Harry awoke to a pair of vibrant lavender eyes peering into his own. The shimmerling had awoken and was staring into his emerald eyes curiously, its small pink nose twitching. Harry blinked, then smiled, feeling an unaccustomed quiver of delight run through him. The fae cat was alive, they had rescued it from the jaws of an untimely death after all. He felt a sudden surge of pride both in his father and himself, and he whispered, not wanting to frighten the catlike creature away, "Hello. You're alive. I-We were worried you might not make it, but I guess you're tougher than you look."

:Indeed. I am not a delicate fly-by-night like a flutterby or pitterpatter pixie, you know.: the shimmerling sent indignantly into the boy's mind. :We shimmerlings are made of sterner stuff, we have to be, since we are the High Queen's messengers in the World Beyond.:

"You really can talk!" Harry exclaimed. "Dad said you were telepathic, but I didn't really believe him."

The shimmerling sniffed. :Humph! Yes, you humans are not the only ones with higher brain functions, you know. Next time, listen to the wisdom of your elders, young wizard.:

"You know I'm a wizard, then?"

:Of course I do! Any shimmerling out of its first fur can tell a wizard by his smell. What have you been studying that you don't know that? A bit backward, are you?:

Harry felt himself flush at the creature's tone, which held equal mixtures of condescension and pity. "No, I'm not backward at all. It's just that I've only learned about your kind yesterday, so I don't know much about you."

:Ah. I see. Ignorance is easily remedied then. But first things first. My mother named me Inularian, ah, you would say . . .Smidgen . . .in your tongue. And you are?:

"Harry. Harry Albus Snape, but you can just call me Harry."

:Well met, and shade and sun to you, Harry. You are of the Prince bloodline, is that not so? For only those with the blood of the fae may reside in Prince Manor.:

"Yes. My dad, Severus Snape, is the heir to the manor. And I've got a . . .foster brother here as well, Draco Malfoy."

:Good. It is well the manor was occupied when I . . .ah . . .met with my unfortunate accident: Smidgen looked slightly embarrassed.

"What happened to you? You looked like something...er...bit you."

:Something did. It was a lurk, a sneaky sharp-toothed evil thing, a denizen of the Unseelie Court. I was returning home with some news for Queen Titania when I passed too near its lair and it caught me. Its venom neutralized my magic so I could not call for help or fly away. It nearly finished me, but it was scared off by a wandering darkhound, and I managed to blink myself over the mist into the garden.:

"You can get through the Evermist?"

:Yes, but we know better than to trespass unless there is great need.: Smidgen replied primly, sitting up stiffly, her wings hanging limply against her sides. Harry did not know how he knew she was female, but he got a sense that she was, and didn't bother to question it. :I am glad you heard me, young apprentice, else I fear I would have been gone to the Bright One's Embrace ere now. For that, I owe you a debt.:

"Uh, well, actually, you ought to owe my father one, since he's the one who really saved you. I just brought you to him and assisted him with some potions and stuff," Harry admitted.

:Your assistance was greatly appreciated, and while I do owe Wizard Severus a greater debt, that does not cancel out the one I owe you, Harry. A life saved is a life saved. I am in your debt until I save you in turn, thus says the Accords.:

"The what?"

:The Accords, young one. The laws that govern the fae of the Seelie Court and their dealings with humans. Ai, your father has neglected your education shamefully!: the shimmerling scolded, her mindvoice sharp with disapproval.

"No, not really. It's just . . .well I haven't had time to study much about the Faerie Realm since I've been doing punishment chores and all."

:Oh? And for what reason were you punished, little Snape?: queried Smidgen curiously.

"Mostly for fighting nonstop with my . . .uh . . . foster brother. Dad got sick of it and he made us do chores together and stuff until we learned to get along."

:Wise decision. You have learned your lesson then?:

Harry nodded. "Yes, we both have." He chuckled softly. "You're a nosy one, aren't you?"

:Alas, that is the besetting fault of my kind, eternal curiosity. It is why we make such good messengers, though I am more than merely a messenger.: Smidgen admitted in amusement.

Before Harry could ask what she meant, Severus came into the den to wake Harry for breakfast and check up on his patient. "Time for breakfast, Harry. You can-" he broke off abruptly when he saw that both were awake, and inclined his head to the shimmerling. "My Lady Curiosity, it would seem you're recovering nicely, since you're awake so soon after being injured."

The shimmerling rose and bowed back to him, lowering her front half to the cushion and hissing :Your son here tells me I have you to thank for keeping me from the Realm of the Dead, Wizard Severus. I owe you a debt for saving my life. How may I best serve you?:

"Serve me?" Severus repeated uneasily. "I hold no creature in bondage here."

"I .. .thank you." Severus said awkwardly, for he was not used to anyone owing him anything. Then he turned to his son and said, "Harry, why don't you go and wake up Draco for breakfast?"

"All right," Harry agreed, then set the cushion with Smidgen on it down and rose to go wake the sleep-adoring Slytherin.

Smidgen remained seated on the cushion, her tail wrapped neatly about her paws, eyeing Severus with interest. :Was it you who stitched my wings back together?:

"Yes. Why? Are they bothering you? I could give you a pain reliever, if you'd like."

:No, that will not be necessary. I have slept enough and my wings will heal swiftly now that I am not at death's door. All of us fae have quick healing, I shall be fully mended within a week. I simply wished to know who sewed my wings back because you did a superb job, almost as good as any of us could have done. They will mend fully and I shall be able to fly again, thank the Moon and Stars!: the relief in the shimmerling's tone was plain to hear.

"I'm glad I could fix them," said Severus sincerely. "You said you were a messenger and a dreamweaver. Just what is a dreamweaver?"

:A dreamweaver is a shimmerling whose special gift is to walk into the dreams of others and help them face their own fears or interpret what their dreams mean so you can gain a better understanding of what your mind is trying to tell you. I was born with the gift, Wizard Severus, and you can tell what I am by the color of my fur and wings. Only one born to a dreamweaver's destiny has the midnight fur, violet eyes, and purple and turquoise wings.:

"I see. Your talent . . .does it also extend to dealing with nightmares?" Severus asked quickly.

The shimmering nodded once. :It does. Is there a particular dream that is troubling you?:

"Not me, Smidgen. My son Harry suffers from reoccurring night terrors and anxiety attacks." Snape went on to explain how he had been giving Harry Dreamless Sleep Potion but was quickly reaching his limit, and he wanted to help Harry conquer these bloody dreams for good and all, only he was unsure how to go about it.

:Ah. A fit task for me. I will see what I can do later on tonight.: Smidgen promised. Then she gazed wistfully up at the tall wizard. :May I join you for breakfast? I am feeling a wee bit hungry.:

"Of course, you're a guest," Severus invited, then held out a hand for the shimmerling to step up on, and carried her into the kitchen. He set the tiny cat on the table and asked what she liked to eat.

He gave her, as per her request, a tiny saucer of milk with a drop of honey, a very small piece of sausage, and a smidgen of toast with butter.

By then the boys had come into the kitchen and were starving. Draco did recall his manners, and greeted their unexpected houseguest politely, once she had told him good morning, and he realized she was no mere animal. All of them ate hungrily, including the shimmerling, who pronounced Severus a most gracious host, and afterwards yawned and groomed herself gently before saying she wished to take another nap. :Sleep is the best healer, no offense, Wizard Snape.:

"You are quite correct," agreed the Potions Master, and assisted the small fairy cat back to the cushion, where she curled into a ball and fell asleep.

Severus was hoping that the shimmerling might be able to help Harry rid himself of the nightmares for good and all, but decided not to mention it to his son just yet, in case Smidgen said there was nothing she could do, he didn't want to raise the boy's hopes for nothing.

He made sure that the boys were doing their assigned tasks for the morning, then retreated to the library to read up some more on shimmerlings, specifically dreamweavers, and perhaps figure out if there was anything else he could be doing to alleviate Harry's anxiety. Harry had not had a nightmare in two weeks, not since Severus had been dosing him with Dreamless Sleep, but Severus feared one was due since he'd gradually reduced Harry's dosage over the past week.

If the fae cat could do anything to reduce the level of anxiety and suffering Harry experienced, Severus would consider the lifedebt paid in full, for nothing meant more to him than the wellbeing of his son. Though he had been careful not to show it, the nightmares and anxiety attacks had frightened him badly, and he had feared for Harry's emotional stability, for such things suggested a deeply scarred psyche. Of course, anyone would bear scars after enduring the abuse Harry had with the Dursleys and after facing Voldemort three times, no one knew better how the touch of that one's mind left wounds upon the spirit than the former spy. Severus bore his own share of scars and haunting memories, but he was better able to cope with them than his fourteen-year-old son, having learned ways to deal with the guilt and shame using meditation, and having found a mentor of sorts in Sarai, who had gradually become much more than his teacher in kin-sa-dor, and was one of the few living relatives he trusted to delve into his soul and not be shocked or horrified by the awful truths he hid there.

He had almost sent her a request to visit him, and see if perhaps she could help Harry deal with his demons, but had changed his mind at the last minute. Sarai was not one to come at anyone's beck and call, she wandered frequently, she served her family as a bodyguard and was often away in the service of one or the other young lords and ladies. Sarai had a reputation even among her fae kindred of being one of the deadliest fighters, her word was her bond, and she was fiercely loyal to her family and took her duties very seriously. Severus knew she would have come to the manor before now had not other obligations kept her away, she usually paid him at least one visit during the summer. That being so, he had not wanted to impose, and had resolved to help Harry some other way.

It seemed that Fortune or God or whatever had finally stepped in and decided to give the worried Potions Master a hand in the form of a dreamweaver shimmerling. Severus just prayed Smidgen could vanquish Harry's night terrors for good and all. And if the fairy cat could succeed with his son, perhaps she could help Severus as well, for he too was plagued with recurring dreams of the Death Eaters and the horrors they had perpetrated upon innocent Muggles and Muggleborns. But first, he would let her work on Harry, the Potions Master decided, going to the section on fae creatures and searching among the titles for a volume on shimmerlings.

* * * * * *

Smidgen awoke and shook her head cautiously, it still felt a bit fuzzy due to the pain reliever the wizard had given her. Though Severus had been careful with his dosages, some ingredients in the pain reliever had reacted with the shimmerling's physiology and made the small fae cat slightly dizzy and sleepy for a time. Still, Smidgen was grateful for Severus's care, and thus did not mind the side-effects of the potion. She was still stiff and her wings ached, but that was to be expected. One didn't recover from a lurk's attack overnight, and it had almost killed her, so she was lucky to still be breathing. A little pain was a small price to pay for her life. She nibbled the bandages loose on her side and stepped free of them.

She carefully began to groom herself, tenderly licking the almost healed wounds in her shoulder, side, and abdomen. Her tongue had the added benefit of disinfecting wounds along with getting her fur clean, so she licked the nearly healed wounds several times before she was satisfied they would not become infected, and moved on to grooming her tail and feet.

Once she was satisfied that her fur was clean and smooth, she rose from her cushion and padded to the end of the couch, debating whether or not to jump down and go in search of the other occupants of the manor. It wouldn't take her long to find them, she merely had to let down her mindshields a little and she could hear their thoughts and they would lead her right to wherever they happened to be.

But the trick was getting onto the ground without jarring her healing wings or other mending injuries. Normally a leap of only four feet or so would be nothing to her, shimmerlings were naturally agile and could fly great distances, but injured as she was . . .Smidgen cocked her head, trying to figure out if there were a way down that did not involve jumping. She examined her claws, which had been cracked from trying to fend off the lurk, but they were still sharp.

Well, if one cannot fly, one may still climb, Smidgen thought, and she dug her claws experimentally into the sofa. The material was not too tough for her claws to penetrate, and once she was sure of a good grip, she began to make her way slowly headfirst down the sofa to the floor of the den.

It took her a good three and a half minutes, but her paws touched the ground at last and she paused before "listening" with her mind and heading off towards the potions lab, where Severus was brewing some Memory-Enhancing Drafts with the assistance of both Harry and Draco.

It would have taken her mere seconds to get there with her wings or by blinking, which was a limited form of teleportation, but her wings were injured and she was too weak to blink anywhere. So she had to travel down to the potions lab the ordinary way, on her own four paws.

It took forever, at least it seemed that way to a creature accustomed to traveling places in the blink of an eye. Her wings were dead weight against her back and she felt as if they weighed ten pounds, and her shoulder ached something fierce. But she continued on down the corridor, inch by inch, until she was outside the door to the potions lab.

Her keen nose caught the acrid scent of herbs stewing and the tang of something citrus and something else smoky. She could also hear Severus instructing his two apprentices, telling them when to add an ingredient and how many stirs to give the mixture brewing and so forth. She felt strangely comforted by the master wizard's voice, his mental signature was not sharp like most humans were, but a muted greenish-gold, he was a master of the ancient disciplines, then. Here was one to respect, even if she had not owed him a lifedebt.

She waited till he had done instructing his students before sending an urgent request to him to open the door and let her in.

In a few moments, the door swung open, granting her egress. She padded into the room, a bit overwhelmed by how large everything was to a fae creature only three inches high and seven inches long. The Potions Master knelt beside her then, and said, "Good afternoon, Lady Smidgen. I trust you slept well?"

:I did indeed, master wizard. However, I do have a few pressing problems that need to be addressed. The first one being, where can I relieve myself?:

"Oh. Yes, I see. How thoughtless of me." Severus said, embarrassment coloring his tone. He snapped his fingers and a hooded cat box appeared under the lab table. "Er . . .will that do?"

:That will do nicely, thank you!: Smidgen mewed in relief, and trotted over to it.

A few minutes later, she emerged, feeling much better, and walked over to where Severus was kneeling and hopped into his outstretched palm. He carried her gently to the top of the lab table, and placed a cloth over it, so she would not suffer any burns from the stainless steel table.

She stepped onto the cloth and shuddered involuntarily, the steel playing merry hell with her senses for a moment. :Lord Bright and Lady Shadow! How can you humans bear the touch of that accursed metal I will never know. It makes my skin curl just being around it.:

"I apologize, I know my lab is not the ideal place for you. Was there something else you needed? I'm almost finished in here and then the boys were going to make a light supper."

:Good. I was hoping to get another bite to eat. I'm feeling ravenous. No doubt because my healing factor is working very hard to mend the damage that misbegotten lurk caused.: Smidgen hissed, her tail flicking angrily when she recalled being helpless in the lurk's jaws. :Once I have eaten, I shall need to speak with Harry and gain his permission for me to enter his dreams. Only then will I be able to see whether or not it is possible for me to help him with his nightmares.:

"Understandable," Severus said, in a voice too low for the boys to hear. His research on Smidgen's kind had told him that shimmerlings were among the more gregarious and friendly fae creatures, they did not mind interacting with humans and were often willing to help them for a small price, especially children. "I hope you may be able to help him, Smidgen, for he should not have to suffer these damnable dreams on top of everything else he has endured."

:Everything else he has endured? Your son has been mistreated?:

"Yes, though not by me. Harry did not always live with me, for most of his life he lived with . . . with Muggle relatives who despised him and treated him like a wretched servant. He has only recently learned of his heritage and that I am his father, there is much anguish in his past."

:Ah. That is too bad, Wizard Severus. Children should be cherished and loved. We fae always treat our offspring with love and affection, we would never dream of harming a child deliberately, perhaps because so few children are born to us. Therefore, every child is precious, and none are mistreated the way I see Harry has been in your memories. It is no wonder he has night terrors.:

Severus nodded grimly, then turned back to his two sons, making sure they were working and not loafing around. Both were stirring their Memory-Restoring Drafts counterclockwise for ten minutes, the final stage of the brewing process.

"Well done, boys. Now finish decanting it and then scrub out your cauldrons. Draco, I believe it's your turn to make supper tonight."

The blond-haired apprentice groaned softly. "Yes, Uncle Sev. Do you mind if we have soup and sandwiches? I don't trust myself to cook anything really complicated yet."

"That sounds great," Harry chimed in, for he too didn't trust Draco to cook anything involving more than two or three simple instructions. While the Slytherin was getting better, he still had a long way to go before he could cook anything more complicated than toast and grilled cheese or fry up some sausage.

"You know my rule, Draco. When it's your turn to cook, you get to choose the menu." Severus reminded his ward.

Draco sighed in relief and returned to bottling his potion.

* * * * * * *

After supper, Smidgen approached Harry and asked if she might speak with him. :I don't know if your father has told you this, but I am a dreamweaver, which means I am skilled in interpreting and walking dreams, enabling the dreamer to face his or her innermost fears without harm. Your father tells me you suffer from recurring nightmares.:

"Yes, I do. But I haven't had one for weeks now, not since I've been taking the Dreamless Sleep my dad's brewed for me." Harry admitted, wishing Severus had never brought that up. Great, Dad! Now she's gonna think I'm some kind of head case.

Smidgen blinked, then came forward to rub her head beneath harry's hand, purring soothingly. :Forgive me, young wizard, but I could not help overhearing your thoughts just now, they were rather ‘loud' for one of my sensitivity. The Dreamless Sleep your father has been giving you cannot be taken indefinitely, it's too dangerous, you could become addicted to it if you don't quit taking it soon. Your father is very concerned for your welfare, that is why he mentioned the nightmares to me, because he thought I might be able to help rid you of them. I also do not think you are a ‘head case" as you put it, simply a young boy with a problem I can help with, if you'll permit me.:

Harry blushed fiercely. "I . . .I'm not really mad at Dad for telling you, Smidgen. It's just . . .when you start mentioning nightmares to most people, they look at you like you were bleeding cracked and whisper that you belong in a nut house."

:Humans! Is that your answer to everything, locking people away?: Smidgen shook her head in disgust. :Ah, Lady grant me patience. Harry, I would never treat you that way, you are the holder of my lifedebt and as such I am bound to perform a service for you that will save your life. If I can help you, I will. But first, you must trust me enough to allow me entrance into your mind, and thence into your dreams.:

Harry hesitated. Just the mere thought of anyone prying into his mind made him uneasy. Even though Smidgen was an animal and not a human, it still made him uncomfortable.

The shimmerling sensed this and said soothingly, :Harry, you need not decide tonight. You may go and think it through, I do not require an answer immediately.:

Harry felt relieved by that and told her he would go and think about it. The shimmerling's offer was tempting indeed, but could he permit the fae cat to roam about in his mind? He went to bed still pondering his dilemma, and as a result couldn't sleep and tossed and turned restlessly, until Draco snapped irritably, "For the love of Merlin, Harry, what's the matter with you tonight? Are you sick?"

"No. Sorry, am I keeping you up?" he apologized.

Draco just rolled his eyes. "As a matter of fact, you are. What's going on?"

Harry hesitated a long moment before at last confiding in Draco about the shimmerling's offer. "And I . . .I'm not sure what to do, I mean I want to get rid of my nightmares, but I don't know if I want her poking about in my head."

"Hmmm." Draco raised himself up on an elbow and gazed over at Harry in the bed opposite, looking thoughtful. "I can see where you're coming from. But Harry, if it were me, I'd want to do whatever I had to get rid of those damn nightmares. That last one you had . . .hell, Snape, I thought you were dying, the way you carried on. I'd never want to go through that again. If the shimmerling says she can help you, then let her, Harry. It's worth it."

Harry considered, chewing his lower lip nervously. What Draco said made a lot of sense . . .too much sense. He hated having the same dreams over and over, and waking up crying like a baby over what he'd seen and done in them. He hated how they made him feel-lost and alone and terrified so badly he ended up getting sick to his stomach. Part of the reason he dreaded going back to school was the fear that he might have a nightmare in the dorm and then everyone would know the Boy Who Lived had nightmares and cried and whimpered over them like a five-year-old. He had considered asking Severus for a stock of Dreamless Sleep potion to keep in his room, but given what the shimmerling had told him about the potion being addictive if taken too long . . .no, there had to be another way, and Harry didn't want to go to a therapist either.

Well, Snape, you've got two choices. One, deal with the nightmares on your own and hope like hell you don't embarrass yourself past bearing one night, or two, let Smidgen into your head and see if she can help you.

Just recalling the way the last nightmare had affected him made him cringe. Draco was right, there was no way he wanted to have another nightmare like that one. So what if Smidgen needed to go into his mind in order to help him? There were worse things, right? And at least the shimmerling had asked permission, he reminded himself. She could have simply entered his mind and he would have never known it.

Draco was sitting up in his bed, eyeing him with a mixture of concern and curiosity. "Hey? Have you decided, or are you just going to sit and stare at the wall all night?"

Harry craned his head about to give Draco a mild glare, reminiscent of his father. "So sorry, Your Highness, but this isn't like deciding what I want to eat for breakfast, you know. I bet you wouldn't find it easy either, if you were in my place."

Draco blinked, startled by the bite in the other's tone. At length, he said, apologetically, "You're right. Sometimes I'm an idiot. But please, Harry, try and decide tonight or sleep on it, because I can't afford to oversleep tomorrow morning, or else Uncle Sev will have my hide." The other shuddered as he recalled Snape's threat of waking him if he overslept again with a Snape Special.

Before Harry could say anything else, he was rendered speechless by the fact that Draco had actually apologized to him without being prompted by an adult, his foster brother had turned and buried his head in his pillow. Harry heaved a long sigh. Then he said quietly to Draco, whom he was almost sure was still awake, "Okay. I'll let Smidgen work her magic on me. Anything's better than being tormented by nightmares."

Draco sat up and applauded. "Merlin help you, Snape! Glad you finally took a Slytherin's advice, for once. Now, for the love of all that's holy, d'you mind shutting out the light so we can get some sleep before Uncle Sev wakes us up at the crack of dawn?"

"Sure, Draco. Don't get your shorts in a knot," teased Harry, and then he waved his wand and noxed the lamp.