The only way to cope. Snape X reader

CHAPTER 12

Chapter 12

Snapes POV

When I returned she was asleep. I contemplated waking her, sending her for dinner but came to the conclusion she needed sleep more. The dark circles under her eyes had been growing. And I could always make her eat something down here. As I watched her, her face twitched and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead.
"Please no. Make them stop oh please make them stop."
I'd heard of this girls nightmares. Many students in her own house had complained to me that she'd kept them awake at night over the years. One evening, even making it snow inside the dormitory.
I placed a hand on her bare shoulder in an attempt to comfort her but she struggled against it.
"I can't go on anymore it hurts. Please can we stop." She awoke with a scream and looking around, panting and confused.
"Are they always this bad?" I asked her once she'd realised where she was.
"No... they're normally worse than that. That one was okay." It shocked me. And pained me to see her so unrattled. No wonder she hadn't slept for weeks. For the fear of her nightmares consumed her.
"What were you thinking of? Your parents?" Her eyes blinked slowly at me.
"Kind of. But just stuff I'd seen before." It puzzled me. What had this girl seen to put her in that much distress? Before I could ponder on it she'd stood up and strolled into my classroom, taking out a cauldron and many other ingredients including sloth brain and moondew. She was brewing Draught of Living Death.
"You are not to drink that. It's too strong." I warned her and she scoffed.
"All I want. Is to have at least one nights sleep where I don't get woken up by nightmares alright? This is the only way."
"You've done this before?"
"Yes. But it was too strong, I slept for 3 days. It was nice though." A smirk crossed her face and I began removing the ingredients from the table.
"If you're that bothered by your nightmares then I will brew you a dreamless sleep potion."
"They. Don't. Work." She spat at me. Angry I was interfering with her work. That was curious to me. Whatever she was dreaming about was not just a recollection of memories. This had magic in it.
"Y/N stop a minute." I grabbed a wrist and pulled her back into my quarters.
"These dreams. They continue even with a dreamless sleep potion?"
"Yeah. It makes them worse if I'm being truthful." I couldn't take it anymore I had to know. Despite her forbidding me many weeks ago I had to look into her mind. See for myself.
"Ligilimens." It came quick enough. She was running. Through what looked like the dark forest only different. She'd seen people killed, terrible creatures, terrible magic. It was all a blur. She was running from it all. Her parents with her. This wasn't a dream. It was a recollection of memories but this was no ordinary dream. This was full of dark magic. I withdrew from her mind and she was shaking. Both out of fear and rage.
"I've told you before. It's rude and it's disrespectful and if you enter my mind again I will hex you." She growled. The anger radiating off her. I threw a cloak over her bare shoulders before dragging her out into the hall.
"You could of let me get dressed."
"You are dressed."
"You know what I mean." She rolled her eyes, I took in what she was wearing for the first time. A black vest top, the straps were green snakes with our house emblem on the back and black leggings. She looked sweet, her golden brown hair tumbling just past her shoulders. I dragged her with me. Looking into the great hall where the students were eating. I caught eyes with Dumbledore and motioned for him to follow. We climbed to his office and I took her in with me. Her hand clinging to the sleeve of my cloak. Worried about what was going to happen.
"You need to see this." I turned to her and plucked the memory from her head placing it in the Pensieve. 
"It's okay, I'm just showing him." She'd clearly never had anyone take a memory and her eyes widened in shock. But Dumbledores were wider as he lifted his head to look at us.
"Y/N you need to tell us right now whats been going on?" She looked up at me, her brown eyes confused and scared.
" I don't know what to say. I can only tell you what the dream is recalling I don't know why."
"That will do."
"Well. My dad used to be a death eater. Way before Voldemort came back. But then he stopped and changed sides so the death eaters came after them. I can't really remember much but they used to wake me up in the night and take me into the forests and we had to run. Lots of people died and there were horrible creatures. My mum said it was to keep us safe. That we had to run away to stay safe. We'd always return home after but the things that happened in the forest still scare me." Those glistening brown eyes filled with tears at the memory of her parents.
"I thought your parents were muggles?" Having heard Potter call her a mud blood in the dual in Lupins class I was confused. Her parents were clearly magic.
"They're both half bloods. The rest of Slytherin house don't take kindly to me not being a pureblood...." a single tear fell from her cheek. It was painful to watch her but more disturbing was the look that had crossed Dumbledores face.
"I suggest you sit down Miss Y/L/N for what I am about to tell you may come as a bit of a shock." She refused the seat, still clinging to my cloak silently.
"Those weren't death eaters you were hiding from. Nor did your parents wake you to run from death eaters. You were running from us Y/N. From the ministry. Your parents didn't switch sides. And there were many battles over the years. I though you knew this. It is evident you didn't. They kept you shielded a lot clearly, but they dragged you out into the forest to keep you safe, they knew we'd of taken you if you'd of been left at home." The shock on her face came close to the expression on mine. The girl breathing heavily next to me as though the wind had been knocked out of her.
"Who. Killed. Them." The anger flashed in her eyes, realising the ministry May of been the cause of her pain the whole time.
"That was the death eaters Y/N. After the final defeat of Voldemort nearly two years ago the death eaters have been trying to recruit once more. They will never succeed. Nobody holds power close to that of Voldemort and they would be wiped out instantly by the ministry. Your parents knew this and tried to distance themselves. The death eaters weren't fond of the betrayal and well... you know what happened." The look in her eyes almost broke me. She was gasping for air, barely catching her breath.
"Y/N...."
"Please. I need- I ne- please just let me be alone. Please." She ran from the headmasters office and I turned to Dumbledore. How had I not know any of this. He knew how I cared for her.
"Sit down Severus. I will explain further."