A/N: A one-shot for fun because I wanted to, influenced by the song Eyes Open by Taylor Swift… it is not a Song Fiction… more so I use the idea behind the song to fill in the conversation held. So…. You will have to look carefully for the lyrics in the conversation if you don't know the song well. Just pull up the lyrics if you don't know the song and you will be able to find them easily. Just so you know too, I am not a SWIFT FAN but on occasion she comes out with a good single… this is one of FEW. So no flames because this isn't a reoccurring thing happening here. Also, I edited this myself so there are probably still going to be spelling errors and grammar problems… I apologize.

Eyes Open

The sky was covered in thick dark clouds and most of the students had retired to their perspective dorms, most could tell that the rain would come soon. They weren't far off; it started to come down just after dinner and no one was around in the halls. The open archways that led to the lush green grounds were dripping with fat water droplets as a fine mist floated through the air. The wind swirled around the columns and the heavy stonewalls of Hogwarts, causing a howling to fly across the grounds.

Severus loved evenings like this, the air was so crisp and sweet and the silence was wonderful. No students running or laughing, no pranks to fix or loud music. They were all by their warm fires in their dorms playing games and laughing far away from Severus and that is how he liked it. He stood leaning in an archway and breathed in deeply through his nose allowing the delicious sent of spring and rain to fill his mind and he closed his eyes to listen for the inevitable clap of thunder.

A sound caught his ear just then but it was not the thunder he was excitedly waiting for. A dark figure appeared across the way and as it quickly moved to cross it seemed to slip in a puddle of mud. Pushing up Severus couldn't make out the figure until they crossed the threshold and rushed through the archway. Another thud sounded as the person tripped again, heavy ragged breathing echoed down the hall towards Severus and he was about to approach to see whom he either needed to help or punish when suddenly he realized who it was.

POTTER!

He was going to enjoy this, as he went to make his way to the drenched boy a sob escaped Potter's throat and Severus stopped.

"Nghk…. Shit." Potter said gasping for breath, he was still on his knees hunching over with one elbow supporting his weight his other arm wrapped around his middle.

Severus stepped back and slid smoothly behind a pillar as he listened to the boy crying. Any number of things could be wrong, but Severus knew he was NOT the person to try to help. What ever the fool boy had gotten himself into he would have to deal with it on his own, no doubt his own foolish behavior had gotten him into this mess, what ever it was, in the first place.

"POTTER!" Another scream sounded and Severus knew to whom the voice belonged, the pretentious acid of Draco soared down the hall. Several chuckles came and Severus knew that he wasn't alone. Where was Potter's duo? Granger and Weasley usually never let the boy out of their sight, especially in the last year or so.

"Potter! You and I have unfinished business! Now that my dear father has a new home in Azkaban I feel like it is only prudent I repay the favor." Severus could hear the venom in the boy's voice and he quickly pulled out his wand and cast a Concealment Charm on his person and walked out from behind the pillar. Severus wanted to see this; he was going to enjoy watching Potter finally be put in his place.

"Not usually your style Malfoy, usually you at least allow a fair fight… four against one is a little unfair, even for you."

"Shut up scar head. I am not hear for our usual boyish squabbles… I have something a little crueler in mind. I want to share with you the humility that I have faced since daddy dearest was sent away."

"Funny, I'd think you'd be more grateful… from what I understand your father being locked up is doing a huge favor for you." Harry spat as blood dripped from his mouth. He pushed himself up on shaky legs and turned to look at the group of Slytherin's staring him down, he returned the cold glare and took a fighting stance, legs just barely holding.

"Shut your filthy mouth! My father was a good man!"

"Your father is a swine!" Harry yelled and Severus felt his eyebrow go up.

Malfoy pulled out his wand and as his hand shook he bit his lip, it was obvious the boy wanted to curse him so badly that the boy's pupils shrank. They were barely visible and his nostril's flared.

"At least I have a father you fucking prat." Malfoy said far to calmly. Harry's eyes blinked at that last comment and it was obvious who had won. Harry's hands lowered and he just looked at the boy with a blank face. Even Severus thought that statement had crossed the line, that was very cruel, even for Draco.

Severus wasn't sure where this was going. Usually he would relish the chance to watch Potter's humiliation but something seemed off about this. It didn't have the feeling of harmless jokes or pranks; this seemed a little too… familiar… to Severus. With out realizing it Severus drew his wand and waited.

He watched and in an instant Draco snapped his fingers and Crabb, Goyle and Zabini lunged and Harry, finally pulled from what Severus assumed was self-pity, turned to run again. Apparently Potter was at least smart enough to know when he was out numbered but it didn't matter. The three boys hauled the fourth to his feet and spun him around. The anger in Draco's eyes flared and he approached with a small skip in his step. In that moment Draco looked nothing like his mother and had assumed the roll of Lucius. Severus had never felt more disappointed; Draco was not becoming the man he was supposed to be.

"Time for some fun Potter. It will be quick, after all, it's almost curfew and we had some fun earlier anyway." Draco said pushing a finger into a dark bruise on the boys face.

Potter just didn't know when to quite because he spit in Draco's face, specks of blood came with it and Malfoy shot a fist forward into Harry's stomach. He looked like he was going to throw another punch when a loud noise came down the hall in waves. Draco, his three goons and Harry looked down the hall.

"You know Potter, these past few years of humiliating you have been some of the best of my life, but tonight, I think it will be the crowning jewel. Pants him." Draco said and Goyle quickly dug his fat fingers into the hem of Harry's pants and dropped them to the floor.

Just then a rather large group of students came around the corner, where they had come from was beyond Severus since he had been sure they were all in their dorms. It didn't matter though as Severus watched Draco finally pull his wand back out.

"Enjoy being the most pathetic sack of shit in school Potter… Wingardium Leviosa!" Draco shouted and the students down the hall stopped in shock as they watched Harry getting lifted up and spun upside down, his robes falling over his face and his pants getting tangled around his ankles.

Severus felt his eyes grow wide and his heart clench because this was why this had felt so damn familiar. Severus realized that the hate in Draco's voice matched that of James.

Before Severus even thought he stepped back behind a pillar and removed his Concealment Charm, he stepped back out and quickly removed Draco's wand from his hand. The boy looked over but the angery glare was wiped from his face when he realized who had done it.

Harry fell to the floor with a loud 'THUNK' and he just lay there, he sat up long enough to pull up his pants but then he just fell onto his back in resignation.

"All four of you! Fifty points from Slytherin, EACH! Go to my office now and wait for me and do not leave, I swear if even one of you tries to evade me you will suffer for it… greatly! NOW MOVE!" Severus roared and the four Slytherin's rushed away with terror.

"The rest of you have ten minutes to get back to your dorms or I will personally make sure you all get trolls in your classes for the rest of the term!" The large group of students didn't need to be told twice, they all turned and rushed off, save two.

"Harry! Blimey mate we were looking-"

"Don't." Harry said as the two approached.

"What? Harry we were trying to find you where did you-" Hermione tried to say.

"Just. Don't." Harry said sighing and slowly getting up. He arranged his robes to appear normal and then tightened his belt, which it appeared Goyle had almost ripped in half.

"Harry, please." Hermione tried again.

"I SAID DON'T! I don't care where you two were or what you were doing and I don't want to hear you apologize or any thing else! Just go away. Please. I will talk to you to later."

"Come on mate…" Ron tried.

"LATER!" Harry yelled and they both jumped and then glanced at each other.

Hermione seemed like she was about to say something but Harry shook his head, she grew determined and then said with heat, "We can't help you Harry unless you let us! You've been suffering… you need our help… when you are ready to talk about it… we will be there."

Harry nodded and turned his back on them, they quickly turned and headed back down the hall. Harry looked to watch them go and then he turned to look at Severus; the man had just stood there quietly through it all.

"Thanks." Was all Harry said, his tone was dead, as if he had never been happy a day in his life and he didn't know what true happiness really was. His eyes were glazed over and the circles under his eyes told stories of how exhausted he was.

As he turned to walk away Severus called to him, "Potter…" The boy stopped, his weary face turned to look at him and Severus felt his lips twitch and he knew that he had to say something.

"It's okay Professor… I know you enjoyed it… and it's okay… I don't blame you. I've been pretty crappy to you… well… forever." Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his wet hair and then wiped his bloody lip with his sleeve.

"You'd think after all these years I'd keep a handkerchief on me…"

Severus just stared at the boy; he wasn't feeling the satisfaction that he been hoping to feel. He had wanted to be able to go to bed with the satisfaction of knowing that Harry Potter had been taken down a peg. Instead he felt like if he looked in the mirror he would just see the bully that he had never wanted to become. Anger flared in him and as Harry turned to walk away Severus felt his old self-return.

"Potter! Don't walk away from me!" He ordered and the boy stopped again and looked back, his face no longer blank, frustration and annoyance flashed in them and he grunted, "Can't you just leave me alone? I can't defend myself against Malfoy, his stupid friends AND you… I don't have the energy."

"I am not going to attack you Mr. Potter… I want to offer my… condolences."

Harry turned fully at that statement and looked at the man, "Don't. I've gotten over the whole humiliation thing. To many years of my life had been dedicated to humility, I'd rather focus on other more important things… like Voldermort… like my future… my life… or lack their of."

"Potter… what Draco did and said… it's as bad as an unforgivable curse… you can't just act like this didn't happen. It will bother you whether you like it or not… it will build up and bitterness will fill your heart. You can't just brush things like this off… trust me I know."

"That is the most you've ever said to me." Potter said as he looked at the man with mild curiosity.

"Don't be such an ars." Severus said.

"I am not trying to be. I was being honest and you know it's true… the question is… why are you suddenly bearing your soul to me now? After so long having been silent and indifferent to my suffering. Nothing new happened tonight."

"Suffering? Why are you always so over dramatic Potter?" Silence rang between them and Severus smirked, "I suppose if you weren't you wouldn't get the attention you so desperately need."

"You are so fond of the idea that I crave attention… but honestly I just want to disappear." This wasn't a snide remark, it wasn't even defensive, and Potter had simply made a statement and suddenly walked to lean on the sill of one of the archway windows looking out over the courtyard.

"Every body is waiting, everyone is watching. Even when I am sleeping." Harry said as he gazed out into the rain, which had softened into a light sprinkle. The wind had picked up but not by much and the breeze cooled his hot skin.

"The tricky thing is yesterday we were just children. We were kids playing soldiers and just pretending, all of us were dumb enough to allow ourselves to dream dreams that had happy endings."

Severus stood there listening as Potter pushed up and leaned his back against the wall; he locked eyes with Severus's and sighed.

"Ron once talked to me about how in his back yard he would pretend to wage war with his brothers… winning battles with wooden swords… he was shocked when he found out I never played battle or war let alone owned a wooden sword. I didn't really have a childhood, something else you can relate to."

Severus was about to rebuke his statement but Harry smiled at him, a smile that was meant to be friendly but came off looking like he wouldn't believe anything Severus was about to deny.

"Now all of us have stepped into this cruel world and I've noticed over my years here and every where else that everybody just stands and keeps score… like it's some kind of game. Like my life, the life of my friends… even yours… like all our lives are just chess pieces and they can been used and moved however others want."

Harry pushed himself up and he slowly walked towards Severus, his eyes burning. "I suppose most of that I could forgive and forget. Forgiving the Dursley's for my horrible youth and forgetting everything bad that I or my friends have ever had to suffer through… but the one thing that I can't seem to get passed…" Harry trailed off and walked a little way down the hall, Severus's eyes burned into his back. The boy coughed a little and Severus saw the small splashes of blood on his hand, he groaned and shoved a near by piece of armory off the wall and Severus jerked his head at the suddenly explosion.

"Potter!" Severus yelled as he swooped towards the boy. Potter spun around and flung his fist but Severus caught him by his thin wrist and yanked him away from the fallen armory.

"Disrespectful-" Severus started but Harry cut through and said in a slightly raised voice, "I can't understand why everybody is waiting for me to break down! Why is everybody watching to see the fallout of this whole bloody war! Does anybody care that I am a human being, that I never wanted to be the chosen one!"

Severus lost his balance and his back slammed against the near by wall, as the boy started to scream he pulled against Severus's tightly coiled arms that hugged Potter's chest.

"Even when I am sleeping! It's like everyone is watching me! Watching and waiting for me to fail! I can't do this anymore!" Potter wailed and Severus pulled him tighter for the soul purpose of keeping the boy from hurting himself. He had heard this kind of talk before coming from himself; he had screamed similar words to Lily. The woman had calmed him down but Potter was on a completely different level of anxiety.

After a little longer Potter finally seemed to calm down and he went slack in Severus's hold. Both of them were breathing heavy and eventually their breathing aliened and Severus noticed this seemed to help Harry slow his breathing considerably.

Finally Harry spoke after a long time of silence, Severus still had his arms wrapped around the boy incase another round of panic and anxiety came.

"I can't do this." It was a mere whisper and Severus heard the tears in the boy's voice and he felt hot drops fall onto his own hand. Potter let his head lull back to rest on Severus's chest, soft sobs still making his body shake and Severus let him cry. After another long pause the silence grew thick and as Harry stopped crying Severus saw the boy's dead eyes staring off into space. He had not even tried to get up off the man and Severus wasn't sure he was quite ready to trust the boy wouldn't run and do something stupid anyway.

Severus finally took in a deep breath and sighed, he felt Harry relax even more. He knew what to say but he found himself saying it with much less agitation then he wanted. His voice was soft and warm and he was surprised that Potter seemed to lean closer as he spoke.

"That explains a lot you know? Here you are, two steps ahead of everyone else and staying on guard. But every lesson Mr. Potter forms a new scar. I can tell you honestly; that they never thought you would make it this far, neither did I. You've managed to keep your heart intact, some of us gave that up a long time ago. You fight for your friends and they will always return the favor."

Potter's voice was deadpan when he replied, "But turn around for one second and the enemy is always there ready to surround me. It's always a showdown and from my experience nobody ever comes to save you after the fact. I always received help when I needed it for battles or self-defense… but I never got it after the fact. I've never felt so fucking alone Professor. No one understands what I've seen, what I've had to do, not even those that have been with me."

Severus wasn't sure what he could say to that, after all this time Severus had never considered the toll that all of Potter's adventure's had taken on him. These weren't your ordinary Gryffindor adventures either, these adventures could end in torture and death. They had ended that way several times in fact. As Severus thought about it, had anyone ever really considered the toll all this had taken on the boy?

"I just can't do it anymore Professor. I can't wage this war, I can't BE the chosen one… at the end of the day I am just as scared as everyone else. I am not special, I am not a hero and I just want to be left alone."

Severus knew how he felt, and he couldn't stop the words that came from his lips.

"Potter, you've got something they don't. You have something that the other side and those around you who try to hinder you don't have. Your friends are not your allies just because they will pick up a sword or offer the service of their wand; they are your allies because they love you. They care about you and you know very well how many times Dumbeldore and his blasted notion of love has upset and twisted the balance of this war. All you have to do is keep going, keep your mind right and… keep your eyes open."

The boy let out a little cry and Severus felt Potter's hands take hold of his arms trying to pry them from his body.

Severus wasn't going to give up yet, "If it's true, even if everybody is waiting for you to breakdown, even if they are watching for the fallout. Even if every night when you sleep you dream of thousands of people staring at you and screaming and burning, keep your eyes open Harry."

The boy stopped fighting him at the mention of his first name, and he just waited to see what else Severus was going to say to him, to see if the older man would use his name again. He had never heard the Professor use his name before.

Severus pulled the boy tighter and Harry almost seemed to panic but Severus pulled him close and whispered in his ear, "Keep your feet ready, your heartbeat steady and keep your eyes open. Keep your aim locked Harry because the nights will grow darker then this and if you don't keep your eyes open…"

Harry nodded quickly as if he knew and didn't want Severus to finish, "Whether you like it or not Harry, we are all counting on you… how you go about it is completely up to you but know that there are more people invested in a Voldermort free future then just you. I will die before I allow him to win this war… you can count me to be on your side Harry. And whether you like it or not… it is long past the time to grow up. Your right about one thing, the world is horribly cruel but if you try really hard, harder then you have ever tried before… you might be able to fix it one day."

Harry nodded again and he let his hands fall into his lap, "Thank you…" Harry whispered and Severus slowly released the boy, he watched to make sure the boy wasn't going to do something stupid. Harry slowly pulled away and stood, he watched Severus get up and looked down, "For reminding me what is really important and why I keep trying… no matter how bad things get."

Severus nodded but he felt Potter wanted to do something more, the boy slowly approached and before Severus could push him away the boy gently wrapped his arms around the man's torso. It wasn't like the hug that Harry usually allowed to his red headed friend, nor the type of hugs he often gave to Ginny Weasley. Severus had seen the boy give this hug to only one other person, Sirius Black.

"Enough Potter." Severus said gently removing the boy from his body, "I am not a sentimental fool, I am a realist… don't confuse the two."

Potter nodded and sighed, "I am going to go to the hospital wing… even I know that spitting up blood is probably a bad sign. Thanks again Professor. I will see you tomorrow in class."

"I look forward to your usual lackadaisical ineptitude." Severus said as he turned to go.

"And I look forward to learning about Dreamless Sleep." The boy said with a smile.

Severus turned and looked at him with mild surprise, "Not as lackadaisical as you thought Sir."

Harry walked off and rounded the corner toward the hospital wing as Severus suddenly realized something. After all this time he had finally hear Potter address him with respect, it was an interesting feeling. Severus turned to head to the dungeons where his four little snakes were waiting, a dark smirk on his lips.