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The night was another long one. Snape knew that no matter how much tea he drank, it would not keep him awake enough for what this darkness needed. It had been a few months since he rescued the child. Harry was settling in well enough. He could remain calm during the day, to see things with a modicum of logic and understanding more so than others his age, but when the sun went down, all bets were off. The night was the enemy.
Harry screamed and cried; nothing seemed to help, and yet he needed to sleep. If Snape truly became a bat, he and Harry would sleep in the day when Harry deemed it safe and be awake in the night. It would screw their rhythms up, but at least then Harry might rest. It was getting to Snape; he adored his new son, but the lack of sleep was fraying his nerves, and he feared that he soon would snap at the frightened child. He needed sweetness, an understanding kindness. Something no one had afforded him before, which made it all the more crucial.
Silence finally fell some time after, and Snape decided that maybe he could leave Harry’s side if only for a moment, but the second Snape’s hand removed itself from the boy’s shoulder, the child began to whine. Harry needed him.
A long sign escaped him. He loved him, but it was moments like this when he wished things were different, that he didn’t have a child who needed comfort throughout the night. Shushing the boy softly, he patted his arm gently, and Harry rolled over. Snape sank down on the floor at the very edge of the bed and allowed his eyes to close. Despite the frustration bubbling inside of him, he would do anything for his son, even if that meant he would sleep here on the floor. Guarding against the darkness of the world.
Sleep found him, fitful, but at least it was a rest. Harry woke him soon after. Calling out to him from his position curled on the small bed.
“Mum,” Harry said softly, still waking the man sprawled on the floor.
“Yes, sweet child? “Snape said, yawning. His back hurt, and he was too old to be sleeping on floors.
“The nightmares are scary,” Harry murmured.
A part of Snape alighted at the fact that Harry trusted him enough to tell him, but still another sarcastic part wanted to roll his eyes. Of course, nightmares were scary; that was their nature.
“I’m sorry, dear child,” Snape said sincerely. “Is there something I can do to help with the nightmares?”
“Movies,” Harry said seriously, no amusement in his voice. It was high-pitched and whiny.
“Alright, silly boy, let's go watch some movies,” Snape said, rising from the floor. Allowing himself to stretch out and finally release his aching limbs.
“No, boy,” Harry pouted.
“No boy?” Snape asked, laughing. “Are you not my favorite baby boy?”
“Nope,” Harry looked at him, smiling. “I have grown.”
“Really now? Then my grown boy should go to bed without movies.”
“Noooooooo,” Harry said dramatically. “I still small, I promise.”
Snape gave him a skeptical look, but that look only caused Harry to laugh delightedly.
“Alright, silly child, let’s go,” Snape opened the door and waited until Harry stood, but the boy continued to sit on the bed, raising his arms up, making grabby hands. Snape smiled at his son; he was so cute. It made him so happy to have Harry rely on him. To have Harry act like a child without fear.
Snape scooped him up, brought him downstairs, and dropped him onto the couch. Harry started laughing as he bounced against the couch. “Mum.”
“Alright, alright. What movie would you like to watch?” Snape asked, heading towards the cabinet where they stored their collection.
“Ponyo,” Harry said excitedly. “Please.”
Snape turned the requested movie on and went to sit next to Harry. It seemed the sound from the movies always seemed to help calm Harry. It gave him enough stimulation that finally Harry could relax and sleep. They still tried every night to have Harry sleep in his own bed. That he would eventually find comfort there, but so far it hadn’t been working.
When Snape finally settled in to watch the movie, his son looked up at him adoringly and moved to snuggle into his side. Taking comfort from his guardian. “Thanks, Mum,” Harry whispered, watching the movie as Ponyo got scooped up into a bucket. Harry chuckled and nuzzled in closer. Before half the movie had passed, Harry fell asleep. Soft snores came from the mound of blankets. Only the top of Harry’s head peeked out, along with a couple of fingers gripping the fabric.
Snape scooped Harry up to set him more flatly on the couch as Snape found his own comfortable spot. He wasn’t sure if he could get Harry all the way into his own bed without waking him up.
A bit more time passed, and Snape finally caught up on some sleep of his own. Harry woke both of them up with a round of loud whimpering a couple of hours later.
“Sorry,” Harry whispered when he saw he had woken his mum.
“That’s alright. I know the nightmares are bad, but it won’t be like this forever. I promise.” Snape said reassuringly. He hoped beyond hope that his words rang true. That it would actually get better when it came to Harry sleeping.
Harry found his way back to him, sitting by his side. Still clutching his favorite blanket. Snape automatically wrapped an arm around him. “It’s still early,” Harry murmured into Snape’s sleeve.
Snape patted Harry’s hair. It was sticking up in every direction. “Yeah, it’s still early. Do you want to try and sleep some more?”
“No. I don’t want any more nightmares,” Harry whispered. “Could we do something else?”
Harry kept yawning. It was clear he was still tired, but the panic was holding him back. Snape felt a twinge of uselessness. There wasn’t much he could do; magic wouldn’t help, not with this. There were only so many potions one could take before it became dangerous.
Then an idea hit him. Something that could make Harry smile and calm down. Snape could still feel Harry shaking, vibrating from pain he experienced in his own mind, the one place he couldn’t escape.
Snape expanded the couch further and lay down on the side closer to the edge so Harry would be between him and the back of the couch. Harry smiled at him and snuggled in close. With a wave of his wand and a couple of murmured words, stars started to wink into existence.
After a couple of minutes had passed, the ceiling was fully covered in stars. Harry stared up at it in wonder. It was so beautiful that he had never seen so many stars before. There were a couple of times when they had left Harry outside, but he was worrying too much about freezing for the night, then enjoying the stars above him. Harry reminded himself that he wasn’t there anymore. He had the time to enjoy the stars. After all him mum would make sure he would never grow cold.
“Mum, it’s so pretty,” Harry said, pointing to some of the bigger ones.
Snape let out a small laugh at petted Harry’s hair again. He leaned over and left a small kiss on Harry’s forehead. “I haven’t had much need for this spell before. I’m glad you enjoy it.”
Harry hummed in agreement, snuggling in closer, happy and content. The stars sparkled happily.
“Mum,” Harry said softly.
“Yes, sweet boy?” Snape said, squeezing him softly.
“What are those stars?” Harry pointed towards some of the brighter ones.
“That would be Orion’s belt.”
“Belt?”
“Of course, look here,” Snape said, waving his wand, showing the constellation in better detail. “This is called the Orion constellation.”
“Mum, why is it called that? Is Orion a real person?”
After a breath, Snape explained everything he knew about it. The myth of how Orion became a constellation. One dumbed down just enough for Harry to comprehend but also feel comfortable. After all, a lot of myths were a lot darker when details became involved.
“Orion was a strong hunter. He was full of pride in his strength and ability in the hunt. One day, he proclaimed that he could kill all the animals on the earth.”
“All of them,” Harry asked in wonder. “Even a lion?”
“Even a lion,” Snape confirmed, “Mother Earth heard his proudful statement and became angry. After all, the creatures of the earth were hers. So, she created a plan and made a huge scorpion so large that he would be unable to defeat it. Orion tried to conquer it, but he could not succeed. Zeus placed him and the scorpion into the sky. Forever chasing each other but unable to battle once again.”
“That’s really cool. I can’t imagine seeing such a big scorpion; that would be scary,” Harry contemplated. “Will you tell me another story?”
Snape complied, telling Harry of the stories he knew of the stars. Soon enough, Harry fell asleep once again to the sound of his voice. This time, Snape scooped him up gently and brought him to his bed. Harry snuggled into his chest, so very close, seeking comfort.
When he set Harry down, Harry whined but still snuggled into his blankets. “Sleep well, my silly boy.” Harry hummed when Snape leaned down and left a small kiss on his forehead.
“Mum,” Harry whispered.
“Yes, dear child?” Snape said just as softly.
“Can we watch the stars again?”
“Always, baby boy,” Snape whispered, brushing his hair off his face. “The stars will be waiting.”