Draco came shooting across the bed to land in Harry’s lap. Harry clutched him tightly, still trying to make sense of everything.
“Potter, do I need to summon Dumbledore?” Snape asked quietly, yet demanding an answer.
Harry shook his head, then frantically pressed one of his hands to his forehead. “No, sir,” he managed to croak out.
Snape gave him a sharp look, then turned sharply and left the room. Harry just continued to clutch his forehead with one hand and Draco with the other. Snape was soon back and helping to steady Harry as he drank down the potions Snape had returned with. Harry didn’t even hesitate to swallow them and didn’t notice Snape’s slight surprise at that fact.
Within moments Harry could feel the pain easing and his stomach start to calm down again. When Snape handed him a glass of water, Harry drank it down greedily. He was still feeling incredibly shaky, but so much better than he had been.
Harry glanced up at Snape, expecting to be questioned now, but Snape simply nodded his head towards Draco, indicating that Harry should see to him first.
Harry took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself further. He snagged one of the handkerchiefs that were always left on the nightstand.
“Draco, are you all right?” Harry asked quietly.
Draco didn’t answer and Harry’s heart sank.
“I’m so sorry, angel,” Harry said miserably. “I knew this was a bad idea to let you sleep with me.”
Draco looked up at him, wide eyes shining with tears. Harry gently wiped away the tears, looking at him sadly.
“I don’t want to sleep nowhere else,” Draco said shakily in a tiny voice.
“But I’m just scaring you and I don’t want to see you scared,” Harry said miserably. “It’s not right for me to be waking you up in the middle of the night and for you to be seeing me like this.”
“But I wake you up at night and you see me cry,” Draco said, his little hand reaching up to wipe at the tears flowing down Harry’s cheeks that Harry hadn’t even realized he was crying.
“It’s different, Draco,” Harry said quietly. “I’m older and I’m supposed to be taking care of you. And I’m not doing a very good job if I scare you and make you cry.”
“It’s not different,” Draco said, some defiance coming into his voice. “We’re supposed to take care of each other. You take care of me, so I can take care of you if I want to.”
Harry gave him a slight smile, albeit still sad. “I’m older than you, angel. I’m not supposed to be burdening a four-year-old with my problems.”
Draco frowned. “So, because you’re older you shouldn’t have someone to take care of you? Or do you just have someone else to take care of you ‘sides me? Who’s supposed to hold you and take care of you when you have nightmares at night?”
Harry looked over to Snape, where the man had seated himself at the end of the bed simply observing them. Harry wasn’t sure if he was expecting censure from the man or looking for help in dealing with Draco. Either way he was to be disappointed because Snape’s face was a blank mask with no indication of what he was thinking and he wasn’t saying anything, helpful or otherwise.
Harry sighed and put thoughts of Snape out of his mind again, trying to figure out how to explain to Draco. “It’s complicated, Draco. It’s not that I don’t want someone to take care of me. I’m just kind of used to not having anyone, so I learned long ago to deal with things the best I could on my own.”
Draco was concentrating hard on Harry’s words. Harry sighed again and continued. “I don’t want you to have to deal with things on your own like I had to, so I want to be here for you when you wake up scared at night. But I don’t want you to be scared because of me.”
Draco looked a little confused, causing Harry to run a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m not explaining it well.”
Draco’s forehead was furrowed in thought. “I get scared, but it’s not the same. You don’t scare me, Harry. I’m just scared that you’re scared like me. And you make me feel safe so I want to make you feel safe, too.”
Harry blinked at the small boy, trying to make sense of what he’d said, and not at all sure of what he should say.
Draco looked up at him beseechingly. “Please don’t make me go, Harry,” he said pleadingly, his lower lip trembling and on the verge of tears again. “Even when I’m scared I feel safe with you. Don’t send me away.”
“Draco . . . ,” Harry began.
“No! I don’t want to go! I don’t care if I get scared when you have nightmares. I have nightmares, too. I understand. I do! Please don’t make me go!” Draco said, his tone anxious, scared, worried and pleading all at once.
Harry pulled Draco close again and wrapped him in a tight hug. “Shhh. I’m not making you go anywhere. I’m always going to be right here for you no matter what. I just think maybe you should try sleeping in your own bed is all. I would still be right here for you, but then I could prevent me from waking you up at night.”
“But it’s lonely and scary by myself,” Draco said quietly. “And I wake up lots more when I’m all alone.”
Harry sighed heavily. “Then we’ll keep trying this a little longer. I don’t know how right it is, but . . . ,“ He kissed the top of the little blond head. “How about you just go back to sleep?”
“Are you all right, Harry?” Draco asked worriedly.
“I’ll be all right, angel,” Harry said softly. “Sleep now.”
Draco allowed Harry to tuck him back in and within a couple of minutes he was sleeping soundly again.
“Potter,” Snape said as he stood.
“Yes, sir,” Harry said quietly, as he slid out of bed. He’d expected to have to talk about the actual vision and there was no way he’d be falling back asleep anytime soon anyway.
He snagged Draco’s soft blanket to wrap up in as he followed Snape out to the sitting room. Harry huddled into a corner of the couch, blanket wrapped tightly around him, trying to mentally prepare himself for the inquisition that was sure to come.
He’d managed to block a lot of it out as he dealt with Draco, but now all the feelings and thoughts from the vision with Voldemort were beginning to overwhelm him again.
Snape startled him by settling down on the couch, and Harry looked up at him nervously.
“Describe your vision,” Snape said evenly.
Harry closed his eyes and haltingly began explaining everything that had been said and explained that this was the first time it had ever happened quite that way, with Voldemort pulling Harry to wherever he was.
It didn’t really take that long, but Harry was a trembling mess again by the time he’d finished explaining it. Thoughts of Sirius, worry for Draco, fear of what Voldemort would do next, anger that Lucius could be released from Azkaban—all of it overwhelming him.
Harry began sobbing and registered he was having a minor breakdown in front of Snape, of all people, but couldn’t stop himself. He was exhausted, scar still prickling painfully from Voldemort’s anger, and simply overwhelmed.
Still, his eyes flew open as he felt hands grab his upper arms and Harry was too shocked to even struggle as Snape picked him up and bodily placed Harry in his lap, much like Harry did with Draco.
Harry couldn’t speak and despite the total irregularity of the situation, he collapsed against Snape’s chest, sobbing out his guilt, anger, hurt, frustration and confusion. It may have been Snape holding him, but Harry couldn’t really bring himself to care much, because it felt good to have someone holding him and taking care of him for once. Eventually Harry cried himself into an exhausted sleep, still held securely in Snape’s arms.
* * * * *
Harry woke a few short hours later, in his own bed, with Draco shaking him.
“Harry, it’s time to wake up,” Draco said urgently. “Come on, Harry. Sev’rus said you have to wake up now or you’ll be late for class.”
Harry shot up suddenly as remembered the night before. He swallowed hard. This was likely to be a very long day.
“Hurry up, Harry,” Draco said. “Sev’rus helped me get ready and he said not to wake you earlier. But now you have to go fast so you won’t be late.”
Harry groaned and slid out of the bed to begin hurriedly dressing for the day, before following Draco out to the sitting room. Harry swallowed hard again when he saw Snape sitting at the small table where breakfast was laid out, him and Draco obviously having already eaten.
