Harry was not ready.

But he also knew, like he always knew when he was dreaming, that it wouldnt last forever.

That he would have to let go eventually.

He just didnt want to right now.

...

After a while Madame Pomfrey came in to check on her very very special patient. Earlier in the day she had been there when Hagrid had come in with Harry. He had claimed that Harry had just melted down. That it had seemingly come out of the blue. That the child had worked himself into such a state as to completely pass out, completely give himself over to exhaustion.

Madame Pomfrey had felt so much pity for the boy when she had heard all of this news. Already he, by the circumstances of his parents death, had been slated to have a very complicated life. And now it was going to be even more complicated.

She had focused on this for a long minute, feeling a rush of emotions, a rush of protectiveness, for this innocent child.

She really hoped that somehow he would make it through.

But she did not know how to help him. She knew all about how to cure physical ailments. If the boy had come in with a broken leg she would be able to fix him and send him on his way, good as new.

That was not the case here. She could send him away now, but she felt that instead of him getting better- becoming 'good as new'- without some serious help, he would just get worse.

She wished she could help him.

But she didnt know if anyone really could.

Which was why she was astounded when she walked in on the tender scene, of Harry, swept up in the arms of the least tender man she happened to know.

...

Poppy walked further into the room, quickly, charged by what she was seeing.

What was going on?

As she made her way across her room Severus caught her eye. With a quick but graceful movement of one of his arms he put a finger up to his mouth in the universal gesture of, 'please be quiet'.

Poppy struggled with the thought of that. Her puzzlement at the situation almost compelled her to start a line of questioning.

But then she saw Harry's face.

And without a word she walked back to her office.

...

Meanwhile, Severus was weighing his options. He couldnt stay like this with the child forever. As much as he wanted to give Harry all the time, all the strength that he could, this could not go on forever.

He was willing to wait. But he was not willing to wait without... at least doing something.

Because, eventually, he would need to speak to the child. Eventually this scene, he figured, would have to turn from calm waters... to a dynamic storm.

And he was going to help the child as best that he could with the transition.

But he knew, that right in that moment, he could not let go. He could not break the trust the child was showing him. He could not in any way afford to let this child believe that he was being rejected. He had to do something else.

And with that. He started to tell a story.

—-

"I knew your mother. We were good friends in fact.

I didnt come from the best household. My father... was a bitter and unpleasant man. He was more fond of alcohol than he was me, and I, as a consquence, was even less fond of him.

He was, never very kind to my mother. He left her in a constant state of terror. He hit her. No matter what she did, it was never enough for him.

I lived in the house as well, of course. My father was as cruel to me as he was to my mother. He would beat me often, hitting me with whatever was closest. Whatever would inconvenience him the least. And he would not stop until I felt broken.

That is not to say that I gave in easily. I did not. Every time he would hit me, I would tell myself that, I was not going to give in. I would tell myself that this time, I was going to win.

But I never did. At least, not until I met your mother. We were both about your age then.

We became friends quickly, and as soon as we did, I noticed things that I had never paid very much attention to before. I noticed that instead of desperately shooing your mother, Lily, out the door every morning (for my mother was desperately afraid I would do something to upset my father), Lilys mother sent her out with a kiss. I noticed that Lily always had good things to eat, even chocolates sometimes.

I noticed that your mother never had bruises.

As we became better friends, learned about each other more, it started to become harder to hide the truth.

Your mother. She was perfect. But my life, it was far from it.

I became desperate to keep the truth of what was going on in my house from Lily. I knew that I would not be able to forgive myself if I hurt her, that I couldnt let the pain happening in my life effect her in any way.

But your mother, she did something amazing. She listened.

No matter what I said, she listened. She never looked down on me, never dismissed me as 'the poor boy from Spinners End' as many others had done before, instead, she listened.

And for the first time, I started feeling as if there was someone out there that I could trust.

I felt bad frequently, disgusted with myself. I was afraid that listening to me was tainting her. That I was falling and instead of dealing with it myself, I was bringing the one person that I cared about most in the world, down with me.

She had to push me, and she did."

With this Snape pauses.

"Harry. What your mother did for me is something that I will never be able to repay enough. She was there for me in a time where I was confused. Where I felt weak. Where I needed someone to hold onto. Where I needed someone to help me. I do not expect it to be enough, and I am not going to offer this with any expectation placed upon you, but,

I would like you to know that I am listening."