Harry managed to make it to his room before he had a total meltdown. He leaned back against the door and sunk down to the floor. He was gasping for breath and shaking violently. It had all come rushing back to him at the mention of Narcissa Malfoy's name. A trigger had moved the floodgate and all the events of that night in the woods came rushing back. Worse was the fact that it wasn't like remembering what he ate for breakfast; it was like it was happening to him all over again. He experienced the terror he had felt and his skin prickled with the memory of the pain of the curse. Harry felt the betrayal and confusion of being hurt by someone who he, to some extent, trusted.

He didn't know how long it was until he began to calm down enough to be aware of his surroundings. He was alone in his bedroom which was thankfully not dark because he had left the lamp on earlier. More than anything, he wanted to run back downstairs and tell them what he had remembered. He wanted his mum to comfort him. Hell, he was so distraught that he would settle for Snape telling him it was okay. Something stopped him from returning to the downstairs, however. It had been a good night. Had it been his imagination or had they actually been getting along? Would Snape be mad that Harry accused his friend of hurting him? Would he even believe him? And what about Professor Quirrel? Surely the memory was in some way distorted because Headmaster Dumbledore would never hire someone who wished harm to his students.

There was no way he could deal with Snape calling him a liar. It was destroy the little bit of progress they had made. Snape might even hate him more than ever. Besides, Lucius was dead. It was not like they could arrest him for what he had done. It would just be causing strife for no reason. His mum used to tell him when he was younger not to go looking for problems where there were none. He could handle this by himself.

Harry stood up and made his way over to his bed and crawled under the covers, wrapping them tightly around himself. He couldn't understand why Mr. Malfoy would want to hurt him. In a bizarre way, it hurt his feelings. He wondered if Mrs. Malfoy knew that her husband had hurt him. Did Draco? Were they laughing at him? Did they think that he was pathetic? He shuddered and burrowed deeper into the bed.

The one good thing not remembering the events of that night had provided him with was the ability to sleep peacefully through the night. Aside from the night of the attack, he had found sleep to be a refuge from the anxiety of waking hours. This no longer seemed to be the case, however, and whenever he closed his eyes he was plagued by nightmares. He was relieved when the sun began coming up and he didn't have to lie in bed any longer being plagued by his memories of being tortured by someone who had once been a family friend.

By morning, he already had come up with a plan. So he waited in his room until he heard the shower turn on in his mum's and Severus' room followed by light footsteps down the stairs. That would be his mum getting up for the day, then. It wasn't long before a heavier set of footsteps followed which he identified to be Snape. Quiet as a mouse, he got out of bed and opened his door very slowly. He looked down the steps and down the hallway which told him the coast was clear. He could hear his mum and Snape moving around in the kitchen. Stepping lightly, he made his way quickly down the hallway to their room.
When he was little, they had kept the door to their room locked but they didn't bother so much anymore. He was aware he was risking the peace in the household by doing this but he was doing it to try to preserve the peace of the household. He made his way into their bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. He knew Snape kept a supply on hand because he himself had nightmares; he'd heard him talking about it with his mum before. After a little rummaging, he found a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion. Perfect. This was all he needed to be able to manage the memory of that night and keep everything from getting torn apart. He knew that the vial was an adult dose. He wasn't really sure what the child sized dose was but he figured he would just take half of the vial and see if it helped.

Quickly, he retraced his steps to his room and hid the vial in his dresser. He let out a little sigh of relief and then went down to breakfast.

SSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHP

Lily sipped on her tea and watched her son pushing his pancakes - which he had pulverized with his fork - around his plate. He had dark circles around his eyes under his glasses. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Severus watching him as well. They exchanged a look. Severus wordlessly went a picked up the boy's plate, apparently deciding that Harry had played with his food long enough. Harry didn't protest but simply sat down his fork and stifled a yawn.

"Having trouble sleeping, sweetie?" Lily asked.

Harry smiled at her, though it seemed forced and said, "No. I'm sleeping fine. Snape, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the park today."

Severus raised an eyebrow. The child had spoken with forced casualness but was avoiding eye contact with either of them. Lily hitched her chin at her husband and he cleared his throat, "Well, Narcissa and Draco are going to be here soon, but after that I don't see why not. Are you sure you're feeling up to leaving the house for that long?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "I'll be fine."

There was a knock on the front door and Lily stood up to let them in. She noticed her son tense up and put a hand on his shoulder, "Harry, it's just Narcissa and Draco. You knew they were coming."

It didn't seem to serve much to relax him, however, and he muttered something about needing to use the bathroom. She shook her head and opened the front door to reveal Narcissa and Draco. The woman looked very couth, as usual; Draco was looking a little more sullen than normal. Narcissa smiled brightly at her hostess. She was a far cry from the woman she had seen sobbing secretly over a sink only a few days previously.

"Hello Narcissa," Lily said politely. She offered a genuine smile to the little boy, "Draco. Are you doing okay?"

She moved aside to let them into the house and said to Narcissa, "I'll just leave you and Severus to visit. Should I take Draco to the kitchen? Maybe he'd like a hot chocolate?"

"Actually, Lily," Narcissa said. "I was hoping that you and I could talk. I thought we could go for tea - bit early for lunch, isn't it? - and I'm sure Severus is more than capable of watching the boys for an hour or two. Right, Severus?"

Lily was startled. She had always been very polite to both Narcissa and Lucius out of respect for Severus. They had an agreement that Lily would be nice to his friends and he would be nice to hers. Well, civil. Usually. She didn't particularly care for Narcissa, though. She disapproved of what Severus would call her 'lifestyle.' The woman was known to be unfaithful to her husband and while Lily sometimes joked about it to Severus - 'If I was married to Lucius, I think I might sleep around too' - she thought it would be extremely detrimental to her son once he became aware of what was going on.

She looked uncertainly at Severus who shrugged absently and then said, "Okay. It couldn't hurt, I suppose. Let me get a jacket."

They apparated to Diagon Alley where Narcissa led Lily to a small restaurant that she insisted served 'the best afternoon tea.' The two women got settled in front of their drinks and Narcissa smiled at Lily, "Well, this is nice."

"Yes," Lily said automatically.

Narcissa smiled and said, "Lionel invited me to visit him in Italy. He keeps a second home there where he spends a lot of the year."

Lily frowned, confused, "Who's Lionel?"

"My friend," her eyes grew slightly guarded.

"Oh, right." Lily said simply.

"Well, I might be spending quite a bit of time there. He's quite a close friend of mine. This winter for certain. He throws a grand party every winter. All of the major families attend." Narcissa rattled off some of the names of people who apparently attended this event, most of the names lost on Lily. She seemed to eventually realize this and said, "Anyway, I plan to attend and I was thinking that maybe you and Severus could take Draco for me for the winter break. I could have him stay at the school, of course, but that's so dreary . . ."

"Um, I guess," Lily said, "Are you sure that it's a good idea for you to leave him with us so soon after his father's death, though?"

"Oh, he just adores you and Severus," Narcissa said. She smiled and took a sip of her tea before adding, "I also thought that maybe you could look after him for part of the summer for me."

Lily frowned openly at her now, "Narcissa, Severus and I care about Draco, of course, but I don't think you're being rational. What about what we talked about at the wake? You have to be strong. Not run away from your problems."

"I'm not running away from my problems," she snapped.

"You have responsibilities."

"Lily, my entire life has been about responsibilities so don't talk to me about responsibilities. I married Lucius when I was seventeen, directly out of Hogwarts, and I doubt I would have finished there if educated women weren't very much the thing then."

Lily wasn't unsympathetic; Severus had told her a few 'facts' from the pureblood world that had very much offended her sensibilities. As recently as ten years ago, pureblood women's value had hinged strictly on their ability to bear a son to carry on their husband's family name. The mentality wasn't entirely gone today. Still, Lily wasn't particularly moved, "Narcissa, when you have a child, they are your responsibility no matter how they came about."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, I'm not even asking you to take him for the whole summer. Is it money? I could write a check for you two to look after him."

Lily was offended, "No, it's not about money, Narcissa. It's about you needing to be there for your son when he has experienced a grievous loss."

Narcissa sneered, an ugly expression on a pretty face, "You. Are. One. To. Talk."

Lily's eyes narrowed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, your first concern wasn't exactly honoring your husband's memory, was it?" Lily gave her a look that could have rivaled her current husband's feared glares, "I mean, clearly you've never been selfish, right? You've never put your son's happiness at risk."

Lily didn't trust herself to speak. She didn't know what might come out of her mouth. Instead, she dropped a galleon on the table to cover her tea and put her coat on. She then walked out the door. It had been her intention to go home but she was absolutely seething. She decided to walk up and down the Alley a few times to try to calm herself before returning to the house. She didn't want Draco to see how upset she was and Merlin forbid she should take out her anger at his mother on the child.

SSHPSSHPSSHPSSHP

"Draco, do you want to go to the park with me and Harry?"

"Yeah, I guess," said the blonde, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Severus nodded and went to find Harry. He knocked on the bathroom door but Harry apparently wasn't there. He went to his bedroom and nocked there. A few seconds later, it cracked open and a pair of green eyes peeked out at him. When he saw it was Severus, he opened the door a little wider, "Are they gone?"

"Narcissa went to tea with your mum. Draco is downstairs. Did you still want to go to the park?"

The boy looked torn, "Does he have to come?"

"I thought you and Draco were getting along a little better since school started."

Harry said, "We were, but . . ."

"But what?"

"Never mind," Harry sighed, "He can come."

Harry shut his bedroom door behind him and followed Severus down the stairs to the dining room where Draco was waiting. Draco greeted him, "Hey, Harry."

The other boy muttered something in response, avoiding looking at the blonde. Severus took both boys by the shoulder and apparated the three of them to the park. Highland Glades was a park frequented by witches and wizards with young children. Severus and Lily had taken Harry here a lot when he was little. There were long winding trails with grass that changed colors much to the delight of the children who played there. It was warded with a befuddlement charm to keep away Muggles as well as undesirable magical beasts. Severus figured the boys could walk and he could find an inconspicuous bench somewhere.

Severus found the park fairly full of people so it was rather difficult to find somewhere out of the way to sit. He ended up sitting next to an old woman who was watching two little girls play and holding a baby. She winked at him and he sighed, wondering if any adult actually enjoyed this kind of stuff. He had sent Draco and Harry off on a visible trail with instructions to stop where the trees got thicker and it would be difficult for Severus to see them.

SSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHP

Harry walked quietly beside Draco, wishing he could just be at home. He was sweating on the unusually warm autumn day and he didn't like how many people there were at the park. And he didn't like walking along side Draco who he had never quite realized bore such a striking resemblance to his father. He was aware Draco was talking to him but he wasn't really paying attention. Eventually, Draco became aware of this fact and put a hand on his arm to get his attention.

Harry jerked violently and snapped, "Don't touch me."

A multitude of emotions flickered across Draco's face; hurt, confusion, worry, and anger. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Harry said sharply, "I just don't feel like being grabbed at."

"Whatever," Draco muttered, going to walk ahead of Harry.

Harry sighed; he knew he must look like such a freak to Draco acting like that. He felt very alone all of a sudden. Stuck with his secret that he couldn't tell anyone. Suddenly struck by the need to confide, he said, "Wait, Draco. Look, if I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I won't tell anyone," said Draco, curious.

"I . . . well, I remember about that day. When I was attacked on the way to Hogsmede."

Draco's mouth dropped open, "You have to tell Snape and Lily. Are you crazy? There's some psychopath out there kidnapping people and torturing them!"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't think they'll believe me. They know the person."

"It doesn't matter who it is, Harry. What's wrong is wrong. Who hurt you?"

Harry started walking again and said, "You of all people wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," Draco jogged to catch up.

"Just forget it," Harry said.

Draco glared at him, "Look, I thought we were starting to get along. If you don't want to be friends, just say so. I'm sure you and your Mudblood girlfriend will be very happy together. You are so -."

"Oh, my God. Draco, shut up. It was your father okay?" Harry blurted out, angrily. He was so tired of people being mad at him when he hadn't done anything wrong.

The boys stood staring at each other silently for a moment and then Draco shoved Harry. Hard. Harry stumbled but managed to catch his balance. So, Draco didn't believe him. Of course not. He and Snape would probably have a good laugh about the stupid Harry Potter who was trying to make up a story to get out of therapy and get all the attention for himself. Draco's face had turned an unpleasant pink, "Take it back. Take it back now, Potter."

HPSSHPSSHPSSHPSSHPSS

Severus prided himself in being pretty good at sensing that trouble was coming. As head of the Slytherin house, he was skilled and knowing when there was plotting going on. He could predict what most of his students would do before they did it. It was largely believed by his student body that he could read their minds, but the fact was that Severus did not need to employ Legilimency to know what the Slytherin children were thinking.

However, when he heard yelling break out down the path, the last thing he expected to see was his godson and stepson both suspended in midair by a frazzled looking middle aged woman. Severus was shocked. Of course, fighting was against the rules in the Snape household, but it had rarely been one that they had needed to enforce. Harry simply wasn't given to getting into fights. It was equally surprising that Draco had gotten into a physical confrontation because while the boy could be petty - downright mean, if Severus was being honest - he usually went about getting his revenge in a sneakier manner as his size did not give to actually physical harassment.

"Do they belong to you?" Asked the frazzled looking witch, obviously annoyed that these unruly children were interrupting her nice day out with her family.

Severus ignored her and instead addressed the boys, "This nice lady is going to put the two of you down. If either of you so much as looks in the other one's direction, that person will be one sorry little boy."

The witch lowered the two children, both who were breathing heavily. Snape began to march them away from the crowd where they could apparate home when Draco decided it was a good day to test his godfather's limits. He gave Harry a little shove; not particularly hard, but hard enough to make the boy stumble. Severus had had enough.

"Draconis Abraxius Malfoy!"

The boy blanched at the use of his full name and Severus grabbed him by the arm and proceeded to march him to the public bathrooms that were located by the entrance to the park with Harry in tow. Draco protested, trying to pull away, "I didn't even push him that hard."

"What did I say, Draco? I said it was enough. You don't know when to stop."

Severus pointed to a bench near the bathroom and snapped at Harry, "Sit. Don't move a muscle."

One firm spanking later - during which Draco protested loudly enough that Snape thought he was rather lucky that no one called the authorities - Severus reemerged from the bathroom to find the bench he had told his stepson to occupy was empty. He scowled; one very simple instruction. Draco burst out of the bathroom behind him and said, "I'm going to tell Mother! I didn't even do anything. He started it!"

"I'll gladly find you the owl to send her the message," Snape snapped, though he was distracted. It was very unusual for Harry to hide from him, even if he was in trouble. Even the time that he had destroyed nearly half of Severus' potions supplies, he had met him at the front door informing him that he'd 'done something bad.'
The same frazzled looking witch said, "You're looking for the other boy? He took off that way at a full run."

"You didn't stop him?" Severus snapped.

The woman glared at him, as if to ask when his problem had become hers, "Like I said, he took off running."
Severus cursed and took off in the general direction that the woman had indicated, dragging the blonde child behind him.