The Boy: Brandon Dursely

Chapter 21: As You Sleep

Severus bolted from the matress he lay. He could swear he was being called at the moment. He could feel the fear and the desperation laced in the voice...

"Snape Sir!" Jar appeared with small pop. The elf's eyes were filled with tears. Snape wondered if it was Jar who called out, but then again, the elf could very well take care of himself.

"I'm sorry to be disturbing, Snape Sir, but... But... "

Just then, Snape's blood ran cold as another shout came across the hallway.

The boy...

Heart caught in his throat , Severus quickly made his way to the room. What he saw there was heart clenching.

The boy, sprawled across the bed, sweat trickling and his hair romping wildly about him as he thrashed and tensed and flailed from an unseen attacker.

"Mum! Dad! Dudely! Please, I need you. Please... Please...!"

"Jar is sorry, Snape Sir. The 'Prentice Sir had dreams, yup yup yup, and Jar saw. Jar was about to give glass of water, but 'Prentice Sir seem to be afraid of me. Ohhhh... What did Jar do? Can Snape Sir fix it?"

"Please.. Somebody. Anybody... "

The Boy was crying now, still trapped in his dream.

Immediately, Snape went to the bedside and took the boy's flailing arms. Not knowing what to do next, and not knowing what has driven him, Snape simply said, "I'm here."

Slowly, the boy relaxed at the familiarity of strong hands. Those hands were not of any attacker's or bad men. It was his teacher's, his Potions Professor's.

The boy opened his eyes. Emerald eyes stared at Snape, as if unsure if what was happening was a dream or still a part of his nightmare.

Again, Severus said, "I'm here."

Harry knew that tomorrow, Snape would be back to his old mean self, but right then, it did not matter. Harry knew, at least, that someone would be there.

He closed his eyes.

----

The sun was shining through the blinds of the room and Snape winced at the unfamiliar ache in his neck. He slowly but surely turned to one side and winced yet again as the bones and the nerves cracked one by one, relieving him of his tension. He slowly rose and sighed inwardly as he saw where he was.

Potter's room, the room he provided for the boy.

He forced himself to remember why and how he ended up and there.

Oh yes, the boy had a nightmare.

And he decided to sleep near the boy's bed on a rather comfortable chair where he decided to settle himself on.

Why he did that was beyond him.

As he glanced at the boy though, he knew that it was worth it. The boy hadn't stirred through the night again, but found comfort in Snape's hand holding his.

Again, Snape would never admit how good it was to know someone else trusted him besides Dumbledore. In all honesty, he does not even know if Dumbledore truly trust him that way. It warmed his heart, in a way, just how sure this boy was that Snape would not lay a hand on him.

He hesitatingly pulled his hand away from the boy's soft grip and watched rather thoughtfully as he studied the boy's sleeping form.

Potter was curled in his sleep, a reminder of what occured the night before, with the blankets sprawled haphazardly all over the bed. The boy's mouth was opened slightly, his eyebrows furrowing even in sleep.