand how they felt. Inwardly, Harry groaned. Great, they would never get any help.

“I’m going to talk to him,” Ginny suddenly declared and Harry gaped. “I need to Harry. I know how he hates Gryffindors, hates Weasleys more like, but he’s still a professor, I need to talk...he might listen.” Ginny trailed off, but her Gryffindor determination kicked in again and she walked out of the Room of Requirement without a glance backwards.

Harry was tempted to chase after her, join her or drag her back with him saying it was madness to comfort Snape for help. The man probably didn’t help his students from his own house.

But Harry didn’t. This was Ginny’s ordeal, he’d let her deal with. Sighing, Harry stood up and walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room and sat down next to Neville. He pulled out his Potions and started to work on it.

He was getting the gist of Potions, ever since he read that book and paid more attention. He understood the ingredients, but the problem was, he couldn’t make the potions. Even when he did understand the ingredients, it was like the potion didn’t want to work for him.

Beside him Neville, leaned forward and pressed his forehead into the book. Harry wished he could help, but he was having his own problems.

Slowly, the common room thinned out but Ginny hadn’t returned. Harry was a bit worried that Snape might’ve just given her detention for disturbing his time, but on an after thought Harry realized that not even Snape was that mean.

“I’m going to bed,” Neville muttered in distaste, slapping his finished essay into his pack. It was a bit short, Harry noted.

“G’night,” Harry yawned, before turning back to his own essay. After a while, he found he couldn’t keep his own eyes open and retreated to bed. He hit the bed with a thump. And fell asleep seconds later.

Someone was screaming.

Harry set up with a jolt, looking around for the source of screaming. Ron was doing the same and Dean and Seamus were already up. Harry scrambled for his glasses and looked to where the others were looking.

Neville.

He was caught up in his sheet, twisting to and fro, sweating like mad and letting out a low scream of terror.

“Wake ‘m up!” Ron shouted, diving from his bed. Harry dived after him and together the boys tried to wake him up. All that happened was he stopped screaming and began to whimper and thrash about. “Get someone!”

Harry nodded and ran from the dormitory. The common room was empty and the clock on the far side of the room showed that it was almost midnight. He dived through the portrait hole, the Fat Lady mumbling a rude word after him. The problem was, he didn’t know where McGonagall was.

Spinning around a corner, he spotted a ghost, the Grey Lady.

“Excuse me!” Harry shouted after her and the Grey Lady turned to face him wonderingly.

“Aren’t you wandering the castle a little late at night Potter?” A voice suddenly demanded. “And not with your invisibility cloak. Tutt-tutt.” Snape was standing behind him, his face a bit disapprovingly and a bit gleeful at having finally caught Harry.

“No, sir, it’s Neville!” Harry gasped but he didn’t explain any further. Snape would just have to do. Leaping forward, Harry grabbed Snape and pulled him back to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Well I see you’ve gone and got yourself caught,” the Fat Lady said disapprovingly.

“Right, right,” Harry muttered. “Chippernuts!” Huffing a bit, the Fat Lady swung open and Harry, no longer dragging Snape, scrambled in. Without bothering to check to see if Snape was still following, Harry took off for his dormitory.

“Harry, did you McGonagall?” Ron asked as soon as Harry entered.

“No, I couldn’t find her. I got Snape instead.” Right then Snape entered the dormitory. Without so much as a glance at the other boys, Snape swept over to Neville’s bed, who was still whimpering and muttering.

“Mr. Longbottom!” Snape ordered. “You must drink this! Open up!” But Neville didn’t respond. With an impassive face, Snape more or less pried open Neville’s mouth and dripped a black liquid into it. After a pause, Neville suddenly sat up with a yelp.

He looked around, at his roommates and then looked at Snape, who had stepped back from the bed. “W-what h-happened?” Neville whispered, glancing again and stopping on Harry, who just shrugged.

“Come with me, Mr. Longbottom,” Snape demanded.

“N-now, sir?” Neville stuttered and Snape nodded.

“The sooner, the better, come.” Snape ordered and rather shakily Neville followed him. Snape glanced around, meeting each boy with his eyes, then looked at Harry. Harry knew what he was going, or at least had a fair idea. When their eyes met, Snape narrowed them slightly and Harry looked away.

Once Neville was gone, Ron and the others turned onto Harry.

“You had to bring him!” Ron hissed darkly and Harry shrugged.

“Neville needed help, and he was the first teacher I met.” Harry yawned and started to climb back in bed. Dean and Seamus nodded a bit uncertainly as they too climbed back in bed. Harry stood back up and walked over to Ron.

“He’ll help Neville,” Harry breathed and Ron seemed to instantly understand. His mouth made an ‘oh’ and he looked around at Neville’s bed.

“But why him?” Ron whispered.

“Really,” Harry muttered and together they stared at their empty friend’s bed. “But maybe...maybe it’s for the best—that’s it him.”

The next morning they woke up to find Neville sound asleep in bed. Harry looked around and Dean shrugged. “’eard ‘m come in ‘round two in the morning.” Dean yawned as they all began to get ready. Once they were down, Neville was still asleep.

“Should we wake ‘m up?” Seamus asked and Harry shrugged.

“Just let him sleep,” he said and they walked out of the dormitory, not before Ron set Neville’s clock to wake him up before the first lesson.

Hermione and Ginny were waiting for them in the common room. As Dean and Seamus pulled ahead with the others, telling the same story, Harry and Ron hung back. Soon it was only Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry left in the common room.

“Where’s Neville?” Hermione asked. Glancing at each other, Harry and Ron quickly explained their story. They started walking sometime in the middle of the story, and by time they finished they were back in the Great Hall.

“How’d he just ‘ave that potion on him?” Ron asked as he gathered toast.

“I bet all professors carry it. In case something like this happens, they need a potion to wake them up.” Hermione stated matter-of-factly. Harry leaned over to Ginny and she looked at him closely.

“He wasn’t there,” she whispered. “I waited for him, even. But he never came. So I just went to the library. Do you think he help Neville?” Harry shrugged.

“Ron didn’t you set the alarm?” Hermione asked and Ron nodded. “He should be here by now.” Classes were going to start soon, breakfast was thinning out and Neville wasn’t there yet.

“I’ll go see,” Harry jumped up and took off running.

“Don’t be late,” Hermione called after him.

Back in the Gryffindor Tower, Neville was still sleeping soundly. “Neville,” Harry whispered shaking the snoring boy some. He moaned, rolled over and looked at him blurrily. “You need to wake up,” Harry insisted. “Class begins in a few minutes.”

Instantly Neville sat bolt up, his eyes wide. “Thanks, Harry.” He breathed, clambering around to get dressed. Harry stood back and waited. “Go on, Harry, it’s okay. I have herbs, Professor Sprout will forgive me for being late.”

“You okay?” Harry asked and Neville nodded.

“See you in potions,” Neville called out after Harry as the boy scrambled back down the stairs. Harry ran through the corridors, already late, and stumbled head first into Defense against the Dark Arts. He had that class twice a week, one time with Neville and Hufflepuffs, the other time by himself with Ravenclaws.

“Sorry, Professor, really. I was...” he trailed off as he realized that it was Snape who was glaring at him from the desk, rather then Gary.

“Now that Potter’s graced us with his appearance, we can began. Ten points from the Gryffindor, for your tardiness, by the way, Potter.” Snape snapped, turning back to the class. “Now, I all know you covered boggarts in your third year, but this is good practice, since one had unwittingly stashed itself in a cabinet.” He gestured around, and a cabinet, as if on cue, rattled.

“Now, you’ll fight it in turns, and since you’re sixth years, I expect you to know how.” With that he gestured for all the students to get up. Harry found himself stuck near the end of the line. “Now,” Snape’s wand unlocked the cabinet.

The whole thing was pretty boring for Harry, who couldn’t help but feel this was trivial considering they did this in their third year, but it was a good waste of time. He knew they were going to start anything new today, so maybe that was why Snape felt the need to entrain them, rather then review spells that they liked to shoot to the left.

Finally, it was Harry’s turn. He stepped forward, not even realizing it, and watched as the boggart, a pink mummy, turned on him. With a crack the boggart transformed. Harry expected it to be a dementor but found to his surprise that there was nothing there.

Everyone took one involuntary step backward, except Snape who narrowed his eyes. To everyone in the room, the boggart had just disappeared. But Harry suddenly felt it.

It felt like an invisible fog, pulling him away from the others, into loneliness. He shuddered, the feeling of being all alone was horrifying. The others began to mutter, there was nothing there, but Harry looked panicked.

“Say it Potter!” Snape suddenly spat.

“R-riddikulus,” Harry stammered, not sure what the boggart would turn into. He hadn’t pictured anything, but suddenly with a crack Snape dressed in Neville’s grandmother’s clothing appeared. The boggart Snape glared at Harry as everyone burst out laughing.

With another crack the boggart burst. Harry stared at the place the boggart had once been without really seeing it. When had he started to fear being lonely? It didn’t make sense.

“Take a seat,” Snape snapped harshly, instantly silencing any chatter between the Ravenclaws. Harry slumped into the seat at the very back of the class and watched as Snape, obviously peeved now, began to lecture on some sort of spell. Harry wasn’t listening.

When the bell rang, Harry was up and out of the classroom before anyone could blink. Yet, as he walked through the halls, he could already hear the telling of the boggart story spreading through.

“Bloody hell, that was fast.” Harry muttered as he turned a corner and ran into Ron and Hermione.

“You turned your boggart in Snape in Neville’s grandmother’s clothing!” Ron instantly laughed and Harry shrugged.

“I didn’t know it would happen...it was weird. The boggart just seem to disappear, but I could feel it.” He didn’t tell them what he felt, knowing it would hurt their feelings. “Then, I said the incantation and it turned in Neville’s.”

Shrugging, Harry walked to Care of Magical Creatures with his friends. Hermione was trying to make sense of it and Ron was just laughing.

“Wasn’t Snape the teacher?” he finally gasped. “Bet he was angry, finally seeing what we had seen all those years ago.”

“Yes, and Potions will be grand.” Harry said sarcastically. Ron moaned, realizing this, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

Potions wasn’t fun.

Harry couldn’t make the potion, as usual. He kept getting confused, even though he knew why he had to use the ingredients, but he kept messing it up.

Professor Snape walked by, squinting darkly at Harry’s potion, and then looked at Harry’s book. Snape had done the same thing he had done last time, ordered them to figure out the potion for themselves.

Harry, staring at the ingredients for a while, had figured out the potion. Seeing as eye of newt and crushed bat wings were only mixed in with certain potions. He had figured out the potion but he couldn’t figure out how to brew it.

Finally, class was finally coming to a close and Snape was standing in front, demanding the one who knew the answer.

“Mr. Malfoy?” he asked, turning sharply on the blond-headed Slytherin.

“A Conducting Locking Potion?” Malfoy suggested hopefully.

“No, but five points for effort.” Snape remarked. “Anyone else?” no raised their hands. Not even Hermione, who couldn’t figure it out and was still feverishly looking. Harry wasn’t sure if he was right, it was a choice between three and he was just assuming this one. He didn’t want to say though, Snape was already mad enough at him.

“Fine, all of you, expect Mr. Malfoy, who at least tried, have homework.” Malfoy grinned like an idiot. Harry rolled his eyes. And Hermione looked over.

“Wait a minute,” she mumbled and then began flipping her pages until she was on the same page as Harry. “Is it the Blooming Iris Potion, sir?” She called out and Snape froze.

“Yes, but seeing as you didn’t answer earlier, it doesn’t count.” But Hermione didn’t care, she was glaring at Harry. She rounded on him once class was dismissed.

“Why didn’t you say anything? You knew the answer since the beginning of the hour!” Hermione accused and Harry shrugged.

“I wasn’t sure,” Harry hissed and glanced at Snape. “And if I was wrong, Snape would’ve loved it, especially after today’s Defense.” Hermione seemed to understand but pursed her lips in annoyance.

“Mr. Potter,” Snape called out as the class filed out. “Stay after.” Harry hung back, sharing a quick glance with Ron before his red headed friend left. Once the class was gone, Professor Snape looked at him. “You’re failing my class Potter.” Snape commented dryly. “You have two choices, one, drop out, or two, take Remedial Potions with me on Tuesdays. I dare say, if you want to become an Auror, I’d chose the latter.”

“Who says I do?” Harry muttered to himself.

“What was that Mr. Potter?” Snape demanded darkly.

“I’ll take Remedial Potions, sir.” Harry said, on split second decision. Snape’s eyes narrowed, obviously spending his Tuesdays with Harry Potter wasn’t his greatest idea of fun.

“Fine,” he spat out darkly. Harry figured that this hadn’t been his idea to begin with. “See you on Tuesdays, at eight. You may leave.”

Harry left without a glance back. He caught up with his friends in the Great Hall as they sat down to dinner. “So, what’d he want?” Ron demanded.

“I have to take Remedial Potions,” Harry muttered and Hermione shot him a quick glance. “Real Remedial Potions,” he cleared up, knowing that Hermione was thinking of Occlumency.

“Why?” Neville asked, horrified.

“Failing his class,” Harry commented and that was the end of the conversation. Neville didn’t explain what Snape had done, they never talked about it actually, figuring if Neville wanted too, he’d bring it up on his own.

It was later that night, Harry found himself sitting on the boulder by the lake. He kept thinking about the boggart. Why did was he afraid of being lonely? He had Hermione and all of the Weasleys, it was an almost ludicrous fear. But yet, the boggart doesn’t lie.

Harry shuddered. He wasn’t sure he liked his new found discovery.