Harry sat in bed staring at the closed door. He had been sitting there alone for nearly five minutes trying to decide if he should get out of bed and speak to Snape or not. Biting his lower lip slightly, he quietly sighed.

If I wake Snape up, he's going to kill me, but he needs to know. Okay…let's just…um…I have to wake him. I'm a Gryffindor. I can do this. I can wake him up. Harry then slowly got out of bed. He silently snuck towards the door. His hand gently touched the doorknob before a sudden thought popped into his head. What if he and Sinistra are—YUCK! He shook his head to get that lovely image out. Yuck, why did I think of that? He then whimpered as he heard the familiar hiss of hatred that could come only from his aunt and uncle. Even though he knew in all actuality they were in Surrey, the hiss sounded as if they were right there in the room with him. Those sounds immediately sent him into a panic attack.

They're here, Harry thought. They're here at Hogwarts. At Hogwarts—because he knows—he knows what I was thinking—they're going to—NO—Snape protects me—they can't hurt me with him here, right? RIGHT! They can't hurt me as long as I'm here—here at Hogwarts—safe and sound—Snape protects me—me…me the freak—NO! I'm not a freak. I can't be a freak. There's lots of us here who can do magic. I'm not a freak. I'm not. I can't be. I can't be a freak. They're wrong—all of them—I'm not—I'm…I'm just Harry—yes—just Harry—not freak—not…not that…I'm Harry—I am Harry—Harry James Potter—Harry. I am Harry, not freak.

As he glanced about the room wildly, Harry felt the air in his lungs stop and settle heavily in his chest. The darkness felt like it was creeping in, taking him piece by piece to the depths of hell. He couldn't fight it because every thought of truth mixed with lies until soon only lies remained. It barely even registered when he slid down the wall and drew his knees to his chest. He could hear the pounding sounds that sounded so similar to Uncle Vernon's footsteps that Harry's heart raced even faster.

I'm going to die tonight—I'm going to die—I'm going to—I'm going—I'm—perhaps the end's good—I'll see Mum and Dad—Snape—he'll die because of me—like them—everyone I love…dies His eyes hid behind his long eyelashes as the traitorous tears stung. I…I…I don't want to die.

"What in the Nine Hells?" a loud booming voice said slashing the silence to pieces. "Potter, what are you doing? Get up, you idiot boy. Get up!" The tone wasn't biting or harsh, just firm and calm. This was lost on the poor little Lion, though.

A hand then grabbed onto Harry's small arm before trying to pull him up on his feet. However, the young Gryffindor's instincts quickly took over and he threw out his arm to protect himself. He didn't want Uncle Vernon to hurt him, not now. He'd wake Snape up.

The hand instantly removed itself from Harry's arm and the foreboding presence vanished. Harry couldn't feel anyone near him anymore, which made him release a shaky breath. He'd later pay for that one dearly. He knew it. There was no way Uncle Vernon would release him that quickly without Harry unleashing a bit of uncontrolled magic. He just about went to cast Lumos to see how badly he injured his uncle when the candles around the room suddenly flickered with life. As soon as the light flooded the room and Harry's eyes rested on the man standing in front of him, his small body trembled with fear.

"I…I…I didn't…" Harry stuttered out.

The man in front of Harry didn't reply, though. He only stared at Harry with an indescribable look on his face. His dark eyes rested calmly on the young boy before releasing a controlled breath. When the man raised his arm, Harry instinctively flinched away. The man's arm instantly halted before his eyes narrowed even more on the pitiful young child.

"Who is it you see, Potter?" The voice was soft but firm. It demanded Harry's response.

"Uncle," Harry whimpered back quietly.

"Your uncle…?" the voice asked. "Potter, it is only the two of us in here." The man then sighed heavily. "Would you be all right if I examined you to see if your fever's returned?"

The man's words slowly filtered into Harry's ears, which made Harry confused. The man didn't sound like Uncle Vernon. The fogginess from the aftereffects slowly lifted and the man's face soon became recognizable to Harry. The young boy's eyes quickly widened as he found himself staring face to face with Snape. His mouth dropped. He had thought Snape was Vernon, but that was absurd.

"I'm sorry, sir. I…I didn't—"

"Do not concern yourself, Potter," Snape gruffly replied as he waved his wand over him. Two seconds later, he sighed and shook his head. "You are not suffering from a fever, which only leads me to believe that the poison must have destabilized your mental stability."

"But I'm not crazy, Snape."

"Then why is it you believed me to be your uncle, Potter?" Snape wasn't expecting an answer, which was good since he didn't receive one. Shaking his head, he observed the boy for a few moments. "What were you thinking about before you imagined your uncle here?" His tone was calm with a hint of compassion added.

"It…well…it doesn't matter, sir."

"On the contrary, it does. Something triggered you to hallucinate that your uncle was here, and it is my job to discern that reason. Since there is no poison or any other drugs in your system, you lead me to believe the event was brought on by some sort of psychological reason. Now, Mr. Potter, what was it that you were thinking prior to imagining that your uncle was here?" Snape growled inwardly when Harry refused to answer. "Mr. Potter, if you do not vocally respond, I will be forced to use other means to learn the truth." That got a response.

"I was thinking about you and Sinistra," Harry blurted out, which made Snape close his eyes and groan loudly.

"In what context?" Snape asked with a painful look on his face.

"I…um…I was going to wake you up and I knew that I didn't want to because you'd get mad and then I thought about…well…um…if I caught you two…" Harry's eyes then darted to the wall. "You know…like…um…together."

"Seeing as how she is in her quarters and I am with you, that would not be an issue, Potter," Snape calmly replied. It was taking every bit of self-control for him not to be yelling at the boy for being so ridiculous. "I must admit that I am rather confused, Potter. How did those innocent thoughts of yours end up sending you into a moment of insanity?"

"I…I'd rather not say, sir."

"Well, I'd rather not be having this conversation with you, Potter, and yet I am," Snape growled before sighing heavily. His temper temporarily succeeded for half a second. "You have already admitted that you were thinking distasteful thoughts about your professors, Potter. Surely it couldn't be much worse than that."

Harry glanced down at his bare feet. He was biting his lower lip to keep from blurting out the word of pure hatred that his so-called loving family nicknamed him. He knew that if Snape pushed just a bit more, the words would tumble out, but he'd keep it hidden just awhile longer. He couldn't tell Snape that bit of his life, not yet.

"Potter, I do not like to be kept waiting as you know."

"Freak," Harry responded in a hissing tone. It was worthy to be an exact replica of whenever Vernon and Petunia Dursley snarled it towards him.

"Excuse me?" Snape growled angrily. "I will not be spoken—"

"That's what I was thinking about," Harry quietly whispered. "How I am a freak."

"What?" Harry's words instantly sucked all the anger and air from Snape. "Who calls you that?"

"Dursleys," said the young boy who was desperately trying to blend in with his surroundings.

"Then they are goddamn idiots, Potter, as you are for believing such filth. I do not see how you, the son of Lily and James Potter, could ever be that monstrosity. You are a wizard, Mr. Potter, who exhibits powerful magic when casting. There is nothing abnormal about you."

"My scar," Harry replied softly.

"We all have scars, Mr. Potter. Your scar is just the result of a dreadful curse that luckily failed. We should all wish we were as lucky as you were to survive unharmed. Other than the scar I mean." Snape then shook his head. "They call you this?" He watched Harry nod. "I take it then that when I went to pull you up, you then relied on your instinct to fight off whom you believed to be your uncle at the time?" Again, there was that same curt nod. "He strikes you?" Another nod before Harry glanced at him. "Those Muggles are the freaks, Potter, not you or I." He could tell by the look on the boy's face that he didn't believe him, but he didn't expect Harry to yet. "Why did you wish to wake me?"

"I…um…I heard and then saw the voice."

"And…? Was it a snake?"

"No. It was a woman. She…um…wanted me to tell you that your instinct is correct and that whoever poisoned me has been killing unicorns also." Harry instantly noticed the change in Snape's demeanor. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course not," Snape drawled. "She told you this? Did she happen to give you her name by chance?" When he saw Harry nod, he felt a slight tug at his lips.

"Syrene," replied Harry. The hidden smile fell instantly. "Do you know her?"

"The name is unfamiliar to me."

"She said that your alarms can't tell she's here because she's…well…she's dead."

"Dead…?" Snape responded. "She's a ghost then?"

"She didn't look like any of the ghosts here," Harry admitted quietly. "Plus, she looked solid."

Snape felt a knot in his stomach as a theory sprang up. He stared at the boy before shaking his head to ignore the voice in the back of his mind. The boy looked fine, but looks could be deceiving.

"I take it that there was more to the conversation than just that?"

"Yeah, she said that…um…her granddaughter is worried about me because I walk a bad path."

"Did she hint at who this granddaughter was?"

"No, but um…she looked like she was in her twenties, though."

"What else did she say?" His theory was beginning to look correct, unfortunately.

"Um…something about my blood being strong as yours," Harry replied.

"Oh, dammit," Snape muttered as he glanced down at the ground.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"Did she touch you at all?" Snape watched Harry shake his head. "It seems, Mr. Potter, that you possibly had your first encounter with a vampire." The boy's mouth dropped. "It is no wonder you are experiencing unsettling dreams. I shall strengthen the wards. In the meantime, sleep. We will speak more in the morning." Harry only stared. "I am not planning on leaving you tonight, Potter, so sleep."