By the time the Christmas holidays arrived, Severus and Harry had been at each other's throats more than once. Each was still angry with the other.

Ron was going home for the holidays to be with his family, but Hermione was staying behind. The only other one in their year that stayed was Neville. Almost all the Gryffindors were gone and only a First-year girl was left.

Hermione was helping Neville with his Potions work. With the brain of the school helping him Neville was actually improving. A good thing for all, since Severus had become even more formidable in class as of late.

"Neville," Harry said as he walked by the two other fifth year students, "can I talk to you privately for a minute?"

It was quite clear to the round-faced boy that Harry was nervous. "Sure. What about?" He replied, getting nervous just thinking about what would be brought up.

Harry looked to Hermione, silently begging her to go away. Seeing the hint in his eye she nodded got up and walked into the Girls Dormitory. Harry turned back to Neville and sat down where Hermione had been sitting. "Um, I'm sorry if this upsets you Neville, but last year I looked into Dumbledore's pensieve and saw some stuff I wasn't supposed to. Afterwards, I had a chat with Dumbledore and he brought up your parents. I heard them mentioned in the pensieve and was curious."

Neville suddenly went very pale. "Did he tell you? About my parents, I mean?" There was a tremor in the boys' voice. As Harry had suspected, the other boy was upset.

Harry nodded. "I haven't told anybody. Not even Ron or Hermione. Dumbledore made me promise not to. He needn't have done that though. I just wanted you to know that if you needed someone to talk to, I know."

Neville's bottom lip trembled, but the boy refused to cry. "Why?" he asked.

Harry looked puzzled. "Why what?"

"Bring this up now? I mean, why not tell me last year when you found out?"

"Ah. You were still in a daze at Mad-Eye Moody for showing everyone the Unforgivable Curses in class. I've now officially had all three fired my way. I hate to say this, but two seconds under the Cruciatus Curse and I was hoping the next thing to come my way was Avada Kedavra. I can't possibly understand how your parents could have survived under it for as long as they did. I have seen people die under less time. Both your parents are extremely strong. I am so sorry for what happened to them."

Harry stopped talking when he felt a fist collide with his face. Looking up, he saw Neville, tears streaming down his face, look back at him with rage in his eyes. Harry just stood there taking the blows. For some unknown reason, he had been expecting this.

After a few minutes, Neville stopped his attack and collapsed into a sobbing pile on the ground. Harry walked over to his friend and gave him a brief hug to show that he didn't mind what the boy had just done. He stayed sitting on the floor, rubbing Neville's back until he felt the boy calm down.

"Sorry." Neville muttered, wiping at his face with his sleeve.

Harry gave a slight chuckle. "Tell you the truth Neville, I was expecting that reaction. I don't mind. With the rising of You-Know-Who, I just thought that you would need to get that out of your system."

Neville just nodded. Rubbing at his eyes embarrassed. "What do you mean you have seen people die from being under it in less time?"

Harry winced. "That is a little hard to explain. Let’s just say my scar is a direct link to whatever Voldemort (he noticed Neville flinch) is doing. When I dream and You-Know-Who is doing anything like murdering or torturing someone, I can see what is happening. I feel effects of Cruciatus, I feel whether or not people are fighting Imperius. Lucky I don't die if the Killing curse hits someone in my dreams." With this Harry shuddered. He hadn't really shared his dreams with anybody. It felt strange to do so.

Severus he couldn't go to, he had bad enough nightmares himself. Ron and Hermione just know he has them regularly.

Sighing, he got to his feet, muttered something about going to bed, then trudged upstairs. He was asleep almost instantly. He knew that Neville had fallen asleep just as easily.

As to be expected, as soon as he began to dream, he found himself in a strange looking room that smelt a whole lot like the Divination class he took. Looking around, he realized why. There pleading to an angry looking Voldemort was Professor Trelawney. He was too shocked to realize what was being said, especially when he saw the jet of green light fly straight towards his Professor and the crumpled figure that used to be one of the worst people in his life.

Seeing her lying there dead was just too much though. He snapped himself awake, quickly dislodged himself from his blankets and ran straight to the gargoyle that was guarding the Headmaster's door. He started to yell names of all the sweets he knew, but nothing he could think of would make the gargoyle move.

Getting angry, he moved right up to the gargoyle looked straight into its eyes and growled "If you don't move now, I will blow you into a million tiny little pieces and bury them all around the school."

The gargoyle, not wanting something else to take its job, automatically moved. Harry raced straight up the spiraling staircase without stopping and banged on the door until, it was opened by a sleep ruffled Dumbledore.

"Professor Trelawney is dead. I just saw him killing her." He yelled, eyes suddenly bulging with what he had just said. For the first time ever, Voldemort had killed someone he had known.

Without so much as a warning, Albus suddenly realized he was standing in a room with a passed out Harry. Picking the boy up, he placed him on a couch and called Severus to his office.