Snape inhaled the rich smell of vanilla as he poured his shampoo into his hand. He desperately wanted to rid himself of all the filth that had collected on him due to his little outing. He had just finished rinsing out his hair when he heard the loud cry from the other side of the shower curtain. His temper quickly flared to life as he yanked back the top part of the curtain to see who it was that had interrupted his shower. His eyes widened at the sight of Potter lying on his back. He could see the pain in the boy's eyes. Feeling certain that the boy had no idea where he was, he quickly robed himself before walking towards the boy's side.

Snape quickly entered Potter's mind. The loud screams pierced his ears instantly as he found himself there. He tried to push them away, but it only made them scream louder. He glanced around the scene the boy was hallucinating in his mind. It was battle of some sort, but he couldn't recognize any of the landmarks. However, he did recognize the dead that were sprawled all around the battlefield. It featured mostly everyone the boy ever knew. The Weasley twins were to his left. Granger hung from a tree to his right. In the distance, he saw Dumbledore lying on the ground surrounded by half of the staff and students. Snape quickly closed off all his emotions when he came across the bodies. He could feel the dark magic swirling around in the air. He then found the small boy huddled behind a headstone as the dead surrounded him screaming for Harry to help them.

"Focus on me," Snape said in a firm voice in Harry's mind. The boy didn't acknowledge him, though. "Ignore them, and listen to me, Harry. Focus on the sound of my voice." The dead that surrounded the boy slowly became quieter. "You are safe." Please, Harry. Believe me, Snape thought. While he'd never admit it to anyone, the entire grisly scene was souring his stomach. "You are at Grimmauld Place. They cannot hurt you." He then grabbed his head as the dead howled at his words.

He could hear the boy's pleas of his help, which he was trying desperately to do. He then felt something throw him violently out of Potter's mind. His eyes narrowed before he noticed the boy curling into the fetal position. Acting on pure instinct, he calmly grabbed the boy and pulled him against him. He wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged him tightly.

"It's all right, Harry. It's all right," Snape whispered in the boy's ear. He felt helpless as he held Potter. His mind raced with ideas, but every one of them had a drawback. At the sound of the boy's sobs, Snape's teeth grit and his eyes closed. He was losing the battle with his emotions, just as Harry was losing the battle with staying sane. An idea then popped into his head. He may not be able to pull the boy out of his nightmare, but he was able to alter it. He threw a quick shield around the boy before making Potter face him. When emerald met onyx, Snape cast his spell.

Within seconds, Snape felt Potter in his mind. He sighed and concentrated on the memory. It was the only memory he had that didn't involve him and James Potter fighting. He felt an immediate reaction from the boy, but he allowed the memory to play out.

In the memory, James flew loops around the stands on the Quidditch Pitch on his broom. It was during Winter break, and the snow was falling heavily. For some reason, he had decided to stay back that year. He was the only one of the Marauders to do so.

Snape was watching James from the Astronomy Tower. He wasn't quite glaring or sneering at the arrogant Gryffindor, but he wasn't smiling either. He was just watching him. James hadn't spoken a single insult all holiday break to him. It was disconcerting to say the least. He had expected at least a prank or two, but the Gryffindor for some reason would only fly or spend his time in Gryffindor Tower. Fed up with the silence, Snape stormed down there to give that toe rag a lecture and maybe a few hexes.

However, the minute Snape reached the pitch was the exact second James slumped off his broom. He watched the Gryffindor falling fast towards the hard ground. Reacting on pure instinct that time also, he casted a feather light charm on his tormentor. James calmly floated to the ground and into the snow. Snape watched him for a few moments with his wand still drawn as he waited for the Gryffindor to hex him. Nothing happened, though.

The memory then sped forward to when the boys were in the Hospital Wing. James had a haunted look on his face. Snape didn't understand why, nor did he care to figure it out. However, he did silently leave the Gryffindor a chocolate frog before heading to his dorms. The memory then ended, and Snape pulled the boy close again. He didn't really know why, but knew it was something he had to do.