Severus cleaned up the papers on his desk. Potter had finally left, and he was ready to sleep. It didn't come out easy, his secrets. But Potter had a point, that the bond was a two way street. It had just never occurred to him that Potter would care. Perhaps the adoption had done something to how they felt about each other.

He grabbed a fistful of the papers and threw them into the fire. They were simply his thoughts after various events with the Dark Lord. Panic and drivel, but it helped him cope. He watched as the papers shriveled in the fire. Then he felt his left arm twinge. He folded his hands over his mouth. He couldn't, not now. How could he keep his Occlumency shields up now? He was much too vulnerable. His arm throbbed again.

"Coming, coming," Severus muttered. But he had to. Somehow he'd always survived, and he'd survive again now. Severus threw some floo powder into the fire, over the remnants of his papers, and flooed to the usual meeting place.

"You called, my lord?" Severus said, stepping out of the fireplace. It was the Dark Lord's personal manor. Calming his emotions, Severus put up his Occlumency shields.

"Yes, I did," Voldemort said. Severus glanced up at him. At least he had spelled away his noseless snake features, he thought. The man he saw was Tom Riddle, not the Voldemort that everyone had come to associate with the name.

"No, please don't, Tom," Severus breathed, as he shivered. He was still fearful. But the Dark Lord had instructed him to use his given name when he glamored himself. He glanced at Tom, and backed up a step. "You know I don't - " He couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yet you come every time," Tom pointed out silkily as he approached the cowering Severus.

"Because you are my lord," Severus said. Tom stood only inches from him. They were the same height, but Severus' contrite posture made it look that Tom was taller. Tom reached out and ran his fingers through Severus' long black hair. "Please, no."

.oO-Oo.

Severus woke with a start, as a cool cloth was laid on his forehead. Quickly, he reached out and grabbed the wrist holding the cloth. With unseeing eyes, he brought the person to his or her knees and the definitely male voice let out a cry of pain.

"Potter," Severus breathed, as he released the boy. "Why are you here?"

"To apologize," Potter said.

"For what?" Severus asked weakly. He was still in pain from the previous ordeal - he couldn't tell how long ago.

"I - I'm sorry," Potter stammered, wringing the cloth nervously until there was a puddle on the floor. "I really didn't mean to, sir, I didn't."

"Stop blathering and get to the point, Potter!" Severus growled.

"I fell into your pensieve, sir," he said, all in one breath. "I'm sorry, it was an accident."

"Why were you here in the first place?" Severus saw that they were in his chambers, his pensieve standing a few feet away.

"I wanted to make sure everything was alright. You'll say it was stupid, I know, but something was telling me that it wasn't. And it was dark, and I walked into the pensieve, sir. I'm sorry, sir." Potter looked like he was bordering on a nervous breakdown - probably because he was.

"And you saw the last memory I had in there?" Severus said, as he raised himself on one elbow. He winced in pain. It was then he noticed that he was dressed in pajamas.

"Yes, sir," Potter said, nodding vigorously, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, sir." Potter was still on his knees, and he reached out with his cloth to dab at Severus' face. That idiot had seen his last memory there - one of the many times the Dark Lord had violated him, and left him bruised and bleeding - and Severus couldn't think of anything more humiliating.

.oO-Oo.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm so sorry." Snape glared at him, and Harry hung his head, even though he was cooling his professor's - his father's - feverish forehead

"Why didn't you leave as soon as you'd fallen in?" he growled threatening. Harry winced at the tone.

"I don't know how, sir," Harry said. "Dumbledore pulled me out the only other time I was in one." Snape sighed exasperatedly.

"Give me that," he snapped, as he grabbed the cloth away from Harry. Harry immediately stood up and took two large steps away from the man.

"I'm sorry," Harry murmured. He bit his lip contritely. "Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

"Yes!" Snape said, sitting up the rest of way, poorly hiding a wince. "You can go obliviate yourself! Forget you ever were here tonight, and don't you dare come back. Ever." Harry watched with every increasing horror as Snape finished. He hadn't realized just how much those words were going to hurt. Harry supposed it was because Snape was the only person on the face of the earth - outside of Vernon and himself, of course - who had any concept of what had happened that summer and break.

He was being rejected by the one being who shared that secret.

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered, unable to control the first tear that leaked out of the corner of his eye. He turned and walked over to the door. Snape sighed loudly.

"Harry Snape, you fool, get back here," he said, the eye roll clear in his tone. Harry stopped and turned to look at his elder. There was a small light of hope in his eyes.

"Yes, sir?" Harry said as he edged his way back.

"Obliviating yourself is very dangerous," Snape said, calmer, though he was sneering very lightly, "and with your Gryffindor stupidity, you'd probably try it too. And it would be difficult to have remedial potions without my private laboratory."

That was the closest thing Harry had ever heard to an apology from Snape, and he was willing to accept it as such.

"Yes, sir," he said, smiling ever so slightly. "Thank you, sir." Snape nodded his acknowledgement.

"How did you get past Filch?" Snape asked. Harry reached into his bag and pulled out the invisibility cloak, throwing it around himself. Snape raised an eyebrow, and Harry put it away. "I see," Snape said. "It's dangerous for you to wander the castle at night, cloak or no. And since I am not about to walk you back to your lion's den, you're stuck here till morning." Snape grabbed his wand and transfigured a small table into a cot. "Go sleep there."

"Yes, sir," he said. Gratefully, Harry sank down on it and lay on his side.

"And - Potter," Snape said, sounding more unsure than Harry had ever heard him, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry said, feeling more warmed by those two words than he ever thought he would be. Snape lay back down on the couch.

"Sir?" Harry said after a moment. "Do you - have any dreamless sleep potion?"

"Sleeping in my chambers is that bad?" Snape drawled, though the amusement was clear in my voice. Harry chuckled a little bit, albeit nervously.

"No, sir," he said. "I was just wondering."

"I'm a potions master," Snape announced. "Of course I have dreamless sleep. Why do you need it?"

"It's nothing, Professor," Harry shrugged.

"If it were nothing, you wouldn't have asked," Snape pointed out. "You have nightmares?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed after a moment. Snape nodded, though Harry couldn't see.

"What do you normally do about them?"

"I have some dreamless sleep in the dormitory."

"From Madame Pomfrey?"

"Uh..." Harry paused. "Yeah, sort of."

"Which is like saying no. You're making it?" Harry was silent a moment.

"Yeah," he whispered.

"How strong and how often?" Snape pressed calmly.

"As strong as I can make it and every night," Harry said, his voice almost dejected. "I can't sleep without it." He thought he heard Snape mutter something about "the idiot boy."

"In the cupboard over there," Snape sighed, and pointed. "Take a double dose."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, getting up and doing as he was instructed.

"It's not healthy, you know," Snape commented once Harry was back on his cot.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said weakly. "Not sleeping isn't healthy either."

"I know," Snape whispered. They were silent for a few minutes.

"How do you deal with the nightmares?" Harry asked finally.

"Lucid dream," Snape said, not even bothering to deny their existence. "I'll teach you."

"Thank you," Harry said, the sound of sleep heavy in his voice. "Good night, sir."

"Good night," Snape whispered back as he also drifted into a twilight.