It would have been quite easy for Severus to take control of the child's body, when the child's mind slept. It appeared that Severus could act independently of Tim's biology. The child's body and magic put up no barriers to the man just taking over completely. Likely, shielded by his Occlumency as Severus was, the child had ceased to be aware of him. Perhaps, dismissing him as a passing imagining related to his head injury.

He discovered this when Tim relaxed into a doze. As Tim's eyes fell shut, Severus was pulled toward sleep, but the pull was not strong. Last night, it was more habit than need that had sent Severus into a sleeping state, when the body succumbed to the healing potion.

That would be why he had control of the boy's body, when Tim had been struck in the head.

Severus was too busy attempting to work out a solution to his predicament to follow Tim's mind into sleep, but to be trapped in a sleeping body was actually a little frightening. The body's senses shut down, leaving Severus feeling as though he were in some sort of solitary confinement. Perhaps in one of the Dark Lord's cells.

It was very tempting to open the body's eyes, stretch and pick up that book Ginny had left him. However, it could be disastrous to give into the temptation to take the body for a walk, as it were. Who knew what it would do to the child? Even to keep the body awake to do something as inocuous as reading would likely cause problems for the boy's healing.

He remembered that the Dark Lord's possessions had been very hard on the possessed.

As the boy's mind took on the slow rhythm of sleep, Severus began to mentally construct for himself a place to be. Otherwise, he'd go mad in very short time.

He had to wonder if the Dark Lord's serial possessions of people and creatures had damaged his mind. Perhaps that contributed to the current madness that permeated his plans, quite as much as his shattered soul.

He created a mental construct of his own body, visualized his wand in his hand. With only a little more effort, he imagined his dungeon quarters at Hogwarts.

With a sigh, Severus threw his imaginary body onto the memory of his favorite chair.

How long he sat there, deep in thought, he didn't know. No matter how he looked at it, he saw that his best chance out of this situation was to somehow alert the Potters to his existence. Surely, someone would be able to free the child from the unwanted passenger, and grant Severus the long overdue peace that he craved.

"Hello." The voice made Severus jump. Without thought, he leveled his wand at the boy standing in the doorway of his sitting room.

A blue eyed, smallish boy in Slytherin robes stood there, with a little smile on his face. "This is nice." Tim observed, looking around the room with interest, unconcerned by Severus wand.

Severus blinked. There should be no way for the boy to find this refuge, as much as Severus was Occluding. Slowly, he dropped his wand.

Tim came into the room, as if he belonged here. Which, Severus supposed, he did. It was his head Severus was inhabiting, after all.

The boy sat on the settee, "I haven't seen this place before." He said, "It looks like somewhere in Hogwarts."

Numbly, the man nodded, "Yes, it's where I used to live." he said, quietly.

"It's near the Slytherin's dormitory, isn't it? In the dungeons...near the Potions classroom." He pulled up his feet, so he was sitting cross legged on the settee with his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his folded hands. He watched Severus as though he expected him to say something, "Why are you here?" he finally, asked, bluntly.

"I believe you're sleeping, at the moment." Severus evaded, "So, it would stand to reason that I'm a dream."

Tim nodded seriously, "True, but you're not just a dream. You never have been. You usually show up when something bad happens."

"You've seen me before?" Severus asked, befuddled. Had he somehow awoken in the child before, and now couldn't remember?

"Well...yes." The child tilted his head to the side, "Did you come because I hit my head?"

"Perhaps." replied Severus, softly.

Tim's brow wrinkled and his blue eyes looked concerned, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. There might be." Severus said, "I'm don't believe I belong here."

The boy shrugged, maddeningly, "But, you've always been here."

The Professor looked at the boy sharply, "What do you mean?"

"Healer Phoebe says you're part of me. She said that I needed someone to look after me, so my mind created someone to do that." Tim replied slowly, thinking his words through, "But, I'm not sure I believe her. You know so much more than I do. My Nana said you were an angel."

Severus snorted, "I'm an unlikely angel, I think." The boy's words disturbed him more than he wanted to admit, "Why did you need looking after?"

Tim stared at him, wide eyed, and perhaps a little frightened now, "Don't you remember?"

"Insofar as I know, I have never met you before, and I certainly do not recall sharing your body or mind." snapped Severus.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

The shouting of male voices interrupted their conversation.

Severus' carefully constructed vision fell to bits as Tim abruptly woke, with a pounding heart. The child jumped out of bed, as though looking for somewhere to flee to.

"MERLIN'S BLOODY WAND! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED? WE HAVE PROCEDURES FOR A REASON!"

The boy's mind woke more slowly than his body. Tim was stood in the the middle of the floor and was looking wildly about, before he fully made the transition from sleep.

Apparently, raised voices were something to be feared, in Tim's world.

The light in the room looked like late afternoon, almost sunset. Fat flakes of snow fell past the window, where the curtains had been pushed back.

"Tim?" It was Albus Potter's voice. The other boy was standing by the door that was opened an inch.

The child was shaking from head to foot, his hands half raised in defense. Severus realized that Tim didn't quite know where he was.

Albus realized it too. He moved slowly, "It's okay Tim, you're home." he said, approaching the child as if he were a wounded animal.

"Who's shouting?" asked Tim. He wrapped his arms around himself, but he didn't step away when Al came close. Al was much taller than Tim, he had to have attained most of his height already. Al wrapped an arm around Tim and led him back to bed.

"Dad and James are. Well, mostly Dad is going spare at James." Al said, "Mum got an owl from St. Mungo's, a few hours ago. I guess James got hurt at work. She went to St. Mungo's to be with Dad, while James got patched up. The three of them just got back." Al tucked the younger boy in.

The voices downstairs had dropped to a more conversational volume. They couldn't hear what they were saying, but the muttering sounded intense. Al went to stand by the open door, listening.

After a moment, Al shook his head, "Dad's going mad. Mum's trying to calm him down." The way the boy said it made Severus think that was fairly unusual. Remembering Molly Weasley and her infamous tirades, not to mention the Howlers she frequently sent to the Headmaster, Severus could well beleive that Ginny would follow her mother's example.

So, what had this James done to so upset Potter?

The voices rose in volume again, "That was the worst year of my whole bloody life!" Potter roared, "Don't talk about things you don't understand!" Potter went on in a more moderate volume, but it sounded as though he were coming up the stairs, "If it were up to me, you'd be suspended for the next month!"

"Well, it's not up to you, is it?" A sullen voice replied, "There's no talking to you, is there?"

Potter growled, sounding like he was right outside the door, "No, there's bloody not! Not about this!"

Albus glanced back at Tim. Severus thought, by the tightness in the boy's face, he must be chalk white. The child's whole body was shaking, his breathing speeding up to almost hyperventilation.

"Fine." said the other voice, "I'll be at Uncle Ron's, then." stomping footsteps down the stairs, and the sound of the floo.

"Uh, Dad?" Albus said, quietly opening the door a bit more.

"What?" snarled Potter.

"You, er, cancelled the silencing spell up here the other day, and didn't put back up." The boy said, apologetically, "And, erm..."

Severus heard Potter sigh, "Dammit." He was quiet for a minute. Severus assumed he was calming himself.

"Sorry, boys." Potter said, in a much different tone, coming into the room, "Tim..?" The man's green eyes softened as he took in the child's state, "Oh, lovey, I'm sorry."

He sat down on the bed. Severus noted that he moved slowly, as though to avoid startling Tim. He reached out to brush the boy's fringe out of his eyes, "It's okay." he assured, "James and I...you know what we're like. It'll all be fine by the morning." Potter didn't sound entirely certain, "How does the head feel?"

"All right," muttered the boy, his breathing still too fast.

He was, until you frightened him half to death, Severus thought caustically.

"I didn't mean for you to hear us shouting." Potter's voice was very contrite.

"What happened to James?" asked Albus.

Potter ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up more than ever, "Just got clipped with a curse. He'll be all right."

"Why all the shouting, then?" Albus pressed.

"Ask James." Potter replied, darkly, in a voice that said he was quite finished talking about it. He stopped, went on in a gentler tone, "I think Kreacher was going to put dinner on the table. Why don't you go on, and I'll sit with your brother."

Albus nodded, closing the door behind him as he left.

The child relaxed. Apparently his urge to trust Potter was stronger than his fear. If it hadn't been, Severus might have been tempted to see if he could make the child's magic work for him. Severus wondered what had happened to Tim to make him so edgy.

As it was, the boy reached out to take Potter's hand.

Potter smiled at him, the expression tight with anxiety, "How are you, really?" he asked.

"I...my head's still aching." Tim admitted.

The man nodded seriously, "I heard you had a rough morning."

"I was...dreaming about Smith again." Tim whispered, "The headache was so bad that I thought..." he stopped, swallowed. A shudder passed through his body, "I mean..." he stopped again, and didn't go on.

Potter put his arm around Tim's shoulders and gave him a one armed hug, "Oh, son." he said, softly.

Another full body shudder went through the child. Severus was very tempted to take a peek into the boy's mind, to see what was so terrible.

Tim leaned against Potter, taking hold of the man's robe with one of his hands, drawing strength from the contact "I dreamt about him hurting me and Mum." he whispered, "It was so real."

So, someone had used the Cruciatus on the boy.

Potter gave the boy a tight squeeze, cleared his throat, "I've been hurt a few times at work, and have been thrown right back into a bad dream like that. Your Mum too."

The child didn't say anything else, just sat soaking up the warmth from his father's embrace.

"You mean Dad." The boy thought at Severus, fiercely, "Father was a right bastard, if you don't remember."

Yet again, Severus was taken aback by the child's eavesdropping on his thoughts.

"Dad?" Tim asked after a long time, so long that Severus thought Potter must have dozed off.

"Yes, Tim?" Potter sounded wide awake.

The child hesitated, "Someone at school said you died once. Is that true?"

The statement hit Severus like a physical blow. He didn't understand why he hadn't remembered before. Of course, Potter had to die- if he was still alive, then the Dark Lord was out there somewhere. But, to all appearances, the Dark Lord was no longer a threat.

Was this just all a dream after all?