Seveus Snape was sitting in his Potions Dungeon looking through his papers. He checked the clock. 2pm. One hour before the students started arriving. He was about to take a break when a stack of paper fluttered to the ground. He sighed as he bent to pick them up, his rather long, black hair falling into his eyes. Another hour of arranging papers in alphabetical order. He sat down and got to work.

********

Harry Potter sat in the Hogwarts Express. He glanced out the window. About half an hour before they reached Hogwarts.

Beside him, sat a redhead and a girl with long, brown, bushy hair.

"Harry, is anything wrong?" asked Ron. He was from the Weasley family, all whom were famous for their flaming red hair.

Harry blinked, drawing himself away from his daydreams. "I'm okay," he replied rather hesitantly. But he was not okay: When he had gone back to Privet Drive, the Dursleys had ignored him as usual. That, he was thankful for. But everything had changed when Aunt Marge broke her leg and decided to move in so the family could take care of her. Now she, unlike the Dursleys, knew nothing about Harry being a wizard. But she had heard from Aunt Petunia about the so-called Best Lawn Competition from the summer before. She had been enraged that Harry had tricked her relatives, so she decided to make him pay.

The second she had arrived, she started making Harry's life as miserable as possible. As if the Dursleys weren't bad enough. She beat him and whipped him, then locked him in the cupboard without dinner. But that wasn't all. He was also forced to sweep the floor and dust the rooms and do the weeding... and anything else she could think of. It had been horrible.

Now, as Harry sat in the Hogwarts Express, he was careful not to flinch when his friends toucked him. His back was covered with fresh welts from the day before. He didn't know why he kept this a secret from his friends. It was just that... he felt as if he would scream if he heard their gasps and screams and questions.

Hermione Granger exchanged worried glances with each other. Their friend was hiding something, but what?

"Harry," Hermione asked uncertainly. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? You can tell us anything, you know..." She looked into her friend's emerald green eyes.

Harry found Hermione's searching look unnerving. He wanted to turn away, put his female friend gripped his arm tightly. He tried to bite back the gasp of pain, but was unsuccessful. A small moan excaped his lips.

"What's this?" Hermione asked as she held onto his hand and ripped up his sleeves. Harry closed his eyes, not wanting to see her reactions. He heard her gasp and Ron's voice saying, "Bloody hell, Harry, who did this to you?" Harry found that he was unable to answer. His entire arm was covered in scars, and he cursed himself for cryng out in pain.

"Harry, who did this to you?" repeated Ron, more urgently this time. Could the Dursleys have done this? He found it hard to believe.

"Um..." Harry stopped. What should he say? "I---"

He was cut off by Hermione. "Harry, really, there's nothing to be afraid of! Just tell us what happened..."

Harry looked at his fellowing Gryffindor's pleading face and coaxing voice. "I... not yet, Hermione, not now... I'm not... ready yet. I just ...can't. I'm sorry."

Hermione's face immediately softened. It broke her heart to see her friend like this, hurt and uncertain. "It's alright, I understand..."

"Take it easy, mate," Ron added. "Relax." His assuring voice calmed Harry.

"Thanks Hermione. Thanks, Ron. Thanks for understanding." He could not have said how much it meant to him to have his friends standing around him, caring for him.

Hermione looked at her watch. "We better change, five more minutes till we reach Hogwarts." she said as they began tidying up.

Severus looked out the window in time to spot the Hogwarts Express pulling in. He watched as the looming figure of Hagrid rush forward to greet the first years. The second, third, and fourth year walked by, chattering. The fifth years were no different. Then came the sixth years. The gawky teenagers walked in groups: First, a swirl of blue cloaks to show the Ravenclaws, then a cloud of green as the Slytherins walked by. Then came the Hufflepuffs... Finally, a swirl of red and gold came by. Traditional Gryffindor colors. Everyone was talking noisily. Except for one person. A boy was walking silently, looking deep in thought. Who was that person? He was almost as tall as Severus himself. It was strange that he didn't recognize this boy, he had been teaching for so long, he knew practically everyone in the school... The messy black hair seemed strangely familiar. Suddenly, the boy looked up. For a second, those startling green, emerald eyes locked with his black ones. They held each other's gaze for a moment, then the professor felt that he had to look away.There was such an intense look of ... pain and despair, fear and misery, in the Gryffindor's eyes.Then, he realized with a jolt who it was. There was only one person he knew with that colored eyes. Potter. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, his most hated student. Well, he didn't hate him, it was just that... it was so hard to explain that feeling... He hated his father yes, but not Harry. And suddenly, Severus realized that he had nevered called the Gryffindor 'Harry' before. It had always been 'Potter'. He didn't know why the school insisted on calling people by their last names, it was so... it gave of a cold, formal feeling. 'Harry' sounded so much better..

Severus jolted himself out of his daydreams and thought about the boy he had seen coming out of the train. But Potter, no, Harry, had seemed so different. The immature boy was gone. Instead stood a boy full of wisdom, and judging by worried look on his young face, he had seen many things in his short life that many others had never seen in their whole lifetime. He had lost his mother and father, he had never known any of his relatives other then the Dursleys, who had a rather nasty reputation.. Suddenly, Severus' heart was filled with sympathy for the orphaned Gryffindor boy. He gave himself a mental shake. No, why was he thinking about his? He shook his head and walked down to the Great Hall to get for the Sorting and Feast.

*********

Harry sat down and gazed expectantly at the Staff table. The Sorting was soon done and Harry welcomed (along with anyone else) the new Gryffindors to their table. Then, all turned their attention onto the Headmaster.

Dumbledore stood up and smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! For those of you new students, welcome to your new houses. This year, Professor Lupin will one more be taking over Defence Against Dark Arts," he paused as claps erupted from all the tables except for the Slytherins, then continued, "And the Forbidden Forest is off limits for all students." He put delicate stress on the word 'all', his gaze lingering on the Weasley twins. Fred and George looked back, innocent looks plastered on their faces. As soon as Dumbledore looked away, the twins huddled together, undoubtedly discussing plans on how to get around this rule. "Now," Dumbledore smiled, "I have two words to say: Tuck in."

Plates filled with every kind of food appeared on the table, but for some reason, Harry felt as though he had lost his appretite. He picked at his food and barely ate anything.

The others didn't seem to notice this as they piled their own plates with food. Soon, everyone was full.

"I'm so full, I can't eat another bite!" groaned Ron.

"Well, it's your own fault!" said Hermione, rather crossly.

"Come on, let's get to bed," Harry said, trying to prevent another argument. Hermione caught the weariness in his voice.

"Sure, sorry, Harry."

********

Voldemort place a hand on his shoulder... There was a flash of red lights...

Harry woke up with a gasp. Good, at least, he hadn't woken up any of his dorm mates. He had been dreaming about Voldemort again... For the third time that week.

Suddenly, he felt something wet running down his back. Damn, the welts had probably started bleeding again. He tried to use his robes to stop the running blood, but in vain. Harry knew that he had to do something soon. He didn't want to go to the hospital wing, it would lead to tricky questions about how he got the scars... He finally came up with the only answer he could. He had to brew the Healing Potion. They had learned it during potions, it normally stopped all bleeding and pain. But there was a problem. He didn't have the neccessary ingrediants. There was only one place in the whole castle that had it. Snape's personal supplyroom.

********

A few minutes later, Harry found himself sneaking along the dark corridors with the Marauder Map in his hand and the invisibility cloak wrapped around him. He was almost there, almost there... The bleeding was getting out of control. If he didn't get to the dungeons quickly, he would soon be leaving a trail of blood behind, and he couldn't let that happen.

He was just walking up the last corridor when suddenly, he felt suddenly dizzy and nauseous. The world bagan spinning before his eyes as his legs gave way and he fell to the floor. He had to stand up, had to get to Snape's dungeon, but try as he might, he could not get up. Another spell of dizziness hit and before long, darkness claimed him.

Draco Malfoy woke up with a start to the sound of his wand buzzing. He checked the clock. 5am. Oh, damn, now he remembered why he had set his wand to wake him up early. He had to go see Professor Snape for help with his Potions essay. The professor would probably be up by now, he was an early riser.

Sighing, he got up and changed. His father wouldn't be too pleased when he finds out about the Potions test they had had the day before. He knew he not done very well. That Hermio... no, Granger was always getting the good marks. It wasn't fair. Draco hated admitting that the muggle, Gryffindor girl was better than him in everything. To tell the truth, he thought Granger was a likable person, but no, nobody was supposed to know that. The tradition stated that Slytherins and Gryffindors had to be enemies, and he, Draco, would not be the one to mess that up.

He walked down towards his Head of House's dungeon, his stomach rumbling. What was his first lesson again? Defense Against Dark Arts with the Gryffindors. Oh no, just his luck. Professor Lupin was... Suddenly, he heard a low, moaning sound coming from the corridor in front of him. What was that? He was just starting to think that it was his imagination when the sound came again. If seemed as if someone was in pain. He quickened his pace and walked around the corner. He stopped when he saw the crumpled heap on the floor. Hmm, red and black robes. A Gryffindor. What was a Gryffindor doing here, near the Slytherin Common Room?

"Hello?" Draco asked uncertainly. Was this figure even alive? What should he do? "Hello?"

Slowly, as if talking great efforts, the heap raised itself until the Slytherin could see the person's face. The colour drained from Draco's face and he gasped as those pain-filled emerald eyes met his blue ones. It was Potter.

**********

I do not know how long I lay there, but the next thing I remember was someone calling me.

"Hello?"

The voice sounded strangely familiar. Who was it? I tried to look up but was unable to. It felt as if all the energy had been drained from me.

"Hello?" The voice said again. I opened my eyes just a crack and saw the hems of a green robe. Oh no, a Slytherin. This was not good.

Judging by the light, it was past dawn. Well, I couldn't lie there forever. Time to face the music. With trememdous efforts, I slowly raised my head and squinted at the figure. I heard a gasp. It was then that I realized who it was. Malfoy. My worst enemy. Well, what was I to do now? It would be a day in hell before Draco Malfoy decided to help me. I closed my eyes, prepared myself for the laughing and teasing. But I didn't hear a sound. Finally, I raised my head again. Draco was still standing there, looking shocked. I looked around and saw myself surrounded in a puddle of blood. Darn, the bleeding must have continued. So that was why Draco was stunned. Well, I had to say something. I couldn't just lie there.

"G-Get a pro-professor, Draco. Any pro-professor."

**********

Draco stood there uselessly, stunned. Potter was covered in blood! Hell, what had happened to that boy?

Just then, Potter spoke. "G-Get a pro-professor, Draco. Any pro- professor."

Draco just looked at the heap on the floor. It took him a minute to register what Potter had said. He immediately rushed around the last corner and banged on the dungeon trap door. "Professor Snape! Help, Professor, it's an emergency!" He didn't know why he was doing this. Why should he care about what happened to Potter? It was none of his business. Yet, he knew he would find himself explaining about Harry when his teacher opened the door.

There was no answer from the room. Maybe Professor Snape was asleep after all. With as much energy as he could muster, he cried out one last time.

"Professor, it's Draco!!! HELP, please!"

*********

Severus was sitting at his desk, marking papers. Oh, what a tedious thing to do. He was about to give up when there was a sudden banging on his trapdoor. There was a muffled sound, but he couldn't tell who was yelling.

He was getting up and going towards the entrance when the voice called out again. The banging was as loud as ever.

"Professor, it's Draco!!! HELP, please!" The voice was getting desperate, rising both in volume and intensity.

Draco Malfoy. What could have happened for the boy to come yelling at 5 in the morning? He sighed as he yanked opened the door. The Slytherin boy fell into the room. After Severus managed to calm him down, Draco led him to the heap on the floor.

Severus tried unsuccessfully to stifle a gasp. The undignified pile was surrounded by a puddle of blood. He was concerned by how much blood the person had lost. But first, he had to find out who it was. Gently, he reached down and lifted the person by their shoulders. He took one look at the face and gasped again. Harry Potter.

********

Harry was vaguely aware of Draco leaving. A few minutes later, the sound of two pairs of footsteps echoed in the hall. He heard Malfoy talking."

"He's here, sir, and he's injured..."

"Calm down, Draco." A cold, unconcerned voice said. Oh great, it was Snape. "And who are you talking about?"

Harry heard the gasp as Snape saw him. Saw his Potions professor's startled black eyes. Oh well, now, he was in trouble. Not that it mattered. He suddenly felt dizzy again. He tried to keep awake, but he was tired. He fell asleep once more.

*******

Severus couldn't believe it. It was Harry Potter. The boy whom he always thought of as strong, determined and full of dignity. Yet here was the Gryffindor now, lieing helpless on the ground. He had to help him.

Severus reached down and carefully removed the boy's cloak. Harry moaned softly. The professor continued with what he was doing. Soon, the Gryffindor's garments had been removed.

Oh God, what had happened to the child? His back was covered with welts and scars, many made recently, judging by the colour. He heard Draco gasp beside him. Not that he diagreed with the Slytherin, he wanted to throw up himself at the sight.

Severus reached down and touched the boy softly, but Harry flinched away. He was once again reminded of the pain-filled emerald eyes he had seen that day when Harry came off of the Hogwarts Express. He hadn't really paid any attention to it, until now. What could have caused such pain, such... despair? Could the Dursleys have been beating this boy? This was a possibility, seeing to the fact that his parents had constantly beat him when he was young. Severus knew how it felt to be... abused. He understood the pain this boy was going through, could remember the sting of the whip as if it had happened yesterday.

He physically shook himself. No, this wasn't the time to breakdown. He would not show his weakness to his students-- especially to his students. Besides, Potter needed help immediately. He picked up the boy carefully and ran towards the Hospital Wing, Draco at his heels.

********

Draco let out a startled gasp when his professor removed Potter's shirt. God, it was stunning. The boy's back was covered with welts, most were still bleeding... Yes, his father had beat him before, but never in such a way. He felt shocked that the famous Boy-Who-Lived led such a life. 'How could Potter have managed to live through this?' he wondered to himself. 'How could he bear to keep all his... feelings, all his anger and despair inside him?'

For the first time, it occured to him that Potter was not just any boy. The boy was not hiding behind his cloak of fame as others may have done. Instead, he earned this life with his knowledge, wisdom, and wits. Draco also knew that he, himself would not have been able to lead the life that Potter led. He did not have such courage and determination, such wisdom that the Gryffindor had.

Suddenly, Draco realized that the emotion he had buried inside himself was sympathy, longing and regret. He felt sorry for the boy, and longed to befriend him. He wanted to become a friend, a person this boy could rely on. He regretted all he had done to him, all the trouble he had caused him. Yet how could this Gryffindor be his friend? How could Harry forgive the enemy he had known since the first time they had set eyes on each other?

Just then, Professor Snape stood up, scooped Harry into his arms, and took of towards the Hospital Wing. Draco followed, surprised by the gentleness the man showed. As he caught Severus' worried eyes, he was even more stunned to see the pain in those dark black eyes. Professor Snape, caring about Harry Potter? Unbelievable. Yet there was no doubting the situation as the teacher hurried on, Draco running at his heals. They soon reached the hospital wing.

*********

Severus gently place the injured boy on the bed. Madam Pomfrey ran into the room.

"Hello, professor, what's..." She stopped as she spotted Harry. The tray in her hands dropped to the floor with a clang. "Oh my..." She immediately began to treat Harry with various sorts of medical potions.

Half an hour later, Severus stood up. He eyed the weary nurse and said, "So, what's wrong with him? What happened?" Oh damn, couldn't hide the concern in his voice. No, he wasn't SUPPOSED to be worrying over a Gryffindor boy...

Madam Pomfrey looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "I-I'm afraid, Professor, that he has a very small chance of... surviving."

Severus stood and gaped at Madam Pomfrey. Her voice echoed around the room.

"I-I'm afraid, Professor, that he has a very small chance of... surviving."

No, it couldn't be. His ears had to be decieving him... Harry, dieing? Impossible, he couldn't imagine... But judging by the tears in the nurse's eyes, it was true. He tried to keep his face emotionless, but failed. No, he couldn't let Draco and Pomfrey see his distress... He had to get out of there...

With a sweep of his cloak, Severus glided out the door, leaving a gaping Draco behind.

**************

"I-I'm afraid, Professor, that he has a very small chance of... surviving."

My eyes filled with tears as I heard myself utter those fatal words... Oh, Harry was such a sweet child, he couldn't die... I had to save him, had to, just had to...

But my distress was nothing compared to the pained look on the professor's face. Could it be? Could Professor Snape actually be worried about Harry Potter? The icy, stone-cold Potions Master? Was it possible?

Before I could sort out my stream of thoughts, Snape gathered his robes and swept magestically out of the room without another word. Draco stared at him for a minute, then followed.

I looked at the sleeping figure lieing on the bed. Sighing, I went to prepare some healing draught for him.

**************

Severus sat in his desk, ignoring the pile of test papers that required his attention. He was trying to sort out the hailstorm of emotions whirling inside him. Why did he even care about Potter? It was none of his business, why should it concern him? Yet when he had seen the boy lieing so helplessly on the floor, something inside him had snapped. He had forgotten that the boy was his most hated student. Instead, he had picked the almost lifeless figure up and dashed as fast as he could towards the Hospital Wing. And when Pomfrey had said that the Gryffindor's life was in danger, he had felt... no, he couldn't even begin to explain that feeling. His emotions were uncontrollable at the moment... His heart was filled with pity for the child, but as soon as he tried to sort out that feeling, the pity became anger, flaring through his body. Anger towards the person who had abused Harry, anger at himself for being so vulnerable and showing his feelings... He felt sympathy, rage, sorrow, despair, all that and more... so many emotions that he couldn't even begin to unravel...

He got up and walked into the bathroom. After splashing his face with icy water, Severus came back out again, feeling just a little calmer.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Albus' voice rang clearly through the air. "Severus, could I come in for a while?"

Oh no, not now, not when he needed to be alone... But did he have any choice? Sighing, he replied, "Come in."

As Dumbledore entered the room, Severus tried to wipe all the anxiety from his face. Instead, he replaced it with a mask of cold neutrality, the look in with so many students feared of.

Apparently, the Headmaster was not fooled. The second he entered, Albus knew from the glint in Severus' eyes that the Potions Master was trying to hide something. And from what he had heard, it wasn't hard to guess just exactly what he was trying to hide.

"Severus," Albus said, his voice soft but firm. "What happened to Harry? From what Madam Pomfrey has informed me of, you were the one who took him to the Hospital Wing."

'Damn that Pomfrey,' Severus thought to himself before answering Dumbledore's question. He told the Headmaster about how Draco had found Harry and of how he himself had brought he injured boy to the Hospital Wing.

"What condition was Harry in when you found him?" Dumbledore asked, his voice tainted with concern.

"Hell, Albus, the boy was covered in a pool of blood! There were welts all over his back and arms..." At this, Albus turned away, but Severus continued, "The Dursleys must have done it to him! Did you send someone to check out what kind of people they were before you sent Har--I meant, Potter to them?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly at Severus' stuttering. "No, as a matter of a fact, I havn't, considering the circumstances. They can't be that bad though, can they? After all, they are related to---"

"God, Albus, no one, and I repeat, NO ONE, other that Voldemort, deserves to be treated like that!" Severus interrupted, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You should have seen that look he gave me when I found him..." He trailed off, realizing what he had just said. He had ADMITTED that he cared for the Gryffindor. Oh, God, he hated himself, why did he just breakdown like that? He'ld never hear the end of it now...

Dumbedore smiled again. So, this icy-cold Potions Master did care after all. From what Albus had gathered from their little 'talks', Severus cared quite deeply for the Boy-Who-Lived. The man just didn't realize it yet. He was as stubborn as a mule sometimes... instead of showing any caringness, he terrified his students with a constant threat of detention. Not that Albus blamed the students; Severus' icy glare could make a troll run for the mountains...

"I'll see about the Dursleys," the Headmaster said, standing up abruptly. "You might want to go to the Hospital Wing later," Albus' face darkened slightly. "Harry's in a rather... fatal condition at the moment."

With that, Dumbledore walked out of the room, his cloak swishing behind him. He left Severus to gather his thoughts and emotions.

**************

The clock rang twelve times. Midnight. Draco Malfoy flung his cloak over his shoulders and ran towards the Hospital Wing, praying that he wouldn't meet Filch of Mrs. Norris. He had quite enough on his mind at the moment, thank you very much.

He wasn't even quite sure why he was going to the Hospital Wing in the first place. He was risking detension and House Points, or even worst, expulsion. But it weemed as if some invisible power was leading him. He had a feeling in his heart that he had to go see Potter, had to make sure that the boy was actually lieing in bed, safe and sound before he could actually sleep himself.

He turned the corner and silently pulled open the door to the Hospital Wing. He shut the door behind him and slid into a chair. Draco looked around and there he was. Harry lay in one of the beds, fast asleep. His scar seemed to blaze in the moonlight.

Suddenly, Harry began to fidget in his sleep. He began to murmur though what he was saying, Draco did not know.

"Must be having a nightmare," the Slytherin thought. What he heard next though, almost made him drop his cloak.

"No," Harry muttered uneasily. "Not there, no, Draco, not there, he'll kill you! Please Draco, please!" The Gryffindor's voice was rising in intensity and sweat was pouring down his face. Draco looked around in uneasy surprise. Potter was dreaming about him?

Harry's murmuring stopped as suddenly as it started. Draco waited another hour, hoping to hear more, but to no avail. The nightmare was obviously gone.

The Slytherin was about to leave when suddenly, he heard a creaking sound outside the door. 'Who could it be?' He wondered to himself. 'Not, Pomfrey, she wouldn't come in the middle of the night...' The sound was getting steadily louder. Had to hide, had to hide... Draco looked around frantically, then crawled silently into the only hiding place he could find: under Potter's bed. Draco peered out from under the bed, watching quietly.

The door to the Hospital Wing creaked open, and the Slytherin boy nearly gasped in shock. It was not the nurse, not Granger or Weasley, not even Dumbledore. It was Professor Snape, his Head of House. The teacher slid into the room, as quiet as a shadow. He sat down in a chair and gazed at Harry, just like Draco had done minutes earlier.

To Draco's surprise, his teacher's face was filled with pain and sorrow. The professor's eyes, dark as night, flashed in the moonlight.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Professor Snape whispered. "I'm sorry I was so... horrible to you. Forgive me." The teacher walked forward and gripped Harry's hand. "Live on, Harry. Live on, the world depends on you."

With that, the Potions Master glided smoothly out of the room, shutting the door silently after him. Draco waited a few minutes, then followed.

**************

Harry lay on the bed, his eyes open a mere crack. He was in the Hospital Wing, and creaking sounds outside the door had woken him up. There it was again. Creak. Creak, creak. The door opened silently as a dark shadow slid into the room. Harry unconciously gripped his wand tighter, squinting into the darkness, trying to see who it was. His glasses was on the night table, but he, pretending to be asleep, could not move. Who was it? Madam Pomfrey? No, this person was about a head taller than the nurse.

The shadow settled down in one of the chairs. Harry tried to breath evenly, so not to give himself away.

Suddenly, the shadow got up and headed towards the bed. It got closer and closer, then stopped. It leaned over and looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Harry," a strangely familiar voice whispered. "I'm sorry I was so... horrible to you. Forgive me." The shadow walked forward and gripped Harry's hand. "Live on, Harry. Live on, the world depends on you." Then, it whirled around and headed towards the door.

Just then, the moonlight streaming into the room shone onto the shadow. Harry almost fell off the bed when he saw who it was. Long, black hair and icy, dark eyes. Professor Snape. The teacher walked out of the room, the door shutting silently behind him.

Harry gaped in shock. Snape had come to see him? Impossible. He'll think about it tomorrow, 1 o'clock in the morning just wasn't the time to be thinking about such things. He smiled to himself. "I will, professor," his whisper was almost inaudible. "Don't worry, I will live on." Fatigue overtook him and he feel asleep once again. If he had stayed awake just a little longer, he would have seen Draco Malfoy glide silently out of the room.

As the weeks passed, Harry slowly began to recover. Each day he got stronger and better until finally, it was his last day in the Hospital Wing. Ron and Hermione had come to see him a few times, inquiring about his health. Harry smiled at the memory of the conversation they had had a few days ago.

****************

Harry was sitting in bed, reading an interesting book on the art of healing when there was a loud knock on the door. Ron and Hermione walked into the room. They were intently discussing something, possibly even arguing, but stopped immediately when they saw Harry.

"Hey, guys!" Harry greeted them cheerfully.

"Um... hi, H-Harry," Hermione stuttered while Ron turned tomato red. Harry had a strange instinct that they had been talking about him.

"So... um... how are you doing?" Ron asked uncomfortably.

"I'm fine, though Madame Pomfrey won't let me out of her sight." Harry laughed, trying to break the tension. "So, why are you two acting so nervous?"

"Well, um... nothing. It's just that we um.....um...um..." Ron's ears started turning pink.

"Really, it's nothing," Hermione interrupted, coming to the rescue. She saw the doubtful look on her injured friend's face. "We just um... well, we saw Draco Malfoy last night."

"So?" Harry inquired, puzzled. "We see him at dinner every night! What's the big deal?"

"Well," Ron sounded very uneasy. "It was night. I meant, after the curfew. It was past midnight. Hermione wouldn't let me go to bed until I've finished my Potions homework." At this, he aimed a glare at his female friend, whom promptly ignored it. "Well, anyways, he was heading towards the Hospital Wing. We watched him and---"

Hermione interrupted and continued. "We thought that we'd better watch and wait for him to come back, just to be on the safe side. About and hour later though, another figure came towards the Wing. It was too dark to see who it was, the person was so silent. It was.. creepy. He, or she, was pretty tall though, so it might have been one of the seventh graders."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. So he hadn't been dreaming that night when he had thought Snape had visited him. But Draco Malfoy? What had he been doing?

The Gryffindor tried to change his sitting position, but all he succeeded in doing was twisting his arm.

His pain must have shown on his face, for Hermione quickly asked, "Harry, is something wrong?" She gripped his already-injured arm tightly.

Harry flinched, pain shooting up his arm. Hermione gasped and immediately apologized. She gently touched his sleeve, then hesitated. Her concerned eyes met his emerald ones as she asked softly, "May I?"

Harry took a deep breath, then slowly nodded. Hermione rolled up his sleeves. Harry looked down, along with the others, at this arm. The scars stood out on his pale skin.

Hermione took out her wand and gave it an expertant flick. "Verro Denistra!" A golden beam streaked towards Harry's arm, then connected. Harry sighed in relief as the pain faded instantly. "Thank you," he whispered, smiling at his friends. Hermione blushed as she turned away.

The magical moment was broken when Madam Pomfrey entered the room. She had rushed Ron and Hermione out of the Wing, claiming that Harry needed rest. With a swirl of their cloaks, his friends were gone.

****************

Harry's smile widened as he looked forward to the next day. He could finally leave the Hospital Wing after a week of 'imprisonment', as he called it. He looked at the clock and realized that it was almost bedtime. He settled back into the comfy bed and lost himself in a muggle murder mystery written by T. Chandler. Hermione had let him borrow it.

Harry read for a few hours before weariness overcame him. He fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.

****************

The sunlight streamed into the Hospital Wing as Madam Pomfrey came into the room to open the shutters. She seemed cheerful enough and was humming a rather familiar tune.

Harry groaned in his sleep as the sunlight hit him in the face. Damn it, why did the nurse enjoy waking her patients with the blast of light?

He rolled over and tried to fall asleep again, but to no avail. The nurse walked over briskly and lifted the blanket off the bed. "Wake up, lazybone!" her voice echoed around the room.

Harry moaned. "Leave me alone," he muttered, "I want to sleep..."

"This is your last day, remember?" Madam Pomfrey's voice drifted in. "Don't you want to join the rest of the school for breakfast?"

This statement made Harry open his eyes. How could he forget, today would be his first day out of the Hospital Wing! He immediately leaped up and began to get dressed, pulling his black robes over his head. He snatched up his glasses from the bedside table and hopped into his shoes.

The nurse chuckled at his actions. She tried to get him to drink another energy potion, but the boy refused. He nimbly slipped out of her clutches and dashed out the door without another word. The nurse sighed and began folding the blankets.

****************

Harry raced along the hallways. Thanks to the nurse's pestering and delaying, he was late. He flung open the door and stormed into the room to find everyone already seated. The whole school, including the staff, looked up at his sudden entrance. Harry didn't care; he raced over to the Gryffindor table and sat down beside Ron and Hermione.

"Phew, finally, I managed to make it out of the Hospital Wing." He sighed in obvious relief, causing many to laugh. "Pomfrey's a horror sometimes."

Harry soon began to load his plate with food; he was starving. He devoured six pancakes in a flash and ended up choking on his pumpkin juice; Hermione made tsking noises while Ron slapped him on the back.

In half an hour, the trio had finished their breakfast.

"So, what's first?" Harry asked, looking for his schedule.

"Double Potions for two hours," Hermione recited. She had the whole times table memorized by heart.

Ron groaned. "Slytherins and Snape, what could be worst?"

Harry just smiled mysteriously. He felt was uncertain; he was sure that it was Snape who had come that night... He felt strangely comforted as the professor's voice echoed in his head.

***I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry I was so... horrible to you. Forgive me. Live on, Harry. Live on, the world depends on you.***

Feeling encouraged, he grabbed his books and headed towards the Potions dungeon.

****************

The door of the Potions dugeon flung open at percisely the right time. Severus stepped into the room, his cloak whirling behind him. He looked around the room, giving each student an icy glare. His eyes lingered on Potter and his glare faded into an almost indistinguishable smile. Good, Potter was finally back.

The Potions Master had been extremely worried about the Gryffindor boy, though he knew that he would never admit it to anyone short of Merlin himself. Just a few days ago, he had found himself visiting the boy in the Hospital Wing at night. Fortunately, no one had seem him. He shuttered as he thought of what might have happened if someone had seen him. He would never live it down.

"Today," he said in the sneering voice which he had come to learn so well. "We will brew the Tranquility Potion. Can anyone tell me what it is?"

To his surprise, one person raised his hand. This was difficult magic, he hadn't expected anyone to know. And no, it wasn't that Granger who seemed to know something about everything. It was Potter. 'Interesting,' he mused to himself as he looked at the Gryffindor.

"Potter?" he asked, his voice dripping with scorn. "So you think you know what the Tranquility Potion does? Well, let's hear it."

Harry spoke in a loud, confident voice. "The Tranquility Potion is a potion of extensive power. It has many uses including curing fever, healing cuts and scars, and dealing with pain. It is most well-known for it's power to sooth and calm the user. Which is why it's also known as the Calming Potion."

Severus was taken aback. This was quite impressive, it was at the N.E.W.T level of Potion skills; Where on earth had Pottered managed to learn this? Usually, Granger was the one who surprised him.

The Potions Master immediately recovered. "So you're a Know-It-All in training, aren't you? Who's your instructor? Granger, I suppose?"

Hermione blushed and her cheeks turned pink. But Harry, on the other hand, stared at him, not the least bit unnerved. Severus' black eyes held the other's green ones for a few seconds. Then, he turned away. He found Harry's searching look unnerving; those eyes looked as though they knew all his deepest, darkest secrets, all his fears and happiness.

Severus gave himself a mentle shake. He turned as he walked down and began critisizing the Gryffindors.

The rest of the lesson went fairly well, though Potter was especially unnerving. His piercing glares no longer seemed to effect the boy. On one occasion, the Gryffindor threw an unknown ingrediant into Goyle's potion; the cauldron immediately exploded. Luckily, no one got sprayed. The Potions Master wished dearly to give Potter detension, but he couldn't bear the thought of having to endure his stares for any longer than necessary. However, Potter seemed to be begging to get into trouble: he caused commotion, he teased the Slytherins mercilessly, he dropped a variety of wrong ingrediants into the Slytherins' potions... Finally, Severus could refrain himself no longer. "POTTER!" he roared. "10 POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR AND DETENSION TONIGHT AT 8!!!" His dark eyes blazed with rage; his glare made everyone in the room (other than Harry) shiver.

Severus gave an exhausted sigh as the class ended. Finally, Potter would be gone. He silently cursed himself for giving the boy detension; Now, he would have to deal with him later that night...

****************

Harry walked down the hall towards Snape's office. For some reason, he didn't feel afraid at all. Ron and Hermione had been frantic for him. Fred Weasley had even gone as far as to say that he would be planning his furneral for him. But he had felt carefree, as if he did this every day. It seemed as if Harry was no longer afraid of Snape's chilling glare. Every time the Potions Master looked at him, he thought of that night in the Hospital Wing, how Snape had cared enough to come down to see him.

Now, Harry walked calmly into the teacher's office after knocking politely on the door. Snape was seated in a chair by desk. He sneered at He when he saw him, but the boy couldn't have cared less. Was it his imagination, or did Harry see an uneasy and exhausted glint in the Potion Master's eyes?

After Snape gave the boy instructions to clean the cauldrons, he went to his desk and began to mark papers. Harry kept on working, cauldron after cauldron. Ten more left, nine more left, eight more, seven more, six...

Harry was working on this last cauldron when a sudden hiss of pain emitted from the dirention of the teacher's desk. Harry turned around and found Snape clutching his left forearm, his skin deathly pale.

"Professor Snape?" Harry asked uncertainly.

No answer.

He tried again. "Professor Snape? Are you alright?"

Still no reply.

Harry wondered if he should risk addressing his teacher with a less formal title. He decided that it was worth a try. He opened his mouth and called out, "Severus? Hold out your arm."

This time, Snape reacted. He unconciously held out his arm, obeying Harry's authoritive voice. The Gryffindor rolled up the professor's sleeve. The Dark Mark glowed dangerously. So, Voldemort was calling. Now, what was that spell that he had read about in the healing book again? Harry searched through his brain. Verro Denistra was effective, but he doubted it was strong enough to the pain of the Dark Mark. That spell, what was it?

Suddenly, he remembered. Pulling out his wand, Harry flicked it and pointed it at his teacher's arm. "Expectia Healianza!" he whispered. The Dark Mark stopped glowing. Snape seemed to regain conciousness as he trembled violently.

Harry was shocked; he had never seen this side of the professor before. The stone-cold Potions Master had always been strong and cold; he was never frightened or nervous. But it suddenly occured to Harry that Snape was human after all, prone to emotions such as joy and sorrow, fear and distress.

Then, Harry did a thing that he never thought he would do, especially to this particular teacher. He held out his arms and pulled the man into a warm embrace. To his surprise, Snape returned the hug.

"Thank you," the Potions Master whispered. "But, how-- how did you do that?"

"Do what?" Asked Harry, confused.

"Take away the pain. Very few wizards can do that. Albus and Voldemort are the only people I know who can do it. " He let out a bitter laugh. "Though Voldemort never uses magic to take away pain. He only creates pain."

Harry shrugged, uncertain of how to answer. "I read it in this book I borrowed from Madam Pomfrey."

Severus' lips curled into a thin smile. "So that's how you found out about the Tranquility Potion."

Harry smiled back. "Yeah, I read about it a few days ago. There was nothing else to do."

Suddenly, the teacher gasped in realization. "I almost forgot. I have to go. The Dark Lord's calling. I'm late as it is."

Harry tried in vain to protest. "But you're too weak!" he cried. "And why do you have to go anyways?"

The professor tried his best to give his student an icy glare. "I am NOT weak, Potter. I have to go because I am a spy. Voldemort does not know that I word for Dumbledore."

"Oh."

"So I have to go now. If you see Dumbledore, tell him that I'll be back soon."

Nothing Harry said could restrain his teacher. The Potions Master headed towards the window and pulled it open. He grabbed the broomstick and was about to fly out when Harry spoke.

"Professor?"

"What?" The teacher turned to look at the boy.

"Please be careful."

Severus' heart was suddenly flooded with a hurricane of emotions he could not describe. Those words rang in his ear again and again. He rewarded Harry with a smile.

"I will."

The Gryffindor watched as the Potions Master flew out the window. The teacher flew towards the Forbidden Forest and soon faded from sight.

Severus Snape apparated into the current meeting spot of the Death Eaters. He found everyone in a circle, waiting for the Dark Lord.

A few seconds later, there was a sweep of a cloak, as Lord Voldemort stepped into the room with Wormtail trailing behind him. "So," a high chilling voice pierced the air. "You have all come."

Each of the Death Eaters knelt on the cold, stone ground, crawled up, kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robes, then back away. Severus was about to do the same when the Dark Lord stopped him. "Severus," that chilling voice said. "You have served me well and proved yourself a faithful Death Eaters. Which is why I am going to ask you to be the one to put my latest plan into action. Do you except?"

Severus knelt quickly and immediately replied, "Of course, my Lord. It would be an honour."

Voldemort motioned for Severus to stand up, then said, "I have found a way to destroy Harry Potter." He paused as the Death Eaters pretended to cheer.

"H-how do you plan to do it, my Lord?" Lucius Malfoy's voice drawled.

"I plan to go back in time to kill James Potter and Lily Evans. That way, Harry will crease to live and people will realize who the TRUE ruler is." There was an amused laugh. "Why, do you doubt me, Lucius? Here is your punishment for asking. Crucio!"

Lucius Malfoy threw himself onto he ground, screaming as he withered in pain. After a minute or two, the spell stopped and Malfoy picked himself up.

"Now Severus," Voldemort turned to the Potions Master. "You are to find me a Time Turner. These are rare in the magical world and those few are well guarded. There may be a few in Hogwarts, though I doubt it. You are to search the whole school for it and bring it to me if you find it."

"Yes, my Lord," Severus said through clenched teeth.

"You may leave."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Oh, and one more thing." Voldemort said. "Crucio."

Severus shook in pain, but he didn't cry out. No, he wouldn't scream, wouldn't give Voldemort the satisfation... The pain stopped as soon as it started. With that, the Potions Master muttered a spell and apparated.

***************

Severus found himself at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was past midnight already, he could tell from the way the moon was shining in the dark night. He was tired, and the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse was really affecting him, but he had a lot to report to Albus. Slowly, he turned around and began the long trek to the school...

***************

Harry was lying in his dormitary, worrying. Snape had been gone a long time, and he still hadn't heard from him. It was a strange feeling, worrying for the stony Potions Master, yet the feeling was there, all the same. For some reason, he didn't tell Ron and Hermione about what had happened between him and Snape. For now, he just wanted to keep it to himself until he sorted out his feelings.

Harry sighed. Maybe he should go to the Potions dungeon and just wait there until Snape came back. There was no way he would be able to sleep in this condition.

Making up his mind, he grabbed the invisibility cloak and threw it over his shoulders. Looking at the Marauder's Map, he discovered with relief that Filch and Mrs. Norris were no where near the Potions dungeon.

He began walking, occasionally checking the map to make sure no one was near. He walked down the empty corridors, one after another.

Suddenly, he heard a soft, scuffling noise around the corner. He quickly pulled out his map and checked it. To his surprise, he saw the small dot reading 'Severus Snape' just around the corner. He quickly stopped and stood flat against the wall.

A second later, the Potions Master came around the corner. Harry knew immediately that something was wrong. Instead of carrying himself with the normal dignity, Snape stopped occasionally to lean against the wall, panting. Slowly, the teacher moved on and Harry followed him to make sure he reached his destination safely.

Snape finally reached the dungeon and reaching over, pulled open the door. He walked in and the trapdoor slammed behind him.

Harry hid around the corner and listened, hoping to hear what was going on. He was surprised to hear the Headmaster's voice.

"Severus, what happened?"

There was the sound of heavy panting. "It's okay, I'm fine, Albus."

"How many times?"

"Just once."

From what Harry could fanthom from the talk, Snape had been put under the Cruciatus Curse.

"Albus, they have a new plan?"

"What is it?" "They're planning to use a time turner to go back in time. They plan to kill James Potter so Harry will crease to live."

Harry tried and thankfully, managed to stifle his gasp. Voldemort wanted to go back in time to kill James?

"Why did he punish you?"

"No reason, just for fun, I guess. He wants me to search Hogwarts for a time turner. If there are any here, you'll have to make sure their well guarded, Albus. He might send more then one person to search for it."

"There are three in Hogwarts, hidden in various places. They are all in my possession at the moment."

"Good, because if he manages to go back, then Harry will surely be dead."

There was an amused chuckle from Dumbledore. "Since when did you start calling him Harry?"

There was no answer.

"Come on, Severus, let's get you to bed. It's been a long night."

There was the sound of running water and drawers being opened. Before long, the Headmaster pulled opened the trapdoor and walked out.

Harry felt extremely uncomfortable as Dumbledore looked straight at him, a smile on his face. Almost as if he could see Harry. Fortunately, the Headmaster turned and walked away.

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He slowly walked back to his dormitary, thinking about what he had heard. He crawled back into bed and quickly fell asleep.

"Why didn't you wake us up, for heaven's sake!" Hermione muttered while Ron whined pathetically.

"I didn't want to bother you!" Harry explained impatiently for the thousands time.

It was lunchtime. When they had gone to the Great Hall, Harry had told his friends about what he had heard Snape say the night before. He had repeated the conversation between Dumbledore and the Potions Master. When Hermione had asked, rather crossly, what he had been doing by the dungeons in the first place, Harry had made up a story about not being able to sleep and taking a midnight stroll. Ron seemed to be satisfied by this explaination, but Hermione wasn't buying it.

"Harry, I still can't understand why you didn't wake us up!" Ron grumbled.

"I've told you already, I didn't want to disturb you! Besides, I can't get into Hermione's dormitories!" Harry defended himself for the one thousand and first time.

His friends were obviously unsatisfied with his lame excuse. "Didn't want to disturb us?" Ron fumed. "Since when did you start caring about us? You never care, just go storming off into an adventure and leaving us behind."

Harry gaped at his redheaded friend, surprised by what he had heard. Ron thought he didn't care? "B-- I'm sorry, Ron. I really didn't want to bother you. I wake you next time." He felt deeply hurt and let a small portion of his pain show in his voice.

Hermione flinched when as she heard the note of pain in her friend's voice. For some reason, it hurt to see Harry like this, uncertain and weak. He was always so strong, so fearless... She had always been over-protective of Harry. It angered her even more that Ron, Harry's best friend, was the cause of this pain. Though she had to blame herself for starting this arguement.

"Okay, that's enough," Hermione interrupted, shooting a chilling glare at Ron. The redhead seemed to cower under his female friend's look. "It's okay, Harry, we forgive you, just wake us up the next time." She paused for a second, then continued. "What Snape said is very important, Harry. V-Voldemort's new plan (Ron shuddered) seems to be a rather simple one. He wants to kill your father so you will crease to live."

"Is that even possible?" Ron asked.

"Of course it's possible," Hermione snapped, earning Ron another glare.

"So, what can we do about it?" Harry asked.

"Well---" Hermione began.

"Um... guys?" Ron began uncertainly. "It's time for the afternoon class already. I really don't want to be late, Snape'll murder us..."

"Okay, let's go," Hermione agreed reluctantly.

With that, they walked towards the Potions Dungeon.

****************

Harry walked into the dungeon, feeling strangely shy, as if this was his first time in Potions class. A minute later, Snape promptly walked into the room, his cloak swirling behind him.

"Take notes," the Potions Master said gruffly, then turned and began scribbling on the board. Harry, along with the rest of the class, became scribbling for the next twenty minutes.

After the notes were copied down, they moved onto making a new potion.

"This potion," Snape began, "requires the use of a rare plant called the 'Icebane'. This is a complicated potion, so I expect all of you to pay attention. I don't expect any of you to be able to make this potion," at this, he looked at Hermione. "For now, this is just for the basic procedures. If the potion in done correctly, it should turn out to be a yellow or gold colour."

After the Potions Master explained the necessary procedures, they started. The first explosion came from Crabbe; his potion showered anyone in reaching distance. After about half and hour, the potions were almost done. Ron added a bowl of the liquid form of wolfbane. His potion turned a dark shade of midnight blue. Neville's was forest-green, and Hermione's, which was done with more caution, turned orange.

Harry took a deep breath and told himself not to muck things up. He had read about the Icebane potion in the many healing books he had read. (He had asked Madam Pomfrey to borrow some books, he found them fascinating, and he had finished half the shelves already.) He had read, and re-read (since he had been bored), the many different ways to brew the potion. He knew that if he was careful, he could brew this potion correctly. He searched his brain, trying desperately to remember the last paragraph of the passage. Suddenly, the words rang in his memory.

"The Icebane Potion, known for its special effects of healing, has a special way of brewing. Instead of pouring the liquid wolfbane in, pour drop by drop, mixing each time. This allows the liquid to fully mix with the rest of the ingrediants."

With those words echoing over and over in his head, Harry began to mix. Finally, he slowly began to pour the liquid wolfbane in. Drop by drop, the dark mixture was poured into the simmering and bubbling cauldron. There, the last drop was in. After mixing throughly, Harry sat back and looked into the cauldron, hoping, praying, waiting. A few minutes later, the cauldron gave a satisfying hiss, and the potion within turned a golden colour.

He heard Hermione gasp behind him. "Harry! You did it, oh my God, I can't believe it, it's N.E.W.T's level... Where did you learn it?" His fellow Gryffindor chattered excitedly.

Harry paid no attention. He looked at Snape, wondering what the professor's reaction would be. Snape circled around the room and finally came to Harry's desk. "Ah, Potter," he said, and for a second, a look of surprise flashed in his dark eyes. Then, it was once more replaced by a cold, neutral mask. "So I see you have done it. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Shocked gasps flew around the room. Ron looked at Snape, a stunned look on his face, while Neville whispered, "He's delirious!" Malfoy looked absolutely shocked; Harry tried hard to keep from laughing out loud.

Snape paid no attention to the comments. "I expect to see you today right after dinner, Potter. Come to my office and explain to me exactly how you have managed that potion; I'm still not convinced that you're not cheating."

Harry looked into his professor's eyes and saw what no one else did: A twinkle of amusement. He smiled back and replied, "Yes, sir."

****************

Harry walked nervously down the hallway towards Snape's office. He had no idea how to behave around the Potions Master at the moment. Should he take his detension with the usual formal, 'Yes, sir,' and 'No, Professor,' answers, or should he act warmly as he had done last detension?

He decided that it was safer to go with formality. If Snape decided to be kinder, then he could change tactics.

Taking a deep breath, Harry reached up and knocked on the door. "Professor? May I come in?"

****************

Severus sat nervously in his office, waiting for Potter to come. He wasn't sure how to behave around the student yet. Should he show his true self (After all, the boy had a pretty good idea of what he was really like already, thanks to the incident with the Dark Mark), or should he continue being that stone-cold bastard that the students had come to fear?

After thinking for a few minutes, Severus decided that he didn't want to scare Harry any more. The boy had never feared him as other students had anyways. Besides, he was tired of acting like he didn't care, tired of acting like the teacher that everyone hated. So far, Albus was the only one who knew his true personality. Maybe it was time to open up to the Boy-Who- Lived......

There was a sudden knocking at the door and Harry's voice traveled into the room. "Professor? May I come in?"

Severus waved his hand and the door opened. The Gryffindor walked into the room, bending his head slightly when he saw his professor. The fact that Harry was acting so formally disconcerted him. What if the boy didn't want to get to know him? Or worse, what it he got laughed at? 'Damn, Severus, just get on with it,' he told himself.

Taking a deep breath, he waved Harry over to an empty chair. 'Time to face the music,' he thought. He was just about to start talking when Harry spoke first.

"Professor, I assure you that I was not cheating during Potion class today," The Gryffindor paused. "Though if you do not believe me, there is nothing else I can say." The boy stared at him defiantely.

Severus was taken aback by the honesty in those words. He looked up and tried to keep his emotions out of his words. "Potter, I assure you that I am convinced. I asked you to come for another reason."

Harry looked up curiously, and the Potions Master continued. "I am offering to help you proceed faster with your studies, to go beyond the sixth years' level. The Headmaster agrees with me in the fact that we believe that you will be needing it sooner than the others."

Severus stared into those emerald eyes. For a man so aware of every nuance of posture and expression, he could detect no emotion at all by looking at the boy. Which was impressive. Most students displayed their feelings proudly on their face. But not Potter. Yes, you could tell when he was happy or sad, but when he wanted to, the boy could disguise his feelings in such a way that you could not tell what he was thinking.

Finally, Harry replied. "Professor, I thank you for the offer and I accept. When do we start lessons?" There was no hint of sarcasm in his words.

This was it. Severus was tired of this formal teacher-student game they were playing. If he did not start acting more... warmer, they would soon have the schedule decided and Harry would leave. He changed into a more casual manner. Instead of using the boy's surname, he used the Gryffindor's first name. "Harry," he began, and saw the slight shock in the other's eyes at being addressed in such a way. "I think it would be better if you do not tell the other students of this. We should just say that it's... remedial potions."

"Yes sir," Harry agreed quickly. After a moment of silence, the boy added. "Um... is that all, professor? I have to go back to the Common Room to finish my homework."

Severus desperately wanted the boy to stay, but could find no other reasons. "You may leave," he said.

As Harry was leaving the room, the boy knocked his arm against the sharp corner of a table. Harry hissed and grabbed his arm. His face showed no signs of being hurt, but those green eyes were filled with pain .

"Harry?" Severus asked, concerned. The boy did not answer. From the slightly dazed look on the Gryffindor's face, he couldn't really hear what the Potions Master was saying. "Harry?" the teacher kept on murmuring the boy's name, hoping to reach him. Harry, meanwhile, seemed to be reviving some bad memory; he kept on muttering, "No, don't, it hurts... Please, stop, I'll say it, I'm a freak, I deserve to die...."

Severus was shocked. Harry thought that he deserved to die? The boy full of dignity that was so damn arrogant, like his father? What was going on?

Suddenly, the Gryffindor blinked. Realizing where he was, the boy muttered an apology and tried to disappear out the door. But Severus was not one to tolerate such things. "Harry," he said gently. "What's wrong?"

The boy didn't answer his question. "Please, Professor, let me out, please..."

"Harry," Severus said again. "It's okay... You can tell me if anything's wrong, you know..." He felt very awkward.

His comforting seemed to be too much for Harry. Severus watched as the tears formed in those haunting eyes... He could tell that Harry was trying desperately to stop the tears, but couldn't. Suddenly, the boy let out a sob and grabbed the Potion Master's robes, burying his head deep into it.

Severus felt more awkward than ever, but he could do nothing other than pat the boy's back and whisper, "It's okay, Harry, you're fine now..." The Potions Master felt umcomfortable being in physical contact of another human being, but there was nothing he could do at the moment...

Suddenly, Harry let go of Severus' robes. Those normally dancing green eyes seemed to be filled with... what was it? A wave of shock hit the Potions Master as he realized that it was shame; shame for showing his feelings, shame for breaking down...

"I-- I'm sorry, Professor," Harry whispered, and to Severus' surprise, the boy grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry..."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Harry," Seveus assured him gently. "There's nothing to be ashamed of..."

"I-- I have to go, Professor Snape," Harry said. "Ron and Hermione will be worried." To Severus, the formal title sounded strange. Making up his mind, he spoke softly.

"Severus."

"Huh?" Harry asked, obviously lost.

"Call me Severus, there's no need for formality in front of me."

Harry seemed vaguely surprised at the request, but he smiled. "Thank you, Severus," he whispered.

The Potions Master liked the way his own name rolled off the Gryffindor's lips. "You're welcome." He said. Then, he added, "Harry, I think it would be more... wise to keep this between us for now." His normally emotionless eyes twinkled. "Can't have the Slytherins pouncing over me."

"Okay." The boy smiled.

"Good night, Harry," Severus said softly as Harry walked towards the door. The Gryffindor looked up and smiled. The smile warmed the teacher's heart.

"Good night, Severus."

It had been three months since Severus first offered to teach Harry. Harry, being a fast learner and avid reader, had mastered all of the the sixth years? material, and most of the seventh years?. He was currently learning to Apparate. Severus had also agreed to teach him what the young Gryffindor wanted to learn most: to become an Animagus.

Severus? and Harry?s relationship had developed greatly; each day, after their ?remedial potions? lessons, they spent ten minutes together just to be able to talk and get to know each other. Harry learned a lot of things about the Potions Master that he would never have guessed. Severus found himself letting go of hatreds and caring for the son of an old enemy. They confided in each other and discussed many things; Severus always talked to Harry about what had been going on in his classes, and Harry had always been able to think of an amusing yet sarcastic remark.

Meanwhile, the school knew nothing about what was going on between the Potions Master and Harry Potter. Both student and teacher were careful not to show their affection; instead, they disguised it with Severus constantly giving Harry detensions for breaking rules, and Harry always smirking and giving sarcastic retorts.

Right now, Harry sat next to the Potions Master, listening what the other repeating (for the tenth time that week) the facts of transforming.

?I know you've practised for over a month already, but so far, you've only managed to transform half-way. So let's just go over the basics. You have to concentrate on the words ?Verretia Transformus.? Empty your mind and relax; do not think about anything other than what you are trying to do. I know it's tiring for you to transform, that you're feeling constantly exhausted and clumsy. But don?t worry, the more practise you get, the less these transformations will affect you. Try now; concentrate."

"Verretia Transformus, Verretia Transformus, Verretia Transformus," Harry murmured to himself. He closed his eyes and emptied his mind of all thoughts. Instead, he concentrated on the words. For now, nothing in the world mattered; All he had to do was think about the spell... He imagined the words, written on a blank scroll, all the while murmuring "Verretia Transformus..."

The transformation came suddenly. One second, Harry was standing, and the next, he was on all fours. He opened his eyes to find himself with four hooves and a tail. He heard a stifled gasp behind him.

"You did it! Finally, the practises have paid off!" Severus cried. He was amused. And was it his imagination, or did he see a small glint of... waht was it? /Pride?/ Was that /pride/ he saw in the Potion Master's normally emotionless face? Harr tucked the information away to ponder over later as he trotted to the tall mirror and to take his first look at his Animagus self.

Standing in front of him was a beautiful unicorn; the body was icy- white and the golden mane shone in the evening moonlight. The silver-gold horns were delicate and smooth and staring back at him were two emerald- green eyes, beautiful, yet haunting. Last, but not least, a pair of feathery wings sprouted from his back.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it..." Severus whispered in slight awe.

Harry couldn't help it; he smirked. This was the first time he had ever seen the cold Potions Master surprised or dazzled. He hadn't thought it was possible.

"Okay," Severus said in a more commanding tone, shaking himself and snapping out of his daze. "Now, think, concentrate, Verretia Humanus or Verretia Persona, which ever one you want..."

Harry chose Verretia Persona; it had a nice ring to it. Once more, he emptied his thoughts and concentrated, Verretia Persona, Verretia Persona, Verretia Persona...

He felt himself transform once again, and he shut his eyes tightly. A moment later, he was back in his human form.

He felt strangly tired and collapsed onto the ground. A second later, he heard Severus' concerned , "Harry!" as strong hands held him up. Harry opened his eyes for a moment and found himself in Severus' embrace. He was levitated onto the sofa and a blanket was wrapped snugly around him. He soon fell asleep.

**************

Harry slowly opened his eyes a few hours later to the sound of voices. His glasses had been removed and everything was blurry. He fumbled around and realized that they were on the table; he picked them up and put them on.

Judging by the moonlight, it was about eight thirty p.m. already. Uh oh, he had promised Hermione that he would be back by eight. Listening carefully, he caught a few words of the conversation.

"... But Professor, is he okay?"

"....fine..... Ms. Granger... Weasley.... busy for one more hour..."

"Are... sure?"

"I assure you........ go back.....room...."

"No...refuse......... see him now........."

Oh God, no... Judging by the voices, it was Ron and Hermione. They had probably gotten worried about him and come to check on him. And from what Harry was hearing, his friends weren't planning to leave until they got a glimpse of him. Well, he'ld just have to satisfy their request.

Smoothing his messy hair back, Harry walked stood up and walked out of the room into the hallway in which Sev and his friends were arguing.

"No, I'm sorry, Professor, I will NOT leave until I see Harry. I don't care it you take points off Gry---" She stopped abruptly when she spotted Harry, and surprise passed over her features. "Harry!" she cried, running towards him, Ron close behind. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Hermione..." Harry assured his female friend.

"Why were you late?" Ron asked good-naturedly. "You said you'ld come down at eight... We were so worried that um..." he stopped, looking at the Potions Master.

Sev raised and eyebrow, causing the redhead to look away quickly.

"Sorry, Ron," Harry replied. "Se-- Professor Snape was just teaching me about the... Trustianda Potion..."

Hermione's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Harry, we learned that in class, you mastered it perfectly!"

"Um..." Harry stuttered, turning a bit pale. Hermione noticed this change and stored the information in the back of her mind to ponder over later.

"Mrs. Granger," Severus interrupted coldly. "I assure you that he has NOT mastered it correctly, which is why he requires and extra hour to practise. Now, please go back to your dorms..." The Potions Master turned his icy gaze to Harry. "Come, Potter." He disappeared into the dungeon, and to Ron and Hermione's surprised, Harry followed suit without another word.

**************

"Ron," Hermione asked intently. "Do you get the feeling that something's wrong with Harry?"

"Well," Ron began hesitantly. "He has been spending an awful lot of time with the git, Snape..."

"And did you noticed the way he went pale when I asked him about the Trustianda Potion? I get this feeling that Harry's hiding something..."

"Me too," Ron was quick to agree. "And for some reason, Harry's gone all polite on Snape."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear how he corrected you last week? You kept on saying 'Snape', and Harry kept on saying 'Professor Snape'... It was... weird. Since when did he start being polite to Snape?"

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, I've noticed that. And did you see him this evening? Snape disappeared into the dungeon and Harry followed without another word! He was... submissive!"

"You... um.... don't think that git's doing something to him, do you?"

"Like what?" Hermione said sharply.

"Threatening Harry, or something... Maybe he even...." the redhead trailed off, giving Hermione a meaningful look.

The Gryffindor witch's eyes widened as she caught the meaning of the statement. "Ron, you can't think that Snape's abusing him?"

"Hey, hey," Ron said, holding up his hands. "I'm just considering things from all the possibilities here. You never know." He shivered. "Though I REALLY hope I'm wrong.

"I know, Ron, I know. I hope so too."

**************

Draco Malfoy sat in his bed, his head his hands. Beside him say a piece of crumpled parchment.

He had recieved a letter from his father again. Lucius Malfoy was an insistent man. He would do ANYTHING to get what he wanted. And right now, Draco was getting commanded to meet his father at the edge of the Forbidden Forest to have a little 'talk'. Which was something he dreaded with all his heart.

Draco had no doubt what his father wanted to talk about; this wasn't first letter he had recieved. A week ago, his father had asked him to go with him to go and meet Voldemort. Lucius, of course, wanted his son to become a Death Eater. Draco shivered again when he remembered those icy, reptilian eyes...

In his outward manner, he was an arrogant, comfident boy, a replica of his father. But this was all an act. Inside, Draco was nothing more than a young, lost boy. His father wanted him to be a Death Eater, but Draco... He had seen the torturing and punishments his father had recieved, he didn't want to be like that... Not if it meant giving up his freedom, giving up his pride. His father had told him many times that the Dark Lord would grant them power, how they would become noble and wealthy, and rule the whole country... But Draco had his doubts. After all, why would Voldemort pay any attention to them once he gained control over the entire wizarding world?

Draco desperately wanted to tell his father all this, to tell Lucius that he was wrong; that they were nothing more than toys, to be used and thrown away... But of course, he didn't dare. No one seemed to realize this, but he feared his father... And in his heart, he knew that he was not brave, not couragous like the famous Harry Potter.

His father was determined to make him as famous as Harry. But Draco didn't think he wanted that to happened. Over the years, he had carefully observed the Gryffindor boy. Most people thought that it was effortless to be the Boy-Who-Lived, that you didn't have to risk or sacrifice anything... But Draco knew better. Harry, though seemingly unstressful, led a difficult life. He had nothing, no parents, no one to care for him... Draco had seem the many strains of being the Boy-Who-Lived, the way responsibility weighed heavily on the boy's shoulders, and it was not something the blond Slytherin envied.

And speaking of Potter... There was something going on between his Head of House and the Gryffindor. The way Harry smirked at the Potions Master, the way Professor Snape shot icy glares at the Gryffindor boy...Draco could tell that this was all an act. After all, who could know better than the boy who constantly masked his true self with cold arrogance?

His dorm mates arrived in the room just then. Draco checked the clock. 9 p.m. He sighed, and tucking the letter in a small, black notebook, went to sleep.

**************

Harry finished his work with a reliefed sigh. Sev, who was watching him, let a thin smile play on his lips. "You can go now, Harry," he urged gently. "You're late as it is. Just don't you dare forget those new spells I taught you today..."

"I won't," Harry promised. "Oops, gotta run! Bye, Severus, I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that, the Gryffindor raced out the door, turned the corner, and ran out of sight.

**************

The next morning during charms class, there was an abrupt knock on the door. A second later, Professor Dumbledore stepped in.

"May I borrow Mr. Potter please?" The Headmaster asked.

"Of course, Albus," replied Professor Flitwick.

Harry gathered his notes and followed Dumbledore, leaving Ron and Hermione staring curiously.

After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at Dumbledore's office. The door swung open as Dumbledore mumbled, "Croakroach Clusters!"

Together, they walked into the office. A cheery fire was burnign in the fireplace.

"You wanted me, sir?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore answered gravely, his face frowning. "This has to do with Professor Snape."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not yet," was the reply. "You see, Severus as called to another meeting today by Voldemort."

Harry froze, his face creased with worry.

"We havn't heard from him yet," the Headmaster continued. "There's no need to panic at the moment. There's one problem. I havn't been able to find a subsitute for him on such short notice. I was just wondering whether you and Ms. Granger would like to take over his lessons for him this afternoon. " The twinkle returned to Dumbledore's eyes as he saw Harry's look of shock. "From what I've heard from Severus, you've learned quite a lot."

Harry hesitated for a moment, then nodded in acceptance. "All right, sir," he said. "Hermione and I can plan our lesson during the study block."

"Oh, and one more thing," Dumbledore said. "About Voldemort's plan..."

"Um... Professor, there's an confession I have to make, I..."

"I know you were there that night when I was talking with Severus," the Headmaster interupted. "I think it would be wise if... we keep this a secret until the time comes for it to be revealed."

"Yes, sir... I'm afraid I've told Ron and Hermione already."

"I trust that Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will have no problem keeping it secret."

"Yes, Professor," Harry mumbled. "I... um...." His voice faltered.

"Is there anything else you want, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes... um.. I.. well, I just wanted to say that... I would like to know if Voldemrot plans anything else about my father..."

Dumbledore looked up thoughtfully. "Yes, now that you mention it, I believe that you have the right to know. I will inform you of any news. You may leave."

"Thank you, sir," Harry smiled as he left the room.

Harry and Hermione sat in the library, intently discussing the Potions material they would teach. Ron just stood there, listening.

Hermione had been thrilled when Harry had told her about Dumbledore's offer. "We'll have teaching experience!" She had exclaimed happily.

Fortunately, it was house-by-house lessons that afternoon, which meant that Gryffindor and Slytherin had Potions one after another. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had Defence Against the Dark Arts that afternoon and Potions the next day.

The biggest problem was the Slytherin house. Harry doubted Draco Malfoy would listen to him at all. At least, it wasn't a Gryffindor- Slytherin double Potion period. Harry smirked when he remembered that he had the privilege to take off house points.

As the bell went for the afternoon lessons to begin, Harry and Hermione both swept into the Potions dungeon.

The room was full of chattering Slytherins, dressed in green and black. Malfoy stopped dead when he saw them. "So," he began when he recovered from his surprise. "What's Potter and Mudblood doing here today?"

Harry was the one who replied. "Twenty points from Slytherin for insulting Professor Granger. We're Professor Snape's subsitutes for today."

The look on Malfoy's face was priceless; Harry wished he had a camera. Whispers broke out and Pansy Parkinson called out, "Where's Professor Snape? And how come /you're/ the sub?"

Harry had told Hermione that Severus was sick, but to the Slytherins, he replied, "I'm afraid that that does not concern you, Ms. Parkinson. I assure you that he will be back soon." He chose to ignore the second question.

Hermione began to speak. "Today, we will be learning the Cansora Potion. It is a potion used to cure different types of cancer. Professor Potter will write up the instuctions on the board."

Harry walked over and began to explain as he wrote. "The Cansora Potion is quite complicated. Unlike most potions, this one also includes a spell. You must cast the Cansiara Charm on the Potion after you add the ingrediants."

"What's the Cansiara Charm?" Malfoy demanded rudely.

Harry chose to ignore the tone and replied, "It is a charm used on many types of Healing Potions. The incantation is 'Cansiara.'"

For the first five minutes, everything was suspiciously quiet. Harry had expected Malfoy to be the first one to cause trouble, but to his surprise, he was wrong. In face, Malfoy didn't cause any trouble at all. Many others did though.

Percisely ten minutes into he lesson, Pansy Parkinson gave a sharp cough. At the signal, hands shop up in the classroom, and many dozen people called out, "Professors, I don't know how to do this!" or "I don't know the charm!"

Harry gritted his teeth; he knew that they were doing this on purpose. Well, he would not fail... A part of his brain, however, noted that Malfoy was not calling out. The Slytherin just sat quietly at his table, working silently. As Draco looked up, Harry caught the boy's grey- blue eyes. To his surprise, they were filled with... a look of intense loneliness and longing. The boy looked away when he caught Harry staring at him. The look was gone as suddenly as it was there; the face was once more masked with the usual look of arrogance.

Harry frowned; what was going on here? Before he had a chance to ponder on this, Parkingson called out, "Show us the charm, /Professors!/" The mocking tone cut into Harry's heart, but he did not let the pain show. No, he would NOT let a Slytherin ruin his day.

Hermione looked at Harry, a frantic look in her eyes. Harry knew that he had to do something; It was obvious that Hermione did you know the charm, and from the look she was giving him, she thought that he didn't know either.

"Okay, everyone," Harry called out with forced calmness. "Watch this carefully." He walked over to Malfoy's table. "I'll demonstrate on Mr. Malfoy's potion." Giving his wand a quick flick, he cried out, "Cansiara!"

A jet of light shot towards the bubbling potion. As it contacted, the stram of light changed into a blue flash. A golden glow formed around the cauldorn.

"Got that?" Harry muttered the counter-charm and the glow faded. "Try yourself."

Suddenly, three things happened at once. The Slytherins, both angry and annoyed, decided to try a trick.

"Stupefy!" Pansy Parkinson cried out as Crabbe mumbled clumsily, "T-T- Talimana!" At teh same thim, another boy named Zabini called out, "Serpensortia!"

Two spells shot into the air, one heading towards Hermione, and the other one towards Harry.

Harry watched as Hermione froze. Leaping into action, he mumbled the Shield Charm. The charm worked and rebounded. Parkinson fell over, stunned, as a tail sprouted from Crabbe's back.

Half the Slytherins roared with laughter. Harry was surprised that they could laugh at their own friends in such a manner, but considering the Slytherins, what had he expected?

"Enervate!" Harry aimed his wand at Parkinson. The girl awoke. "Both of you, go to the Hospital Wing, and fifty points from each for attempting to attack teachers!"

After some complaining and grumbling, the two students left and Harry turned his attention to the large, yellow snake on the floor. The Slytherin girls screamed as it crawled towards them.

Harry opened his mouth and emitted a low hiss in Parseltongue. ~Dear Snake,~ he said, ~May I ask of your name?~

~Octavanian, young wizard,~ came the reply. ~May I ask what is going on here? I was lying in bed and the next thing I knew, I found myself here...~

Harry quickly explained the situation. ~My apology for disturbing your rest, Octavanian. Please do not attack the students.~

The snake snorted. ~Me? Attack students? I'm harmless! And do not apologize, this is entirely not your fault.~

Harry walked forward, and picking up the snake, headed over to the window.

~Where are you taking me?~ came the hiss.

~Setting you free,~ Harry replied. He set the snake out side. ~Goodbye, Octavanian! Perhaps we'll meet again!~

~Farewell, young master,~ came the distracted reply. ~Now, Alexia, where are you?~ The snake slid into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry turned back to the class and found everyone gaping. "Back to work!" he said, and to his surprise, every student bent down over their cauldron and obeyed.

***************

Draco silently added the next few ingrediants to the bubbling potion. His mind was still going over what had happened. Parkinson, Crabbe and Zabini had each lost points and recieved detension. Well, they had asked for it, really, causing trouble like that.

What unnerved him the most was that disconcerting look Potter had shot him... Almost as if the Gryffindor boy knew exactly what he was thinking... It was a rather frightening idea.

And why had Potter and Granger been appointed subsitutes anyways? Why not some other teachers? And where was Professor Snape?

The end-of-lessons bell brought Draco back to reality. Hermione called out, "Homework: write an essay on the Cansiara Charm! At least four feet eight!"

Draco was packing up when Harry headed towards him. 'Uh oh,' he thought, preparing himself for an embarassing moment.

Instead of sneering as Draco had expected, Harry just leaned forward and looked at his potion. "A+," he said with a smile. "Ten points to Slytherin, and Draco, bring this down to Madam Pomfrey, she'ld want a sample."

Draco stared at harry, stunned. Unless his ears were decieving him, Potter, his worst enemy, had just waraded Slytherin ten points.

Harry's smile faded, just the amused glint stayed in his eyes. "So, what are you all gaping at? Class dismissed!"

Draco gave himself a mental shake and grabbing his bag, left the room along with the rest of the Slytherins.

***************

Severus stumbled into Hogwarts and leaned against the door, panting. Around him, the world was spinning madly.

He had just come back from a Death Eater meeting. Voldemort had been angry at Malfoy's 'No Result' report and had punished all of teh Death Eaters.

Severus gasped, trying to catch his breath. When his head cleared up, he thought about where he could go.

Albus was in a meeting, and there was NO WAY he was going to Madam Pomfrey's. From what the house-elves had told him yesterday, they were cleaning his office today. Which left only one place. The dungeons.

Severus slowly took a step and stumbled towards the dungeons, occasionally falling, then picking himself up again. He decended the stairs one at a time. One more step, one more step...

There, the door was right in front of him now. He pulled it open weakly and tried his best to look dignified as he walked in.

He had not taken two steps when another spell of dizziness hit him. When his legs collapsed under him, the groaned, causing forty heads to turn towards him. Unless his ears were decieving him, he heard a thud, and the sound of screaming.

He raised his head and whispered, "Potter... Harry..."

Before he could say another word, darkness claimed him.

***************

Harry was in the middle of teaching the Gryffindors when the door of the dungeons swung open. He looked up, expecting to see Dumbledore. When he was who it was though, he gasped. Around him, there was screams of fear and Neville fell off his chair.

As the bundle of robes collapsed onto the ground, it whispered, "Potter... Harry..." His voice trailed off.

No, it most certainly wasn't Dumbledore, or even McGonagall. It was Severus.

It took all of Harry's willpower to stop himself from leaping forward and throwing himself onto Severus. Instead, he commanded in a loud voice, "Everyone, except for Ron and Hermione, OUT!!! Up to your dormitories! Get out of here! NOW!"

For a second, no one moved. They all stared at Harry, then Severus, a look of shock on their faces. Harry was getting impatient; he desperately wanted to go to the Potions Master, but he couldn't drop the Snape-hates- Potter disguise that they had tried so hard to make.

"Out. Now." His voice was a deadly whisper. The Gryffindors immediately scrambled up and ran out of the room. When everyone except Ron and Hermione were gone, Harry waved his hand. The door locked with a click. Harry then mumbled, "Silenco Incanto!" A small shield formed around the dungeon so that no one would be able to hear what was going on inside.

"SEVERUS!" Harry cried and there was a loud crack, like the sound of a window breaking. One second, he was at the front of the classroom, and the next, he was kneeling next to the Potions Master. Hermione let out a startled gasp. Where had Harry learned to Apparate?

"Hmmm?" There was a mumbled response from the Potions professor.

"Severus, what happened?"

"V-Voldemort. Meeting." There was no need to say more. Harry began a quick scan of his teacher. This did NOT look good.

"Do you want me to get Madam Pomfrey?" Harry suggested.

There was a violent reaction. Severus gave a start at the name and screamed, "NO! Not her... not her..."

"Severus, Severus," Harry kept on murmuring, trying to calm the distraught man. "It's okay, you're safe now..."

Ron and Hermione exchanged puzzled glances. What on earth was going on here?

"Um... Harry?" Ron asked tentively. He was more concerned about his friend's behavior than the Potions Master.

Harry did not seem to hear him. "Severus," the boy said gently. "There's a few curses, I'll dispell them, okay? Just relax." He made his voice as soothing as possible.

The Gryffindor turned to his friends. "Hermione, do you know the Finitem Incantation??" he asked.

"Um.. no.." came the rather embarassed reply. "Sorry..."

"That's okay," Harry answered, his voice softening. "I'll just have to do it myself. It just... drains me up." Turning to Severus, he raised his wand and bellowed, "FINITE INCANTEM!!!"

A golden jet of light erupted from the wand shooting into Severus' body. Ron gasped; he could see /through/ Snape's body, he could actually /see/ the spell working. The Dispelling Charm shot through the Potions Master's body, sucking up dark, black mists.

Harry flicked his wand and the charm disappeared. Severus visibly relaxed; he had not realized how tense his professor had been.

After doing the charm a couple more times, Harry stopped, panting. His face was extraordinarily pale.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Hermione reached out and steadied her shaking friend.

"I'm fine," gasped Harry. "I just feel... so cold all of a sudden." The boy tried to stand, but his feet collapsed under him. Regaining his balance, he turned and smiled fondly at Severus. "At least he's looking better."

This was true. The Potions Master was no olonger shaking, and the colour had returned to normal on his face. Harry smiled and reaching out, brushed back a lock of black hair.

"Ron?" Harry asked. "Could you go up to our dormitory and get something? Open my trunk and you'll see a small, black box. Bring the box to me, please?"

"Uh...sure," the redhead replied, uncertan of what was going on. He walked to the door and hesitated. "Uh... Harry? It's locked."

Harry gave a distracted wave and the door clicked open. Ron disappeared through it. Hermione was once again stunned. Since when had Harry known how to do wandless magic? This was a rare gift that few wizards had.

A few minutes later, Ron came back, holding the box Harry had asked for. The Gryffindor gave the redhead a smile and opening the box, began pulling out liqiuds.

Hermione could tell immediately that they were various sorts of Potions. She recognized a few of them; most of them, she had no idea what it was. Harry pulled out a purple one and a green one. In one swift motion, he poured them together. The mixture turned blue.

Harry whispered, "Incanto Mixando!" The potion began to swirl and mix itself. Harry stopped the mixing after a few minutes, satisfied. Ron and Hermione just sat watching in fascination.

The Gryffindor took the Potion and drank half of it. The rest, he poured into the unconscious form of the Potions Master. Then, reaching out, he placed his hand on Severus' arm.

Hermione gasped in surprise as a golden beam traveled from Harry's body into the Potions Master's. The beam gave off heat and a feeling of... intense happiness. Harry held the beam for a few minutes. The Potions Master slowly began to revive.

Suddenly, Harry slumped forward, unconscious. Hermione immediately panicked. "Harry, Harry!" She screamed while Ron just stood, frozen with shock.

Just then, the Potions Master seemed to gain consciousness. The professor took one look at the situation and immediately ordered, "Mr. Weasley, get the Headmaster, NOW!"

Ron raced out of the door as Severus tried desperately to revive the Gryffindor boy. "Harry, Harry," he whispered, as he cradled the teenager in his arms. The boy was obviously exhausted.

Harry, unlike Severus, felt icy cold to the touch. This unnerved the Potions Master; the boy felt almost... inhumanly cold. What if... He shook his head. No, he would NOT think like this. It would not help to panick. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the hailstorm of emotions inside him. It was strange, he thought, how one didn't realize how much they loved another until the other one was in danger.

Severus turned around to find something to wrap Harry in, only to find a stunned Granger, still on the floor, gaping at him. He might have even found this amusing if there wasn't such tension in the air.

"Ms. Granger," Severus said, trying, and failing, to keep his voice emotionless. "I'm not sure of what has happened to Harry. Perhaps you could tell me what was going on?"

Hermione bgan to speak. "He did the Finite Incantation about five times. When he was done, he seemed really weak and tired. He couldn't even stand up without help. After that," the girl stopped briefly, catching her breath, before continuing. "He told Ron to go up to his dormitory and get a black box. From the box, he took out two potions, oen purple, one green, He mixed them together adn it turned blue. Then, he said a spell, and drank half of the potion. The other half, he gave to you. I thought he was drinking some sort of healing potion or something."

"Please continue," Severus urged the almost hysterical witch.

"I-I--He put his hands on your arm and a gold beam of light went into you. He managed to last the beam for a few minutes; then, he just kind of... slumped forward. I was trying to wake him when you revived." Hermione took a deep breath, and when she spoke, there was a deep tone of regret in her voice. "I-I-I'm sorry I was unable to stop him, Professor, I'm sorry."

This last phrase was so soft, Severus almost missed it. Granger was sorry? Why should /she/ be sorry? She had done nothing wrong. As the Potions Master looked at the young witch, he saw a sudden flash of emotion he could not identify in those brown eyes.

The classroom door banged open and Dumbledore flew in, followed by Ron and Madam Pomfrey. When the Headmaster saw Harry, he asked urgently, "What's going on?"

Severus quickly explained. "Harry's lost energy from doing the Finite Incantation over five times. He was... dispelling the curses I got from the... meeting. Then, Harry transformed some energy into me. After that, according to Ms. Granger, he went unconscious."

"How did he transform the energy?"

"He used the Energy-Transforming Potion we brewed yesterday."

Hermione gave a startled gasp. "The Energy-Transforming Potion? Isn't that past N.E.W.T. level? And weren't you doing the Trustianda Potions yesterday?"

Severus and Dumbledore exchanged glances. "I told him not to tell anyone," the Poions Master explained.

"Which is wise, considering the situation," the Headmaster reassured the distraught man. "But I suppose they have a right to know at the moment." He turned to Ron and Hermione. "Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger," he said, "I think Harry has something he would like to tell you when he wakes up."

Ron and Hermione both nodded as Madam Pomfrey began to pull bottles out of her medical bag. "He'll have to stay the night in the Hospital Wing," she said as she gave Harry an Energy Potion. "He'll be up and about in a few days though."

Severus nodded and muttering a spell, levitated Harry to the Hospital Wing.

"Now, Severus," Albus said. "I think you better stay in the Wing tonight too. Poppy can check you over."

"All right," Severus agreed. He would keep Harry company. He realized guiltily that it was his fault Harry was sick anyways. The boy had been trying to help him.

When the others were gone, he crawled into bed beside Harry. He felt the Gryffindor snuggled against him as he gave a contented sigh and fell asleep.

Harry opened his eyes and groaning, quickly closed them again. The sunlight streaming into the room hurt his eyes... He could tell he was in the hospital wing.

He felt someone move beside him. Carefully turning around, he saw that it was Severus. He felt mildly surprised.

When Severus moved, Harry closed his eyes again and snuggled closer to the Potions Master. Harry liked the feeling of warmth and he wanted it to last as long as possible.

Beside him, he felt his teacher get up, the warm feeling leaving with him. Harry felt disappointed and amused at the same time; He missed that feeling, yet it felt strange to be able to miss such an icy pretense.

"Wake up, little one," Sev's teasing voice called out and the Gryffindor felt firm hands grip his shoulders, shaking him. "Time for breakfast." The boy was both surprised and pleased at the nickname; he hadn't thought Severus would behave like this, and it felt nice to have someone actually caring for him.

Harry gave up trying to sleep and opened his eyes. He found the Potions Master standing next to the bed, wearing a pair of rumpled black robes. The boy stood up shakily and Severus reached out to steady him. Slowly, they made it to the table and Harry asked, "Why am I all... shaky and weak? What happened? And are you okay?"

Seveus gave his shoulder a reassuring sqeeze. "I'm fine, thanks to the finite incantations you performed and the Energy -Transformation process, but you drained yourself. You need to rest in bed for a few days."

Harry groaned. "Can I at least go back to my dormitories?"

The Potions Master laughed, a clear, ringing sound, like a bell. "You can go to your dormitories for one night and see how you feel. If you feel you need it, you can come sleep in my private quarters."

Harry felt stunned; Severus was going to allow /him/ to stay in his private quarters? "But--- It's alright, I'll stay in my own dorms. I don't want to intrude on your privacy, Severus."

The Potions Master hastened to reassure him. "I don't mind at all, Harry. In fact, your more than welcome to come to my quarters. Now," he added. "Let's get you back to sleep."

Back in bed, Harry complained, "I don't want to sleep anymore!"

"You can't get out of bed yet," the professor insisted. "But you can read if you want." He handed the Gryffindor his school bag.

Harry nodded and reaching into his bag, took out his potions and transfiguration homework. He also pulled out a small, black book. Looking at it, he frowned. "What's this? It's not mine."

"Ron and Hermione found it in the Potions classroom on one of the desks. Since no one else was in the room, they assumed it was yours." Sev checked the clock. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I have a class to teach in ten minutes. I have to go, I'll check on you later." The Potions Master left.

Harry looked back down at the small book. He could feel a sense of ... power, radiating from the book. Which was strange. It seemed to be charmed so that no one other than the owner would be able to open it.

"Alohomora!" Harry tried, practising his wandless magic skills. Nothing happened. Strange, usually, all locked objects opened under the spell. Unless this book was especially protected.

Fortunately, Harry had learned the more powerful opening charm from Sev a few weeks ago. "Verita Accestia!"

With a small click, the book cover swung open. Harry gasped when he read the words written on the first page.

~Diary~

Belonging of

Draco Malfoy, Slytherin

************************

Harry sat, gaping at the page. This book was a /diary???/ And it belonged to /Draco Malfoy/??? Impossible! Yet the words shone as clearly as ever and it was deffinately Dracos' writing.

Harry slowly flipped over to the first page. He couldn't help but feel that he was intruding in the Slytherin's thoughts, but his curiousity got the better of him. Turning the page, he began to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 1st, First Year

Today is my first day at Hogwarts. I think this is one of the most unhappy days of my life. This morning, my father and I had one of our little 'talks' and he reminded me for the thousandth time that if I didn't get into Slytherin, I would regret in for the rest of my life.

On the train, I met Harry Potter. The boy is truely incredible: his emerald eyes are bright green, and his hair is dark black. I could sense a sort of... power when I was near him. He was sitting next to Ron Weasley, the second youngest child in the Weasley family.

For a second, I felt jealous of Weasley... God, he was lucky, he could get to know Harry, he would be able to make friends with the boy, and no one was there to stop him... How I longed to stay with them, to join them, to get accepted by them. But I know for a fact that that is entirely impossible. Father would never agree... I would loose my life if I did such a thing. As if I didn't get beaten enough as it was.

Hogwarts is a magnificent castle... It's towers are utterly fantastic and the view is wonderful... But of course, my damn Slytherin pride would NEVER allow me to admit to such a thing. Which was exactly why I, along with those gorillas, Crabbe and Goyle, pretended to be unimpressed.

I got sorted into Slytherin. But no matter what happens to me from now on, I will always be a Gryffindor in my heart... The sorting hat only put me in the worst group because I begged to be put there, for I know that I will regret it if I ended up in Gryffindor. Harry, of course, along with Ron, got sorted into Gryffindor... It is only expected of them.

I must go now, before that idiot Crabbe realizes something is up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry finished the entry and found himself gaping. DRACO MALFOY was JEALOUS of RON WEASLEY!!!??? How could this be happening? And was that MALFOY who said that he was a GRYFFINDOR in his heart???!!! IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Harry blinked and reread the entry to make sure his eyes weren't decieving him. They weren't. There was only one way to find more information. And that was to read on.

For the rest of the day, Harry sat in bed, reading. He stopped only to eat lunch. He read through Dracos' second and third years, then the forth, then the fifth. He soon started on the sixth year, with some recent entries. One, written just two days ago, was especially stunning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 10th, Sixth Year

I recieved a letter from father today. He wants to see me in the clearing by the Forbidden Forest in a week. He wants to bring me to Voldemort so that I can become a Death Eater. How can I tell my father that I don't WANT to become one? I don't want to be like him: evil, heartless, and cold. I don't want to work for that damn git, Voldemort... I don't want to be the cause of all the wickedness and pain in this world. I only want to have an enjoyable childhood, though that is impossible at the moment. The only way THAT can happen is if I can get away from my parents, and there is no way in this world that that will occur. After all, who would want the pathetic Draco Malfoy, son of those gits, Lucius and Narcissa, and every bit as damn arrogant as his father? No one, that's who. There's no one in this world who cares for me, no where I can go... Potter always smirks at me when I see him and makes nasty comments, but I don't blame him. I am worthless, cowardly, pitiful... Maybe he is right after all. Maybe I deserve what's happening. Or maybe it would be easier if I take my own life. For me, there is no point in living, no point in existing. But then, I'm not brave enough to kill myself... If I were, I would have been sorted into Gryffindor. Right now, life is a living hell. I have to deal with my parents, deal with Voldemort, put on an act as 'the arrogant git', pretend to be 'the obediant son', and deal with my own guilt for acting so cowardly.

Everyone thinks the Slytherins get along together; they have no idea how wrong they are. In public, I appear to be the leader, yet in private, I get tormented and tortured every day. Last time, Parkinson put the Cruciatus curse on me because my father asked her to give me a little 'lesson' for disobeying him... God, it hurt, I can remember the pain as if it was yesterday...

I have to leave for lessons now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Draco Malfoy thought of himself as worthless? Then he must be an incredibly good actor... No one in their right minds would ever think Draco thought of himself as powerless... And DAMN that Lucius Malfoy...

As Harry closed the diary, a sheet of paper fell out. Harry saw that it was the letter from Lucius to Draco in which Draco had mentioned in his diary. As Harry read, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes blazed fury as he saw the way Lucius talked to his son, to words Lucius used to 'order' Draco. How DARE that git treat his son like that...

Harry was broken from his thoughts by a knocking on the Hospital Wing door. Harry waved his hand and the door clicked open.

Severus entered, looking worried. "All you alright, Harry?" He asked. "You look pretty pale."

"I'm fine," Harry replied harshly.

Severus inwardly flinched as he heard Harry's tone of voice and saw the supressed rage burning in those emerald eyes. What had he done wrong now?

"Harry, it's obvious something's wrong. I demand to know what it is," The Potions Master said firmly.

Harry lost control. "Oh, you DEMAND to know whats' wrong, don't you? How like a teacher. Well, I refuse to tell you. So, what are you going to do now, /Professor/?" The Gryffindor's tone was mocking.

Severus took several deep breaths. He had to keep his emotions in check, no matter what happened. Harry's words stung; it hurt to be treated like this, to be treated like an enemy once more... Whatever was going on, he wasn't going to get it out of the boy now. Besides, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep his pain hidden. "You're friends want to see you," he said quietly as he left the room.

A second later, Ron and Hermione burst through the door. "Whoa, mate!" Ron said when he saw Harry. "What did you do to Snape? He looked absolutely broken-hearted when he left, though he managed to glare at us."

Harry immediately felt ashamed; he had no reason to be angry at his professor... And now, he had hurt Severus. "Nothing," he said in a quiet but dangerous voice, warning Ron not to ask any more questions on the topic.

"Um... Harry," Hermione started hesitantly. "We wanted to ask you something about what happened yesterday between you and Snape, but maybe now isn't the time..." she started edging towards the door.

"No," Harry said firmly, and waved his hands. The door locked with a click. "What do you want to ask me?"

"Well," Ron began. "What's going on between you and Snape? I mean, something's obviously happening, or else, you wouldn't have reacted that way when he collapsed into the dungeons yesterday."

"I guess I owe you and explanation," Harry sighed. So he began to speak, explaining about how he had collapsed that day when he tried to go to the Potions dungeon, and how Severus and Draco had found him. For the first time, it occured to him that Draco had saved him, that Draco had run to Severus right away without torturing or teasing him. He hadn't realized it until then.

Ron and Hermione just sat and gaped at him as he finished. "So..." Hermione asked after a moment of silence. "He doesn't... yell at you or anything?"

Harry hung his head. "No, he doesn't, but I just yelled at him for no reason at all."

Ron just looked at him wordlessly for a second. "And he didn't threaten to expell you?" he asked incredulously.

Harry shook his head, feeling ashamed.

"Well," Ron said after a while. "We've bothered you for long enough. We'll just let you rest." With that, the two still awed Gryffindors left the Hospital Wing.

Harry was feeling incredibly tired. He laid down and slid into a restless sleep.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius were battling, shooting spells at each other. Suddenly, Bellatrix screamed, "Avada Kedavra!" A spell shot towards Harry's godfather and contacted with a sickening, green flash. Sirius' face contorted with supressed pain as Voldemort's laugh rang through the air.

"Sirius!" Harry screamed. "Come back!"

Sirius slowly became a misty figure before Harry's eyes. The figure faded into nothingness.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, tears streaming down his face.

There was no answer. Instead, a foggy form of another figure appeared. As the figure became clearer, Harry saw that it was Cedric.

The boy looked at him with anger and hatred in his eyes. "It's your fault!" He snapped. "You killed me, and now, you've killed you godfather. It's because of you that this wizarding world is a disaster!"

"No..." Harry moaned. "Please... I didn't know..."

But the form of Cedric also faded. Now, two other figures appeared. It was Lily and James.

"It's your fault, Harry," James said coldly, his voice ringing through the air. "Maybe it's a good thing we're not alive any longer; it would shame us to call you our son."

"NO!!!" Harry screamed once more, unable to stop his tears. "I didn't know!!!"

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

"Harry, Harry!"

Harry was vaguely aware of the faint voice calling his name.

"Harry, wake up, it's okay! You're safe..."

Harry slowly opened his eyes and found himself in Severus' arms. The Potions Master's concerned eyes looked at him. "What happened?"

"Nightmare," Harry whispered hoarsely as he threw himself into his teacher's arms and began to sob. "I-I-I'm sorry, Severus.... So sorry for yelling at you..."

"It's okay...." Severus said, stroking Harry's hair awkwardly. He was still uncomfortable with close human contact.

After a few minutes, Harry calmed down a little.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Severus suggested.

"I-I-I... Sirius was dieing, and Cedric came..." Harry slowly explained what he had dreamed.

"Harry," the Potions Master said softly. "t's not your fault Sirius died. And Cedic and your parents' death aren't your fault either. I knew Lily." At this, a faraway look formed in the teacher's eyes. "She wouldn't want you to feel like this."

"I'm sorry..."

"Child," Severus said, surprising both Harry and himself by this word. "It's alright, you have nothing to be sorry about."

Harry was silent for a moment. "What time is it?"

"About six. You were asleep for the whole afternoon after your friends left."

"I'm hungry," the boy said quietly. "Could I get something to eat?"

"Sure," the professor said, and a red bell appeared in his hands. He pulled it.

There was a loud crack and Dobby appeared. "Professor Snape and Harry Potter, sir!" He exclaimed delightedly, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. "Would Harry Potter like some food, sir?"

Harry nodded.

"Dobby bring food, sir, bring Harry Potter, sir, favourite food, sir," There was a loud crack and the elf disappeared. A few minutes later, a tray appeared on the table, including chicken noodle soup, custard creams, and a cup of energy potion.

While Harry was eating, he showed Severus Draco's diary. "It was the black book I found in my bag," he said. "I was just reading Malfoy's letter when you came in, that was why I was angry."

Harry watched his professor's expression as he read the diary, saw how the Potions Master's icy black eyes hardened, how his face darkened.

"I see..." The teacher said when he finally put down the book. "You had every reason to be mad, Harry. NO ONE deserves to be treated like this." His eyes suddenly lit up, an idea forming in his mind.

"What's wrong?"

"Harry," Severus said slyly. "How would you like to join Mr. Malfoy in the field of the Forbidden Forest next week?"

Harry smirked as he realized what Sev was getting at. "That would be my pleasure, Severus, my pleasure..."

******************

Harry headed up to his dorm.

"If you don't feel up to it, you can come sleep with me tomorrow," Severus called behind him.

"Okay," The Gryffindor agreed as he walked up the stairs and his teacher disappeared from view. He headed over to his bed and was about to sleep when he spotted a golden flash on the blanket. What was it?

Moving closer, Harry whispered, "Lumos!" The light lit up his bed and he found a small, golden book. Beside the book was a piece of paper, written in elegant writing. It read,

Harry,

This used to belong to your mother. I think it's time you find out the truth about your parents. Use it well.

Harry felt slightly unnerved. This used to belong to his mother? Who had given it to him, and why? And what did they mean about the truth of his parents? There was only one way to find out.

Taking a deep breath, Harry turned the page.

Diary and Property of Lily Evans, student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those were the first words Harry saw when he opened the journal-like book. So, this was a diary. Somehow, he wasn't as surprised as he expected himself to be. After reading Draco's diary, he felt as though nothing else could surprise him at the moment. Well, there was no way he was going to bed now. Harry sighed and began to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 1st, 4th Year

At this moment, I am ecstatic with joy... Today, I'm FINALLY going back to Hogwarts from my long, horrible holiday. Petunia's married the ugliest man on earth, and my parents actually like him... This crazy summer is driving ME crazy!

Also, I've missed the Marauders sooooooooooo much. I mean, what's life if there isn't anyone around to add a joke or two to your day? And there's Severus... He's my boyfriend. I havn't been able to write to him because his family would murder him if they found out he was dating a Muggle-born, Gryffindor girl. In fact, I think the whole school would have heart failures. A Gryffindor with a Slytherin would seem crazy enough, but Severus and ME? I would never have guessed.

Sev's very friendly if you get to know him, but unfortunately, people normally think of him as cold and scary. Not that I blame them, Sev's 'death-glare' can make the trolls run for the mountains. But I love him, so nothing's going to stand in our way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry gaped at the page. What was going on? His mother used to date SEVERUS? What about his father, James? He continued.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 25th, Fourth Year

Damn them, those bastards! How could they do that to their OWN SON!!! Curse them...

Okay, I better begin at the beginning. Sev's been acting strangely from some time ago, and after much arguing and pleading, I convinced him to tell me what was wrong. He showed me the Dark Mark imprinted on his left forearm. I was shocked, and I over-reacted a bit, I think. I grabbed my wand and was about to curse him when I saw that he was wandless. Which was why I sat down and listened to what he had to say. As soon as he finished talking, I regretted my harsh actions. I convinced him to go to Dumbledore and he agreed.

When he came back, he said that he had agreed to spy for the Light side. I'm worried about that part, it would surely put Sev's life in danger... But what could I say? There's nothing I can do at the moment.

Oh, and I better write down the story between me and Severus. We met ever since our first year, but of course, no Grffindor would bother with any Slytherins. Or so everyone thought. I always disapproved of the house rivaries. They create too much problems between houses, and remind me of the time Petunia referred to me as 'freak'. So, I was determined not to join into all that mess. Instead, I approached Slytherins and tried to befriend them. Of course, I was rejected and stared at, and cursed so many times that I can't even count, but I kept trying and trying. Severus was the only one who was polite to me. Others, they cursed me and tease me, but Sev just looks at me with an emotionless expression and asks me politely, to leave. I kept on trying, especially with Sev. Once, I even recieved a hard-earned smile from him. Of course, he only behaves politely when no one is around; as soon as a Slytherin or Gryffindor appears, he starts sneering and smirking at me. By now, I knew that this as all an act.

By the time we reached out third year, I was hopelessly in love. We dated in secret at night, sneaked off to Hogsmeade when no one was watching...

So now, I'll say it one more time. CURSE HIS FAMILY, curse them for doing such a vile thing to their own son... Oh, I've got to go to Charms lesson now. Severus said he'ld come to our table to harass the Mauraders so he has an excuse for sitting next to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was even more unexpected. Harry was slightly dazed at what he had read. He flipped through the diary and decided to look for more important entries. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in his mother's thoughts, it was just that he had to find out what was going on between Sev and Lily first, before he could throughly enjoy the book. As he was flipping through he book, a picture fell out. There was Lily, wearing a long white gown, and beside her, there was a younger version of his Potions Master! Looking at the back of the picture, he found he words, 'Severus and Lily Snape on their wedding day.' This throughly shocked Harry. At first, he had thought that perhaps it was just a short-term relationship, like the one he and Cho used to have. But to find a photo of his mother and Sev's WEDDING DAY was just too much. It meant that Lily was Sev's wife before she married James. All this was getting confusing. He looked through the book again until he found several pages marked with red paper. Turning to the first marked page, he began to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

June 2nd, Sixth Year

James found out about me and Sev today. Sev and I were meeting in the empty classroom when James walked in. Apparently, Sirius had told him to meet the rest of the Mauraders in an empty classroom, and he had chosen the wrong class. Thank goodness it wasn't Sirius who saw us, he would have freaked.

James was stunned, but we told him the whole story. He agreed to help us, since, you see, rumors had been flying around for quite a while that James and I were couples. Later that night, James on-purposely asked me out in front of the whole Common Room. I was sooo embarassed, but of course, I agreed.

Oops, bed time. It's two in the morning already since Sirius insisted on celebrating our first date. Little does he know how wrong he is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry eagerly flipped to the next marked page. This page was near the end of the book, written after Lily graduated from Hogwarts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

About the wedding problems that I was writing about a few weeks ago, (here, Harry made a mental note to check out the entry) , we've found a risky solution. Severus and I are now secretly married. We married yesterday in private with James as our witness.

In public, James proposed to me, and we made a big deal about our so- called wedding, which took place this morning. Every Gryffindor and professor attended and everyone wished as good fortune and blah, blah, blah... Right now, I'm in the new house that Sev and I bought (we told everyone else that it was James' and my house), waiting for Sev to come back from that Death Eater meeting. I'm worried about him, he's been missing too much sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry checked the clock. 2 a.m. Deciding to skip some entries, he flipped through the book until certain words caught his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'M PREGNANT!!!!! I went to the Muggle doctor this morning and found out my suspicions were true. I haven't told Sev yet though. When he came back yesterday, he seemed so tired that I jsut put him straight to bed. I'll tell him another time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry skipped more pages until he was on the last entry. Here, he began to read again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, god, I got news today that Severus has been killed by Voldemort... It can't be true, no.... It just can't! I never got a chance to tell him about our child; Oh, how I regret it now that I didn't tell him sooner.... Now, he'll never find out. I think my heart is breaking and I feel as though I'm slowly being torn apart. Sev was my life, and now, he's gone...

And even worst, to stopped sticky questions about the new-born baby that was born yesterday, I had to write on all legal documents that the baby's name was Harry James Potter. At least, all the legal paper says that he's Severus' son... Won't it be a shock if something happens and they decide to check out Harrys' identity in the future...

Harry's the most precious child ever born, in my mind. His hair is silky black, and his eyes are a shade of emerald green. Many of his features reminds me of Severus. For some strange reason though, I have this feeling that Sev's not dead. I now it's a stupid feeling, but it's just there. Oh, how I pray that it's true...

Now, James and I live in Godric's Hollow, pretending we're married. No one, not even Sirius or Remus, knows about this fatal secret. To stop questions about Harry looking like Sev, we put the boy under the Altering charm and several potions. The charm should wear off in a good number of years, but hopefully, by then, the truth shall be known and Harry can be who he really is again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The diary dropped onto the bed, sliding through nerveless fingers. Harry could not believe it. NO, it was NOT possible, how could Severus be his father? It wasn't as if he minded, but, Severus, HIS father? It was an unbelievable concept. And his appearance had been altered. Now did he really look like?

Suddenly, a line from the diary rang through his head: 'The charm should wear off in a good number of years'. That meant that sooner of later, he would change his appearance. And how did the charm work? What if it caught him by surprise?

Ignoring the fact that it was past three in the morning, Harry jumped out of bed and ran towards Severus' quarters. Fortunately, he didn't run into Filch or Mrs. Norris. Letting himself into Severus' rooms with the password, "Muggle," he rushed into Sev's library.

He froze in the room; it was enormous, and every shelf was covered with books. There was no way he would be able to find this. Which left only one choice.

"Severus!" he cried, shaking the Potions Master. The teacher was awake in a second, looking at him with concerned eyes. "What's wrong, Harry? Did you have a nightmare?"

Harry shook his head and asked, "Sev, tell me, how long does it take before an Altering charm wears off?"

The Potions Master just looked at him, a stunned expression on his face. "That's why you woke me up?" he asked softly.

"Please, Severus," Harry begged. "It's urgent!"

"Well," the teacher began. "An Altering charm lasted for the maximum of seventeen years. More commonly, it lasts sixteen or fifteen years. Then, it starts to wear off."

Harry gasped as thoughts ran through his head: he had been cast under the charm when he was born, and now he was sixteen years old. But Sev had told him that Altering charms mostly wore off in fifteen to sixteen years. And he had turned sixteen in July... So that meant...

Suddenly, his heart seemed to stop as realization hit him. These days, he had been growing extremely quickly; he was almost taller than Ron. What if it was because the charm was wearing off? And his hair, he had noticed, had been more managable lately. He knew for a fact that Sev's hair was straight and black...

"Harry?" Harry opened his eyes and found Severus standing in front of him, a concerned look in his eyes. "What's wong?"

Harry didn't know what to do. Should he tell Severus, or keep it to himself? And who would help him if he didn't tell anyone? There was only one thing he could do. Taking a deep breath, he launched into the tale of how he had found the diary and what he had read.

**************

Severus couldn't believe it as he heard Harry revive what he had read... To say that he was stunned would have been an underestimate. A part of him felt embarassed, a part of him, reliefed. So Lily hadn't betrayed him. He had been deeply hurt when he had come back and heard that Lily had married James... it was the first time he had trusted, and he had been so sure that Lily had betrayed his trust. He had vowed never to trust another agin, for fear of getting hurt, yet he had found himself opening up to Lily and James' son. And now, here was Harry, telling him about what he had read.

"So," Harry said quitely after a moment of silence "This means that your my... father."

Severus sat in silence for a few minutes, then answered, "Yes. I am." Outside, he appeared cool, but inside, he was a hailstorm of emotions. He felt anger, fear, concern, relief, all that and more.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"What do you mean, what do we do?"

"Exactly what I said," Harry replied. "And about the Altering Charm... I turned sixteen in July. What will happen once I..." His soft voice trailed off.

There was no need to continue anyway. Severus knew what Harry meant. What would they do when the charm wore off? What would people say if they saw that Harry resembled the Potions Master? His face burned just thinking about it.

Harry seemed to have noticed his uncomfortableness, for the boy said, "Um... Severus? It's okay, you can pretend this never happened if you want." The Gyffindor's tone was quiet, and Severus flinched at the slight note of pain in them. "I don't want to ruin your life."

Severus hastened to reassure him. "Child," he said softly, reaching over to brush his hand on the boy's shoulder. To his surprise, Harry flinched away at this touch.

"Harry," Sev tried again. This time, Harry didn't flinch. The Potions Master reached over and pulled the boy into a tight embrace. The Gryffindor immediately stiffened, but as Severus murmured his name soothingly, he felt the boy relax.

Suddenly, the boy began to sob quietly on the teacher's shoulders. After a few minutes, the Gryffindor asked, "Severus?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Why did... mother think you were... dead?"

Severus sighed deeply and looked into those green eyes. He wasn't sure this was the time, but it didn't seem as if he had a choice. "I was away on a death eater meeting," he said finally. "Voldemort wanted everyone else to think I was dead so that I could sneak back in and murder Albus and the rest of the Aurors unnoticed." He shuddered at the thought. "Albus was the only one who knew"

"Did Dumbledore know about... you and my mother?"

Severus shook his head. "No."

"And..." Harry trailed off. "No, never mind."

"Harry, what's bothering you?"

"Um.... what's going to happen after the charm wears off? Can you put the charm on again?"

Severus shook his head again. "No, you can't put the charm on again... a person can only use the altering charm once in his or her life... otherwise, it may shorten the life span. As to what will happen, I don't know yet. I suppose we're going to have to tell everyone..."

"I'm tired," yawned Harry, getting up. "I didn't get any sleep, I was reading. Bye Severus, I'm going back to my dorm."

"You can stay here," the Potions Master said. "Come on, I have a spare bed in the guest room."

Despite Harry's protests, he found himself tucked into bed ten minutes later. "You always get what you want," he groused.

"I know," Severus replied teasingly. "Good night, little one."

"Good night, Sev."

The next morning, Harry rushed downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. He was late, damn Severus for not waking him... He ran into the Great Hall and dashed over to the Gryffindor table. He stuffed a piece of bacon in his mouth and choked.

"Hey, hey, slow down, mate," Ron said, thumping his back. "Where were you?"

"Damn Severus, he didn't wake me up..." Harry grumbled.

Hermione, who had just been drinking pumpkin juice, spat it out again, splattering her robes. "He WHAT?"

"I was sleeping in his private quarters," Harry whispered. "And shhh, not so loud."

"HE LET YOU INTO HIS PRIVATE QUARTERS???!!!" Hermione gaped at him.

"Yes, now, SHUT UP!!!"

Hermione did as she was told, still staring disbelievingly.

After breakfast, the first class was Potions. Harry grinned. "I'm gonna enjoy this..." he whispered to Ron.

Ron looked terrified. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see... Don't worry, it's part of our plan?"

"What plan?" Hermione asked sharply.

"Shhhh," Harry said. "Not now, don't want any of the Slytherins to hear."

After the class settled down, Severus walked into the classroom, his robes flying after him. "Today," he began, shooting Harry a death-glare. "We'll be reviewing the Trustianda Potion from before since SOME PEOPLE havn't mastered it yet. " At this, he pointed glared at Neville and Harry. Neville whimpered, but Harry just glared right back.

In the middle of the class, Severus walked over to Harry and sneered, "Potter, what's this?"

Instead of the usual green colour, Harry's potion had turned orange.

"Harry," Hermione squeaked, terrified. "You're supposed to put the pineneedles in AFTER you take the cauldron off the fire!"

"Thirty points from Gryffindor, Granger, for talking in class. Now, Potter, what have you done to that potion?"

Harry glared at the teacher and said defiantly, "I don't see anything wrong."

The class gasped; Harry was in for it now...

"Oh really?" Severus said, letting a smirk flash across his features. "50 points from Gryffindor and detension for 2 weeks."

"WHAT? You damn bastard..." Harry yelled, infuriated, while both Gryffindors and Slytherins gasped.

"He's got a death wish now..." Ron moaned. "Snape'll kill him."

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO, POTTER?"

Harry smirked, a glint in his eyes. Everyone groaned; This was going to get worst... "An ill-bred, slimy git whom resembles a vampire. Oh, and yes, can't forget the greasy bastard part, can I? The fool who dresses in black, trying to scare little children out of their wits... that's who!"

The Potions Master looked daggers at the boy, though inside, he was shaking with laughter. "4 MONTHS OF DETENSION, POTTER!!!"

Harry looked furious; He pulled out his wand and began to say, "Stupe- --"

"Expelliarmus!" The wand flew into Severu's hand as the teacher growled. "Potter, you---"

He was cut short when Harry launched himself at the professor, knocking the teacher onto the floor.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? HARRY, GET OFF OF PROFESSOR SNAPE!!!" Dumbledore's voice drifted into the room.

Harry got up from the ground, gasping, as Hermione helped a raging Snape up.

"EVERYONE OUT~! CLASS DISMISSED!" Dumbledore yelled, a golden aura forming around him. There was a glint of anger in his eyes that no one had seen before. The Gryffindors scrambled up and ran out of the room, along with the Slytherins. "Ms. Granger, 70 points to Gryffindor for acting calmly and helping Professor Snape up."

Hermione gave a nervous smile as she too, rushed out of the room.

"Silenco Incanto," Dumbledore waved his wand, creating a silencing charm around the room. His eyes were twinkling as he looked from his staff to his student. Both were laughing. "Very impressive act, Harry and Severus... Very realistic indeed, though that was some... colourful language I heard."

Severus glared at Harry in mock anger. "You called ME a VAMPIRE?"

"That's what you are," Harry shot back, laughing.

"Brat."

"Git," Harry retorted.

"Fool."

"Idiot."

"Assh---"

"That's enough, there's no need to put on a performance right now, no one's watching," Dumbledore interrupted, laughing. "So, Harry, you've earned yourself 4 months of 'detension' in which Severus will teach you what you need to know. How are the lessons progressing right now?"

"Very well, Albus," Severus said. "Harry's mastered the seventh grade material already. Also, he learned the Animagus transformation, his apparation skills are perfect, and he is currently learning about bonds and wards."

"Excellent," the Headmaster said, beaming at Harry. "Now," he said. "to more important business."

"What business?" Harry asked, confused.

"I shall explain," Severus answered. "The Dark Lord has decided to use the timeturner and go back in time as soon as possible to kill James and Lily. He has somehow managed to get his hands on one of them, I'm not sure how. Right now, you have two choices. One, you can stay with the Weasleys while I go back, or two, you can come with me."

Harry just gaped at him. "You're going back in time?"

"Yes, and you can either go with Sev, or stay with the Weasleys." Dumbledore repeated.

"I--" There was a defiant look in the Gryffindor's determined eyes. "I'm coming with you."

"Alright," Severus said. "Though you're going to have to be careful. And we're going to have to do something to your appearance, we can't have an exact replica of James Potter wandering around."

"Um..." Harry began. "Maybe... You can um... get rid of the charm and..." He trailed off, giving Sev a meaningful look.

"May I ask what secret you are keeping from me, gentlemen?" Dumbledore asked.

"Um..." Harry looked at Sev for help.

"I---"

"It's about my mother's diary I found on my bed," Harry said finally. "I found out that... James' isn't really my father, and that... I've been placed under an Altering charm."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Ah, the diary, I was the one who put it there."

"YOU?"

"Yes," the Headmaster said. "You're mother left it with me, though I have respected her privacy and havn't read it."

"Also," Dumbledore continued."Did you mention something about James' Potter not being your father? Then may I ask, who, pray tell, is your father?"

"Um....." there was an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Harry replied in a whisper, "S-Sev."

Surprise passed over the Headmaster's features, but he quickly regained his posture. "I see," He said, slightly amused. "I trust Severus will tell me about it when he is ready. About your disguise, Harry, would you be willing to take off the Altering charm? That way, no one will suspect that you are related to James."

"I-I- Could I get some time to think about this?"

"Of course, Harry. Now, run along. I want your decision in two weeks."

***************

The days past quickly and soon, the day that Draco dreaded came. Early in the morning, he put on his robes and sneaked quietly out of the room. He walked slowly towards the Forbidden Forest, trying to think about anything but what his father would do to him.

He walked by Hagrid's cabin and towards the forest, his heart pounding, his stomach churning. He felt sick. Little did he know about the two shadows that were following him.

***************

Harry and Severus sneaked quietly after Draco. They were careful not to make a sound. Together, they followed Draco.

After a few minutes, the Slytherin boy came to the edge of the forest. Harry could see that Draco was nervous; the blond's face was deathly pale.

A few minutes later, there was a loud crack, and Lucius Malfoy appeared. Harry had to stifle his gasp as Draco promptly kneeled down on one knee.

"Draco," Lucius said coldly, addressing his son with icy neutrality.

"Father," Draco replied, bowing his head. Harry shuddered; to think that Draco was treated like this every time he saw his parents...

"Draco, it is time for you to come with me and meet the Dark Lord. You are to become a Death Eater and honour our family name. He will give you the Dark Mark today."

"No."

"What?" Lucius asked, seemingly stunned.

"I said 'No,'" Draco retorted, and when the Slytherin raised his head, Harry could see the cold fury burning in those icy blue eyes. "I will NOT become a Death Eater, father. I honour you and our family name, but I refuse to serve Voldemort."

"How DARE you call the Dark Lord by his name!" Lucius roared. "If you truely honour our family name, then you shall serve the Dark Lord! I order you!"

"Then," Draco replied. "I fear that I must disobey you, for one can sink no lower than to serve the Dark Lord. He is cruel, heartless, and if you join him, father, in which you have, you are as worthless and cowardly as he. I---" He was cut short when his father screamed, "CRUCIO!"

Draco dropped to the ground, withering in pain. He felt as if his veins were on fire. 'No,' he thought, his eyes fiery. 'I won't cry out, I won't give him the satisfaction.'

The Slytherin was about to pass out when suddenly, he heard someone yell, "Stupefy!" He saw his father pass out, and to his relief, the pain stopped. But he could keep consciousness no longer. With a sigh, he slumped forward and darkness claimed him.

***************

After Lucius and Draco passed out, Harry and Severus came out from behind the bushes they were hiding behind. Harry trotted next to the Potions Master, his eyes blazing as he revived what he had seen. Now DARE that git treat Draco in such a way...

"Harry," Severus said. "He needs to be treated with several Potions immediately. You'll have to fly us to my quarters; we can't delay this any longer."

Harry gave a curt nod as he allowed Severus to place Draco on his back. Severus levitated Lucius Malfoy up.

"I have to go to the Headmaster immediately," Severus said. "I can't come with you. Bring Draco to bed and give him the healing potion, energy potion, and pain-releasing potion. Oh, and also a nutrition potion. If he wants, he can also have a Dreamless Sleeping Potion." With that, the professor left.

Harry flew up to Severus' quarters and whispered, "Alohomora!" The windows popped open and Harry flew carefully inside. Transforming back into his human form, he gently rested Draco in a spare bed.

"Draco, Draco," he whispered softly. "Wake up, I have to give you a few potions."

Draco moaned, and slowly opened his eyes. The Slytherin tried to get up, but Harry firmly pushed the boy back down. Draco seemed to fully awaken; When he realized who was holding him down, he screamed, "Potter! Get off me! Leave me alone, what are you doing here?"

"Shush, Draco," came the reply, and Draco was surprised by the soothing tone.

"What are you doing here, and where am I?" He growled as the memories flooded him. His father... the pain...

"You're in Professor Snape's private quarters. Now, relax while I treat you." A golden aura surrounded Harry as the Slytherin felt a warm feeling drifting into him. He instantly felt better, and was surprised by how gently Harry treated him.

"You have to drink these potions," Harry said authoritively, pushing several cups into his hands.

"No, Potter," Draco said suddenly. What was going on here? "Why should I drink it? I'm fine, I want to go back to my room." He tried to get up but his legs collapsed beneath him.

Gentle hands picked him up and put him back onto bed. He was stunned by how strong Potter was. Looking up, he saw the Gryffindor's emerald eyes, which were full of concern. "Draco," Harry said quietly. "You're not fine; You've been put under the Cruciatus Curse so don't try to lie to me. These will help you feel better."

"How did you find me?" Draco slowly brought the cup to his lips and took a sip.

"I-I-..." Harry stuttered. "I found your diary."

"WHAT?" Draco yelled. Oh no, if the boy had read the book, then he must have told the rest of the Gryffindors... His life was over. "I hate you," he whispered, his tone deadly, as silent tears flowed down his cheek. He tried in vain to stop crying, but to no avail.

"Draco, relax..." Harry said, his voice soothing. "I didn't tell anyone... Please, Draco, don't be angry at me... I only wanted to help." He slowly wiped the tears off the other's face.

Draco flinched away at the touch; God, everything hurt; his head, his back, his legs... It felt as though he was on fire.

"Let me treat you," Harry said. Once again, Draco felt a golden aura surround him. After a few minutes, the light was gone, along with the pain.

"what... How did you do that?"

"I learned," Harry replied simply. "I... I'm sorry for reading your diary, but I only wanted to help. I...." He stopped, then continued. "Do you want a Dreamless Sleeping Potion?"

Draco nodded.

Harry left the room, and a moment later, he came back, a cup of orange liquid in his hands. "Don't worry," he assured the Slytherin as he helped Draco drink its contents. "I made sure it was tasteless."

For once, Draco felt thankful. His eyelids drooped and turning to Harry, he whispered, "Thank you." Then, he fell into a deep sleep.

"Draco, wake up!" Those were the first words Draco heard. Where was he? He certainly wasn't at home or in his dorm; no one would bother to wake him up like this. His father usually yelled at him while Crabbe and Goyle threw pillows at him. Suddenly, he remembered... His father, Voldemort, Potter...

He opened his eyes and found himslef looking into a pain or worried, emerald eyes.

"So you're finally awake," Harry said, gracing him with a smile. "Here's your breakfast." The Gryffindor placed a tray in front of Draco.

The Slytherin looked up. "Don't you have to go to lessons?"

"Severus'll make an excuse for us," was the reply.

"Severus?"Draco asked, not registering the name.

"Professor Snape. You better not call him that unless he gives you permission though," Harry said, amused. "Now, eat up."

Draco looked down at the good: toast, eggs, canned peaches. His favourites. How Potter knew what he liked was beyond him. The Slytherin slowly took a bite, his eyes lost in thought. He couldn't remember ever being treated like this before; he always served his parents breakfast, never vice versa. It felt nice to be taken care of in this way. "How exactly did you find me?" He asked finally. "I just remember a unicorn..."

"You know I found your diary," Harry began uncertainly, afraid that Draco would start yelling again. To his relief, the Slytherin jsut continued eating. He continued. "I found your father's letter in the diary. From what I could gather, he didn't sound too happy. So I knew you were going to get hurt. Yesterday, Severus and I followed you. When your father put you under the Cruciatus Curse, I stunned him. Severus brought your father to Dumbledore and I was left with you. The flying unicorn was me; It's my Animagus form."

Draco nodded in comprehension; he was slightly surprised that Potter was an Animagus, but he didn't doubt the fact when he remembered those mysterious green eyes the unicorn had had. "What's going on between you and Professor Snape?" he asked curiously. "From what I could gather, everything you were doing was an act, but I couldn't tell exactly what was going on."

"You could tell?" Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Well, Draco, don't tell anyone... Severus' my father." Harry didn't know why he was trusting Draco with a secret that he hadn't even told Ron and Hermione; For some reason, he knew in his heart that he could trust Draco. He could sense a kind of.. honesty.

Draco just gaped at Harry; this had to be a joke, it just HAD to be... but judging by the Gryffindor's expression, the boy was dead serious. "What--- HOW?"

Harry's tone was sharp. "I don't really want to talk about this right now, it's still kind of a shock for me..." The boy's eyes grew distant, as if he was lost in thoughts.

"What about my father? What's going to happen to him? When will I go back to living with him? You realize that there's no way he'll let me stay at Hogwarts after this..." Draco shuddered as he thought about the kinds of punishment he would recieve fr disobeying.

"NO," Harry's voice had a sharp edge to it. "You are NOT going back to your father. He'll hurt you." After a moment, Harry asked softlly, "Draco, tell me the truth, what do you think of your father? How would you feel if he was put in Azkaban?"

Draco's voice was filled with pain. "I hate my father. I hate the fact that I'm a Malfoy; the family name's brought nothing but pain and torture. I want to be different, I want to be myself, but because I'm a Malfoy, no one will believe me." He laughed bitterly. "They just judge me for what they think I am, never for what I really am. They expect me to work for Voldemort. Every one of them. I suppose even Dumbledore and Professor Snape thinks I'm going to become a Dath Eater when I grow up. Not that I blame them after how I behave, but I hate it when people assume I'm something just because my parents were." For some reason, it felt strangely soothing to let out all his pain and anger, to pour out his heart's secrets. He felt more carefree, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I think my whole family deserves to be put in Azkaban. Me included. After all, the world will be a better place if the Malfoys were gone."

"NO, Draco," Harry said, gripping the other's shoulder tightly, forcing Draco to look him in the eye. "You must not think that way, you must NEVER think that way. Don't blame yourself for something your parents have done; it is beyond your control. Be yourself, and everything will be fine." In a softer tone, he added, "And Draco, you're not going back to your paents. You're staying. Your father will go to Azkaban if you testify against him."

Draco looked up sadly. "Where will I go? No one wants me."

"Hogwarts wants you," Harry insisted firmly. "You can stay with me, no matter where I go."

"Are you sure?" Draco asked doubtfully, not believing the fact that Harry was telling the truth. "Why would you even WANT to have me here? I'm worthless. Why would anyone want an absolute prat and arrogant git?"

"YOU ARE NOT WORTHLESS!" Harry said, determined to grind the fact into the other's brain. "Here that? YOU ARE NOT WORTHLESS? People want you, people will even miss you. I want you to stay because I know how it feels like to be unwanted, to be sneered and yelled at every minute of your life. I know how it feels to be... alone. But never let that break you."

Draco finally smiled, his eyes flashing as he finally understood what Harry was saying. "All right, I'll testify against my father."

"Excellent," came a voice as Severus entered the room, his robes flying behind him. He flashed Draco a smile. "I'm glad to see your awake."

Draco felt stunned; Snape was actually being NICE???~!!! True, the Slytherins had always been treated better than the other houses, but to tell the truth, had never seen the Potions Master smile once. After an uncomfortable greeting, he turned towards Harry to avoid looking at his professor. His face burned with shame was he thought about his father's actions.

"What's going to be happening to Lucius Malfoy?" Harry said. He felt Draco stiffen beside him.

"I took him to Dumbledore. He will be sent to Azkaban for child abuse and working for Voldemort, since the use of Vertisum is allowed." Severus glanced at Draco, but the Slytherin's expression could not be identified.

"Um... Professor, excuse me if I'm wrong, but um.... don't you work for Voldemort?"

"No, Draco, I spy for the Light side, which is why it often seems like I'm working for the Dark." Severus gazed at the blond boy. "You are brave, Draco. You resisted your parents. When I was young, I did not have the courage to oppose my parents. But you fought, and you won. And that is the most important of all: your attitude."

Draco blushed; praise from the Potions Master was rare. "Thank you, sir." he mumbed.

"Draco," the Potions Master said again. "You are welcome to live with Harry and I. You realize that you can not live with the rest of your relatives. They will hurt you."

Drao reddened as Harry gave the Slytherin an 'I told you so' look. "Thank you," he repeated.

"Now," Severus turned to Harry. "Since you won't be going to lessons, you can stay here and practise those charms I taught you. Draco will have to reat. I have a lesson in about five minutes." WIth that, the Potions Master swept out the door.

"Sleep, Draco," Harry said as he cast a sleeping charm on the Slytherin. The boy soon slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Harry was taking Charms class when Dumbledore came into the classroom and requested that Harry go with him.

"What is it, Professor?" he asked when he found Severus also in the office. Something big was going on.

"Voldemort has plans to go back in time in the next couple of days. You need to be there before him in order to prepare. Are you sure you still want to go?"

Harry nodded, his eyes shining wityh determination. "Very well," Dumbledore said. "Are you willing to remove the Altering charm now?"

Harry took a deep breath; he had been thinking about this for a long time. "Yes," he said. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Severus raised his wand and muttered, "Excanto Alteratus!" he cried.

Harry felt for a second as if his very viens were on fire; he bagan to change. He felt himself growing taller. He wanted to watch the process, but it was too painful. He sqeezed his eyes shut in agony, determined not to scream.

The changes stopped as soon as they started. He opened his eyes and found Dumbledore looking amused and a stunned Severus gaping at him.

He realized that he no longer needed glasses. He didn't mind at all, he doubt he would miss them.

Harry walked over to Dumbledore's mirror to examine himself. He was several inches taller. He was deffiantely taller than Ron and almost as tall as Severus. His hair was straight, and dark as the darkest shade of midnight. His skin was slightly paler, and his fingers were longer. He looked strikingly like the Potions Master. The only things that remained the same were those blazing emerald orbs and flashing red scar.

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about these hcanges. It was hard to get used to the fact that he was no longer a younger replica of James Potter.

"Well, Harry, your name will be Harry Darkice and you will be posing as Severus' son," Dumbledore said. "You will be an exchange student from North America."

Harry nodded in comprehension. "Do we leave now?"

"Yes, but before you go," Dumbledore handed Harry and Severus each a thin, sliver chain. Hanging from the chain was a small mirror. On the back of Harry's mirror, the letter 'H' was entwined with a lion. "These are similar to two-way mirrors," Dumbledore explained. "Instead of two of them though, there are seven of them. These two, I give to you two. I will keep one for myself, and the rest will go to those whom I see fit. Just say our names into it, Harry, and you will be able to talk to us. One last thing," at this, the headmaster handed Harry a piece of parchment. "This is a letter to my younger self." Dumbledore handed Severus a time turner. "Be safe, and Good luck."

Severus took the time turner and turned it several times. The world began spinning around them, and with a swirl, they were gone.

Harry opened his his eyes and found himself in an empty corridor. Severus was right beside him. Together, they walked towards Dubmbledore's office. Severus tapped the gargoyle's shoulders three times and it jumped aside.

Walking in, they found a slightly younger versioun of Albus Dumbledore, doing paperwork. When he saw them, he smiled and said, "Welcome, I've been expecting you."

Harry felt slightly disconcerted as he handed over the letter.

Dumbledore read through the letter quickly, then said, "Professor Darkice, I suppose you will be teaching Potions with Professor Rosethorn. To my understanding, there will be more of you coming. From what my future self says, you would like to form a dueling club?"

Severus gave a curt nod while Harry just looked stunned.

"I will introduce you to the rest of the school at dinner, which will be in half and hour. Harry, you can go to the Gryffindor dorms and settle down. I expect you back here in 30 minutes. Your friends should be here by then."

Harry nodded and left the room, going towards th Gryffindor Common Room. There were many curious glances shot his way.

As he reached the Fat Lady, he whispered the password. As he walked in, many people looked up.

"Who are you?" asked a boy with messy black hair. The boy approached him, along with three others.

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the boy who was so obviously James Potter.

"I'm Harry. Harry Darkice. I'm an exchange student from North America."

"I'm James Potter," James introduced himself. "These are my friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."

Harry smiled and exchanged greetings with Sirius and Remus, but he treated Peter with icy coldness and sarcasm. James noticed this, but didn't mention anything.

Just then, a girl with rich, red hair approached them. "This is James' girlfriend, Lily Evans," Sirius said, a mischievious grin on his face.

After the introductions were all done and Harry had unpacked, he said, "I'm supposed to meet Dumbledore in his office. See ya at dinner!" With that, Harry disappeared down the corridor.

The Gryffindor approached the Headmaster's office, slightly nervous. He flung open the door and walked in to find Ron and Hermione clustered on one side of the office. Draco was standing on the other side. Remus Lupin and Severus Snape stood in the middle, each standing protectively over their own group. Dumbledore was sitting at this desk, an amused look on his face.

"Hey, guys!" Harry said as he approached the large group. He realized that this was going to be interesting, considering the looks of shock plastered on Remus, Ron, Hermione, and Draco's faces.

"Um... Harry, is that you?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

"Hey, nice disguise, mate!" Ron said, slapping him on the back. "No way anyone will recognize you!"

"Um...." Harry looked helplessly towards Severus. "Could I get a few minutes with my friends?"

"Of course." Severus replied.

Ron and Hermione walked towards the door. Harry waited for them to go, then looked expectantly at Draco. "Come on!" Draco looked shocked. "Me?"

"You need to know this too." He turned to Severus. "Could you explain to Remus?"

Severus nodded as Harry dragged Draco out the door.

"What's he doing here?" Ron asked. "Dumbledore insisted he come, though I don't see why." The redhead glared at the blond, clearing expecting a retort. He looked slightly stunned when Draco turned to him, a neutral expression his face.

"Will you stop picking on Draco?" Harry asked impatiently.

"What--- What's going on here?" Ron said, looking at Harry with disbelief in his eyes.

"Draco's my friend, I'll tell you about it later, but will you listen to ME right now?"

"Of course, go ahead," Hermione interrupted, urging Harry. "What's going on?"

"I-I---Oh, I don't know where to start."

"Start at the beginning," Ron retorted.

"Easy for YOU to say," Harry sneered, lips curling. His words were dripping with sarcasm.

Ron backed away from him.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked him.

"You-- No offense, but you sound EXACTLY like Snape."

"Who can blame me? After all, he's my father." The looks on Ron's and Hermione's faces were priceless. For once in her life, Hermione seemed to be in a loss for words.

"You mean they didn't know?" Draco's voice asked.

"No. I only told you, Severus, and Dumbledore."

"Harry!" Ron complained. "You have to be kidding. If this is some sick joke, it's not funny."

So Harry ended up explaining about his mother's diary and what he had found out. When he finished the story, everyone was standing, gaping at him in utter disbelief.

"We better go for dinner now," Harry said. "What are your new names? I'm Harry Darkice."

"I'm Hermione Grant and he's Ron Westerly." Hermione said.

"Draco Darkice," Draco responded. "I'm supposed to be your cousin."

Ron burst into laughter.

"What?" Draco glared at him.

"You? His cousin? You two don't resemble each other at all!"

"Stop arguing, will you?" Harry cut in. "We have to go for dinner."

"All right, all right..." The group followed Harry back into Dumbledore's office. Remus was staring at him with a slightly stunned.

"We must go to dinner now," Dumbledore said. "Let's go."

They trouped down to the Great Hall, Dumbledore leading the way. When they entered, many people flashed them curious looks.

"It is my pleasure," Dumbledore began. "To introduce several exchange students and new professors. These are Harry Darkice, Ron Westerly, Hermione Grant, and Draco Darkice. They are exchange students from North America and they will be staying with us until further notice. Our new professors are Professor Severus Darkice and Remus Longnight. Professor Darkice will be teaching Potions with Professor Rosethorn, and Professor Longnight will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lakewood. Also, these two professors will be forming a dueling club in order to teach you self-defense and new spells. All members interested in joining must meet the professors for the first session in the spare classroom on the third floor today, right after dinner. These students have been sorted into houses already. They are all in Gryffindor."

Claps exploded from the Gryffindor table as Harry and his friends joined the rest of the Gryffindors. Draco looked slightly stunned at being put in Gryffindor.

"Hey guys!" Harry greeted James, Sirius, Lily, and Remus. "These are my friends, Ron, Hermione, and Draco." Turning to his friends, he said, "These are James Potter, Sirius Black, Lily Evans, and Remus Lupin. Oh, and this," he said, his voice suddenly icy cold. "Is Peter Pettigrew."

Ron and Hermione greeted the Mauraders cheerfully, but when they turned to Peter, they both became extremely cold and unwelcome. James wondered what this was about; it seemed as if they hated Peter at first sight.

While eating, Sirius asked, "Hey, Harry, are you and Draco and Professor Darkice related?"

Harry nodded. "Draco's my cousin, and Professor Darkice is my father."

There was silence for a moment. "Oh, okay," James said cheerfully, thinking that it would be nice to have a teacher on their side. "Who's Professor Longnight?"

"He's our friend," Ron cut in while stuffing himself with mashed potatos. Hermione looked at him disdainfully.

James was cheerfully chattering when he suddenly stopped and looked at someone behind Harry. "What are you doing here, Snape?" His voice was unfriendly.

Harry and his friends all whirled around to find a younger Severus Snape standing behind them. There was a stunned gasp from Ron. Harry knew why; he looked stunningly like this younger Snape. They were about the same height, though Harry was slightly taller. They were both pale and had long, black hair. The only difference was that Harry's eyes were a burning emerald while Snape's were icy black.

"None of your business, Potter," The voice that Harry had come to know so well shot back. Harry smirked; this was going to be interesting. "Snape," he said, his voice neutral. He stared into those cold, black orbs. While James and the others sneered and teased, Harry did not respond. He just looked at Snape with an expressionless face. They held each other's gaze for a few minutes until finally, Snape (from now on, I'll call the younger Snape 'Snape' and the older one 'Severus' or 'Professor Darkice', so not to cause any confusions) turned away. Harry allowed a thin smile to grace his lips. "Nice to meet you," he said. "I'll see you around. I trust you'll be at the dueling club meeting tonight." With that, he turned back to his friends, whom were staring at this strange exchange.

"Let's go," Harry said. "We don't want to be late for the first dueling lesson. You're all coming?"

Everyone nodded and they left the Great Hall.

James led everyone up the stairs and onto the third floor. They walked into the specified spare classroom. And gaped.

The room was full of people; it seemed as if the whole school was there. !Remus! Lupin and !Severus! Snape stood in front of the class.

When everyone was settled in, !Remus! began speaking. "Before we begin, I'm sorry to say that this dueling club is for sixth and seventh years only. I'm afraid I forgot to ask Professor Dumbledore to announce the fact, so will the lower grades please leave."

There were many disappointed groans as more than half the students in the room walked out. Many were complaining.

"We will begin," !Severus! said, his voice sneering, causing many students to back up in fright. "With the simple Disarming Charm. The incantation is 'Expelliarmus'. I expect most of you know this, and there is no need to show you this spell. Partner up with someone in your own grade and wait for my signal before you begin." Ron was partnered with Hermione, James with Sirius, Remus with Peter, and Lily with Draco. Harry walked up to !Severus! and said, "Professor, I don't have a partner."

"And neither do I," a voice said behind them. Harry whirled around to find Snape standing there, wand in hand, his face impassive.

"Mr. Snape, partner with Mr. Darkice."

Harry soon found himself in front of the younger Snape, wand in hand, waiting for a signal.

"One, two, three, begin!"

"Expelliarmus!" Snape said firmly, but Harry seeing it coming, muttered, "Protegro!" A shield was set up, and the charm bounced back towards Snape. The Slytherin also mumbled the Shield Charm and the spell was sent bouncing back and forth between them.

Behind them, Peter was sent flying as Remus accidentally put too much force into the spell.

After a minute, !Remus! called out, "Enough! Stop!" Students hurriedly picked themselves up and Harry said, "Finite Incantatem!" The shields and the charm disappeared. He looked up and found Snape eyeing him warily.

"That was just a warm up," !Remus! continued. "Next, we will be having some more professional dueling. You may use any of the taught spells, as long as it is not dangerous or illegal. Let's get a volunteer." Looking around, !Remus! smiled and said, "Mr. Harry Darkice and Severus Snape! Please come up."

Harry and Snape both moved slowly up to the platform. They stood on either side.

"First, you bow," !Severus! said, his voice cold. Snape and Harry both lowered their heads slightly. They backed away from each other, wondering who would make the first move.

"Stupefy!" Snape said, his wand raised. A while spell shot towards Harry the same time the Gryffindor yelled, "Tarantallegra!" The two spells met in mid-air, and for some reason, bounced back towards them.

"Protegro!' They both cried, blocking the spells. "Finite Incantatem!' The two spells disappeared.

"Impedimenta!" Harry cried, the spell shooting towards Snape. The Slytherin dodged, but not quite. For a second, the other stood, frozen. Then, he recovered and screamed, "Petrificus Totalus!" Fortunately, the Body-Binding Spell missed.

Snape opened his mouth to say another spell, but Harry raised his wand and yelled, "Silenco!" Snape mouthed something, and a purple spell shot towards Harry. The spell connected, but because it was not actually said, no damage was caused.

Harry knew there was no way he would be able to take Snape down like this. There was only one way. It was to attack the other's mind. "Legilemens!"

Harry was immediately drowned in thoughts that were not his: A young boy screaming, the Dark Mark in the midnight sky, a women beating a crying girl...

"FINITE INCANTATEM!" A voice cried, and the thoughts stopped. Looking up, Harry realized that it was !Severus! who had used the spell. "Enough," he said, his voice so cold that it sent shivers down many's backs. "Well done, Mr. Darkice and Snape. Please go back to your places."

"That was an excellent display of spells and an example of dueling," !Remus! continued as Harry and Snape eached headed back to their places. Lily shot Harry a puzzled look while James and Sirius gave him the thumbs up. Remus looked rather worried.

After practising the Inpediment Jinx and Body Bind several times, it was time to go. "The next meeting will be tomorrow evening, same place, same time." !Remus! called out as the students filed out.

"Come on!" James grabbed Harry's arm. "Let's go!"

"No, I want to talk to Professor Longnight for a minute," Harry replied distractedly. "You go first."

Harry walked up to !Remus!. "Um-- I--" he began uncertainly.

"Harry, it's okay, Severus' explained everything to me," !Remus! said, his voice assuring. "I understand. There's no need to apologize or anything."

Harry shot both !Severus! and !Remus! grateful looks. "Did Dumbledore give you a seven-way mirror?"

!Remus! nodded. "It's not a seven-way mirror anymore; now, it's an eight-way mirror. Albus added another on for Draco. I have one, Severus has one, you, Ron, and Hermione each has one. Albus has another, and the Weasleys have the last one. You can talk to each of us anytime."

Harry nodded his thanks and left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry got back to the Gryffindor Comon Room only to be jumped on by Sirius. "Did you get in trouble?" he asked.

"No, of course not! Why would I?"

Sirius just shrugged. "Teachers have strange ideas sometimes."

Harry glared at him. "They are not just any teachers. They are my father and friend."

"Oops, sorry, I forgot."

"No problem."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco watched as James and Sirius began planning their newest joke.

"Who are you playing it on?" Ron asked.

"One of the Slytherins. Maybe Snape or Malfoy."

Harry felt Draco stiffen beside him. "No," he said firmly. "Believe me, that won't work. How about Lestrange, Parkinson, Crabbe, or Goyle?"

"How did you know them?" Remus asked, surprised.

"Dumbledore went over some names for me," Harry replied, not hesitating at all.

"We want to turn their faces scarlet and gold for two days." James said. "But I can't seem to find the proper potion."

"I've got an idea," Harry said, grinning, as he remembered the box of practical jokes Fred and George had given him to try out. "I have a potion that makes someone say "Gryffindors Rule, Slytherins Drool" every half and hour for one day."

"Whoa, that's great!" Sirius said enthusiastically. "Let's get some now and sneak it down into the kitchen so the potion ought to start working when the Slytherins eat tomorrow morning."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry settled into bed with a sigh. They had just come back from the kitchen after sneaking the potion he had recieved from the Weasley twins into the breakfast of Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and Lestrange. He closed his eyes and sighed. Today had been a long day. He closed his eyes as darkness claimed him.

Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of James yelling. Opening his eyes, he saw that Sirius had waken the boy up by pouring a pitcher of water down his back.

"YOU!" James screamed, pointing an accusing finger at his friend. "You-" Taking a leap, he jumped into the air and landed right on top of the other boy, tackling him.

"Will you guys forget it?" Remus asked, sighing, as Draco (who was sleeping in the bed next to Harry's) looked at the rolling pair in utter amazement.

"Draco?" Harry asked quietly, seeing the other stare. "Are you alright?"

Draco nodded. In truth, he was amazed by the friendliness and hospitality the Gryffindors showed towards each other. Slytherins never behaved in this kind and joking way; in public, they seemed to treat each other well, yet in the privacy of their dorms, there were arguments and curses thrown at each other. Draco shuddered as he remembered the occasion in which Pansy Parkinson had thrown the Cruciatus Curse on him. His father had told her to do so when he disobeyed his parents. He had expected Gryffindors to be much the same; kind in public, mean in private. Yet this was not true. He looked longingly at the group as he realized just how much fun he had missed, how different his life would have been if he had been sorted into Gryffindor.

Harry, seeing the look of longing and regret on the other's face, raised and put a supportive hand on Draco's shoulder. The boy nodded his thanks.

"Come on, let's get to breakfast! The girls are waiting!" Harry called out as he reached down in an attempt of drag James away from Sirius. Draco also bent down to help.

When they finally managed to pull apart the playful boys, they walked out of their dorms. They found Hermione, Lily, and Lily's friends, Emma and Melody, waiting in the common room.

"What took you guys so long?" Hermione asked crossly. "We were waiting for fifteen minutes already."

Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but Ron said, "Okay, okay, sorry 'Mione, no need to freak out, we have plenty of time..."

"PLENTY OF TIME?" thundered Lily. "According to my calculations, we're ten minutes late for breakfast, and Potions lesson starts in exactly seven minutes!"

Sirius turned to Harry. "Hey, what's your father like when he's teaching? I mean, is he like, funny, or is his lessons interesting or... what's it like?"

Harry turned to Ron, Hermione, and Draco, pleading expression on his face. What was he going to say? All students thought the Potions Master to be a menacing git, but then, no one knew who the true Potions Master was without his threatening demeanor and cold indifference.

"Um.... well..."

Thankfully, the bell rang just then. "Now look what you've done!" stormed Melody. "We have to miss breakfast!"

"If we don't hurry, we'll be late for Potions too," Emma added. "HURRY UP, guys!"

With that, the group left the room, heading for the Potion dungeons.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The potions dungeon was similar to the one Harry was used two: a desk was in one corner of the classroom, several tables scattered around the room. One one side, the sixth years Slytherins were seated, and on the other, were the Gryffindors.

!Severus! stood in the middle of the classroom. Another women, who was obviously Professor Rosethorn, stood beside him.

After introductions were made, Prof. Rosethorn began to speak. "Today, we will be brewing the Varification Potion. This is a fairly complicated potion which requires caution. Please get into partners and Professor Darkice will go through the basic steps."

Harry partnered with James; beside him, Lily and Melody were arguing about something.

"The Varification Potion," !Severus! began in the sardonic tone Harry had come to know so well. "Forces a person to answer the questions of another truthfully. It is similar to Veritaserum, but while Veritaserum can't be fought, the Varification Potion can. I doubt any of you will be able to fight it though; it requires power and immense concentration."

After going over the steps, !Severus! and Professor Rosethorn began pacing around the room. Professor Rosethorn was a strict but kind women. She was in the middle of gently reprimanding a nervous Gryffindor.

!Severus! though, was exactly the opposite. "Black! Westerly!" he pointed to the bright orange liquid. "Do you call this green? 10 points from Gryffindor for not paying attention. If you actually read the instructions, you'll realize that you put the petals in AFTER you take the cauldron off the fire."

Half an hour later, Harry called out, "Professors? We're done."

!Severus! came around and looked at their potion. "Excellent. Ten points each, Mr. Darkice and Mr. Potter."

Professor Rosethorn also approached them. "Let's test the potion. Mr. Darkice? If you would drink it?"

Before !Severus! could protest, Harry lifted the cup and downed the contents.

"Mr. Potter? Ask some questions. If the potion was done correctly, then he will answer the questions truthfully."

"Um... what's your name?" James asked awkwardly, asking the first questions in his mind.

Harry felt as if he was under the Imperious Curse. His mind was focused on the single answer. 'Harry Potter!' a small voice in his head said. 'Answer him, its Harry Potter!'

'No,' a detached part of his brain whispered. 'Harry Darkice.' He had to fight, had to fight...

'Answer the question,' his brain commanded. 'Answer the question and you'll be free.'

Fight the potion...

'Answer! Answer now!'

Fight...

Harry opened his mouth. "Harry P-P-" he stopped. It took all his willpower to gasp out, "Harry Darkice."

James moved on to the next question, oblivious to how much strength it had taken Harry to answer the simple question. He didn't notice the way Ron and Hermione stifled their gasps, or how Professor Darkice seemed to sigh in relief. Lily, though, noticed how Harry had stuttered and the frantic reactions of the boy's friends.

!Severus!, watching the boy, felt reliefed and stunned at the same time. That had been so close, so very close... It took immense power and self-control to fight the potion, he hadn't thought Harry would be able to do it. For a second, it seemed as if their secret was out. But then, when Harry had uttered his fake name, the Potions Master had had to stifle his sigh of relief. He was reminded of how the boy had thrown off the Imperious Curse during their secret DADA lessons.

After watching Harry stuggle to answer several more questions, he had had enough. Reaching into his robes, !Severus! pulled out a bottle of blue liquid. The antidote. With surprising gentleness, he reached out and steadied the now shaking Harry. "Drink," he commanded firmly, tipping the bottle.

Harry complied, and after recovering, returned to his seat beside James and began packing up. His face was deathly pale and beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead. He was also trembling slightly. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turning, saw Draco's concerned blue eyes looking at him. "You okay?"

Harry nodded.

Hermione exchanged worried glances with Ron and kept flashing him anxious glances.

At the end of the lesson, Harry stayed behind. When everyone left, he walked up to !Severus!. "I feel sick," he began. The Potions Master cut him off and raised a hand to his forehead.

"Slightly feverish," he announced. "Your temperature's rising. I'll put a Cooling Charm on you. You've just worn yourself out by fighting the potion." He raised his wand. "Icianda!"

Harry felt as if an ice pack had been placed on his forhead. "Thanks, Severus!" he called out as he left the room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The effects of their practical joke began to work in Transfiguration class, Every half an hour, Lestrange, Goyle, Crabbe, or Parkinson would say, "Gryffindors Rule, Slytherins Drool!" Each time it happened, the Mauraders burst into laughter. This continued for the rest of the day.

That night, as Harry sank into the warmth of his bed, he felt immensely tired. He fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.

"ARRRRRRHHHHHHHHGGGGGG!!!!!!!!"

The loud, shrieking scream jerked Harry out of his dreams. Was it morning already? Judging by the lack of sunlight in his eyes, it was not yet dawn. Snapping open his eyes, he discovered that he was right.

Harry realized that it was Peter who had screamed. And in the middle of the rom, slithering and hissing on the ground, was a large, icy-white snake with pale, silvery spots on its back.

~Idiots."~ It hissed. ~I am harmless! It's not my fault I was dumped in here by those careless boys!~

Without thinking, Harry replied. ~My apologies, I can see that you are harmless. I'm afraid you are scaring my friends.~

The snake seemed surprised. ~You are a speaker!~

~Yes,~ Harry confirmed. ~My name is Harry. And you are?~ ~Astrielle,~ she hissed. ~I am female.~ ~Greetings, Astrielle,~ Harry smiled.

~And you, young master.~ she replied. ~I am tired now. Good night.~ With that, the snake slithered towards Harry and lay at the end of his bed and fell promptly asleep.

Harry looked up and found the Mauraders gaping at him.

"Oh damn!" was all he could think of to say. "Guys, I-"

"No need to continue, Harry," Sirius' voice was icy cold.

"You're Dark," James' tone was harsh. "You work for Voldemort. What were you trying to do, sending that snake after Peter? Kill him?"

Harry looked up, shocked. "I didn't--"

"Don't try to lie!" Peter squeaked, earning him a glare from Ron and Draco.

"Guys, let him explain!" Remus said. "I'm sure there's an explanation- -" he was cut off abruptly when Harry jumped up and ran to the door.

"I thought you were my friends," the boy said, his eyes full of pain and his voice hurt. "I guess I was wrong." Shooting them all a look of pure betrayal, he ran out of the room.

Draco was the first to react. "YOU!" he thundered, angry for his friend. "You fools..." He advanced, his wand raised.

"Draco!" Ron yelled, grabbing the back of the blond's robes. "NO, Malfoy, you can't!"

"Malfoy?" James asked, surprised. "What does he have to do with anything?"

No one paid him any attention.

"You!" Draco raged. "How DARE you all accuse Harry? Do you just turn on your friends like this? Just because they have an ability they've had since birth? Is that why you were sorted into Gryffindor? Maybe you deserve to be in Slytherin after all!" He stormed out of the room, shooting James and Sirius a venomus look, leaving the group of stunned Gryffindors behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco ran after the disappearing figure of Harry. He followed the Gryffindor boy up many flights of stairs. "HARRY!" he called, but the boy didn't show any signs of having hear him. Draco crept after Harry, wary of any teachers or caretakers.

He followed Harry up to the North Tower. For a minute, Draco lost sight of the boy and he panicked, but a second later, an icy-white unicorn with silvery-golden mane flew into the midnight sky.

Draco was not surprised. "Verretia Transformus~!" He said, concentrating. Minutes later, a fiery green dragon followed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't believe you did that," Remus said, breaking the silence.

"Remus and Draco are right!" Ron stormed. "How could you? Especially you, James, you know better. Harry thought of you as his friends, and now, look what you've done! Here's what I think of you!" Ron spat on the ground and left the room, fuming.

"How could you do this to Harry?" Remus' tone was quiet, but there was a sharp edge to it.

"Remus, he's a Death Eater! He speaks Parseltongue!" Sirius yelled.

"He's trying to kill us!" James agreed.

"Oh really?" Remus asked, eyes flashing dangerously. His voice was full of suppressed fury. "I suppose I'm a Death Eater too, then? And I'm trying to kill you too? Since I'm a werewolf?"

"NO! You're different..."

"How so?" Remus' eyes blazed. "I can't believe you'er going to just discriminate people like that." With that, he left the room, leaving a gaping James, Sirius, and Peter behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus raced out of the Gryffindor Common Room in search of Harry.

"I'll just leave the door open until you come back!" The Fat Lady called. "It's the fourth time I've been disturbed already!"

Remus saw Ron's disappearing figure going in one direction. He turned and ran teh other way. He would find Harry and apologize if it was the last thing he did.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco, in his Animagus form, flew after teh flying unicorn. They circled around the lake and finally landed by the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"So you're an Animagus too," Harry said once they'd both transformed into their human form.

Draco nodded. "Are you alright?"

Harry's tone was quiet, and the blond flinched at the slight note of pain in them. "I just need some time. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

For a moment, Draco saw a flash of pain in the other's emerald eyes. Then, it was gone, replaced by cold indifference. He knew what the other was feeling, what Harry was going through. He had often felt this way himself when people teased and assumed him evil because he was a Malfoy.

"Everything will be fine in the morning, Harry," Draco gave the Gryffindor's shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks, Draco."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco was frantic; after running down dozens of stairs and corridors, he culd not find Harry or Draco. Suddenly, he remembered, the small mirror hanging from his neck. Taking it out, he wondered if it would accept Harry's fake name.

"Harry Darkice," he said clearly. No response. Ron tried again, this time, with Harry's real name. "Harry Potter."

It worked; Harry's face appeared. "Ron?"

"Where are you? Are you okay?" the redhead asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," Harry replied. "I need to be alone for a while. Just go back to sleep."

"Okay. Bye," Ron reluctantly went back to his dorm. After flashing the remaining Mauraders a look of anger, he settled into his bed to wait for Harry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus was going by the window next to the empty classroom when something moving caught his eyes. Looking out, he as just in time to see Harry and draco transform into a unicorn and dragon, both flying towards the school. He gaped, stunned. So they were had gone through their Animagus transformations too! Well, it seemed as if they were heading back, there was no point in wandering through the corridors and risk getting caught. He went back to the Gryffindor Common Room, and sitting down in a chair, waited.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry and Draco landd on the North Astronomy Tower.

"You go to bed," Harry said to the blond boy. "I think I'll stay with Severus tonight."

"Okay," Draco agreed reluctantly. "Good night."

Harry went down to !Severus'! private quarters. Stating the password, he walked in and foudn the Potions Master awake, still reading.

"Harry!" !Severus! said. "What are you doing here? It's three in the morning!"

Harry told !Severus! about what had happened. "I didn't mean to speak Parseltongue," he said, his voice breaking. He lay his head on the other's shoulders and sobed quietly. "I wanted to get to know James, and now, he hates me!"

"It's alright, child," !Severus! said, rocking the boy. "Everything will be fine..."

Harry felt the rocking motion soothing. He closed his eyes and fell a restless sleep.

The next morning, Harry went down to the Great Hall for breakfast as usual. Ron and Remus flashed him worried looks and judging by the way Hermione and Lily were eyeing him, the boys had told the girls about what had happened in the dorms the night before.

"You okay?" Draco asked quietly.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine," he replied, rewarding the blond with a reluctant smile.

After breakfast was DADA lessons; they reviewed the Stunning Spell and a few other hexes which Harry had already learned during the Triwizard Tournment in his fourth year.

After lunch was a study block; Harry settled into a chair in the library and as reading 'Transfiguration: Advanced Magic beyond the N.E.W.T. level' when he heard Remus call him.

"Harry?" the Maurader looked at him, concerned. "I want to apologize for what happened last night."

Harry smiled sadly. "It's alright, it wasn't your fault. There's no need to apologize, I understand."

"Harry, it as wrong of Prongs and Pad---" Remus stopped, turning red. "I meant---"

"It's okay, Remus, relax! I know about Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail."

Remus' eyes widened. "So you know I'm a ---"

"Yes, I know you're a werewolf."

"Wh--How?" was the only thing Remus could say.

Harry smiled again. "I know many things about you and the others, Remus. Far more than you will ever realize. As to how, I'm afraid I can't tell you. But believe me, I will keep every secret to myself. No one else will ever need to know."

Remus looked at him, stunned. Confusion flashed across the werewolf's features, then quickly disappeared. "Alright," he agreed. "I won't ask you anything. But I want to say that Lily adn I support you. We disagreee with Prongs, Padfoot, adn Wormtail. Um... I'm just curious, how /did/ you get the ability to speak Parseltongue? It /is/ pretty rare..."

Harry sighed. "I don't know how. I was just born with it. You see, I always thought my parents were someone else, but a few month ago, I discovered that Professor Darkice is actually my biological father."

"And your mother?"

"She's dead. Voldemort killed her."

Remus flinched, hearing the Dark Lord's name. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Harry replied. "There's no use in dwelling in the past, Remus. What's happened has happened, nothing will change that, and what will happen will happen, there's no use in worrying. We just have to deal with it when it comes."

Remus nodded, finally understanding what Harry was saying. He realized that this boy was different from anyone else he had ever known. He was unlike the carefree James or Srius; Harry had maturaty wthat belied his age. and judging by the tired lines etched on the boy's young face, the raven-haired Gryffindor had seen many things in his life, far too many things to forget,. The only way was to deal as things as they came, and Harry was trying to get the best out of the little he had. "Thank you for telling me this."

"Let's get to Divination," Harry replied. "If we don't get there in ten minutes, we'll be late."

"Okay." Together, they gathered their belongings and left the room, each lost in their own thoughts.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They walked up to the North Tower and entered the Divination classroom. Sitting there was a young women with long, black hair and mysterious grey eyes.

"That's Professor Selenica; she's the Divination teacher," Remus explained, seeing Harry's puzzled look.

Professor Selenica, Harry had to admit, was much like Professor Trawleny. She explaiend about Seeing the future in the mysterious content of water. "Seeing requires time, power, and great concentration. The Inner Eye must be clear and focused. Now, partner up adn each take a basin from the table."

Harry was working with Remus. "Do you see anything?" he asked the puzzled werewolf.

"Nope, nothing, just my own reflection. You try."

Harry peered into the crystal-clear water. The water swirled around and 'round, around and 'round...

Suddenly, a picture formed in the basin. There was a man, a man with reptilian red eyes the colour of blood...

"Wormtail," Voldemort hissed. "How are we progressing?"

"F-Fine, my Lord," the cowering man stuttered. "Rookwood has found the time turner. We should be ready in a few days."

"And the plan with James and Lily Potter?"

"Not yet, M-My Lord."

"You may go."

"Thank you, my Lord." Wormtail kissed the hem of his master's robes and was halfway out the door when Voldemort spoke again.

"And I have something else for you to do."

"Wh-What, Master?'

"Scream. CRUCIO!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Harry, Harry!"

Harry opened his eyes and found himself on the floor of the Divination classroom. His classmates were gathered in a ring around him with Ron, Hermione, and Draco right next to him.

"What happened, Harry?" Draco asked urgently, concern flashing in his grey-blue eyes.

Harry dropped his voice so only his friends could here. "Voldemort. He's almost ready to come back. Wormtail said Rookwood has found a time turner, and they're forming some plan which includes Lily and James." He stood up, brushing his robes. "I'm fine," he said out loud.

He was about to go back to his desk when he heard an unnatural voice behind him. Turning, he saw that it was Professor Selenica.

"YOU!" the teacher said, looking straight at Harry, her eyes unseeing. "You are the only with the power to save the innocent. You are the one who must conquer, or else feel the wrath of the Dark Lord. The future Potter shall be the one. You must fight, and have the strength to do so."

Now, Prof. Selenica turned to Lily. "Beware! Beware of the snake slithering amongst you. The rat shall become the snake and turn against the lion, yet the dog shall always take the blame. The one with the emerald jewels shall pass on, and the wolf and the unexpected ice shall watch the unicorn. The unicorn has the power to conquer, yet he shall require help from all. The dragon shall join their journey, and in the end, one shall conquer! Beware!" With that, she slumped over and fainted.

Everyone just stared, shocked. Harry was the one to take control. "Hermione," he said. "Take her to the Hospital Wing."

The girl nodded adn conjured up a stretcher.

"Ron, go notify the Headmaster on what has happened. Everyone else, go to your next class." To the raven-haired boy's surprise, everyone did was they were told.

Harry sighed. Swinging his bag over his shoulder, he followed Remus and headed for Charms.

Two weeks passed; Harry now treated James and Sirius with formal politeness. Remus, Lily, and Hermione often tried to force conversations while Draco and Ron stood firmly by Harry's side. The only times when Harry felt pleasure was when he was learning, talking with !Severus! and !Remus!, or conversing with his new pet, Astrielle.

It was during Potions Lessons when it happened. He was in the middle of preparing his ingrediants when his scar suddenly seared in pain. He looked up and saw that !Severus! was grabbing his left forearm.

/Voldemort. Death Eaters. Attacking Hogwarts.../

The thoughts echoed in Harry's mind. He suddenly jmped up.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"DEATH EATERS!" Harry yelled. "They're attacking the school!" The Gryffindor stood up, and since his wand was in his dorm, raced out of the room empty-handed.

Everyone gaped at the information. !Severus! quickly jumped shouted, "Everyone, stay put!" Turning to the Mauraders, he said warningly, "ESPECIALLY you, James Potter and Lily Evans. No matter WHAT happens, STAY PUT!" With that, he rushed out the door.

"What was that?" James asked. "Why did he specify that me and Lily stay?"

"No idea," Sirius shrugged. "Should we follow?"

"NO!" Ron and Hermione yelled at the same time. "You heard him, STAY PUT!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Several minutes passed, and the group heard the sound of footsteps, approaching at a run. Hermione quickly raised her wand and pointed it at the door. "Colloportus!" She cried, sealing the door shut.

They heard the sound of 'Alohomora!'s being shouted outside, but thanks to Hermione's charm, the door stayed closed. There was the sound of someone throwing their weight agains the door, and finally, it banged open. A group of Death Eaters rushed in.

"THERE!" One of them cried, pointing at James and Lily. "Get them, quick, before Potter comes!"

"Uh?" James asked while one of the Death Eaters approached him. Oh damn it, he didn't have his wand...

"Petrificus---" the Death Eater was cut off when someone yelled, "STUPEFY!" Looking up, James saw that it was Harry who had saved him. He was surprised when he saw the boy's emerald eyes blazing with rage and anger. He shivered. Such fury like he had never seen before...

Harry, meanwhile, was fighting another Death Eater. "Petrificus Totalus!" He screamed as he dodged a stunning spell. Beside him, he saw Hermione kick another masked figure.

By now, all of the teachers had arrived. Professor McGonagall was keeping an eye on the defenseless students while Flitwick was performing a series of complicated charms. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had been called away on Ministry business.

Harry pointed his wand at another figure. Judging by the strand of blond hair escaping the mask, his guess was that it was Lucius Malfoy. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled, thankful that he had learned wandless magic.

Lucius' wand flew out of his hand. Harry caught it and with a quick twist, snapped it in half.

"WHAT!!~???" Lucius roared, outraged, but he could do nothing without his wand.

Suddenly, Harry heard three voices cry, "CRUCIO!" He looked up and his blood ran cold. 'No,' he whispered when he saw that the three sets of wands were trained on James. He had to do something... Closing his eyes, he focused on Apparating, ignoring the Anti-Aparation charms. He could do this... With a crack, he disappeared and appeared a second later in front of James. There was no time to cast shields; the three Cruciatus Curses hit him, one by one.

Harry fell to the ground, withering, as he saw James look at him in horror. He bit back a scream. Oh, God, the pain... He felt as if his veins were on fire, he wanted to die, please, he just wanted this awful feeling to stop.

It stopped as quickly and suddenly as it started. Harry stood up, panting. Yet he barely noticed the pain shooting up his body, for he was too busy watching a Death Eater sneaking up on !Severus!...

"SEVERUS! BEHIND YOU!!!" He yelled out.

It was too late. Just as the Potions Master turned around, the Death Eater screamed out the Cruciatus Curse.

!Severus! fell to the ground, obviously in pain. The Death Eater removed her mask and began to laugh.

Harry's blood pounded furiously in his ears as he watched Bellatrix Lestrange laugh. It was an awful sound, ringing and echoing aroung the room.

"See who is the winner now, Harry Potter," she cried, oblivious to the gasps heard around the room. "The Dark Lord shall defeat you, and he shall rule the world!"

Harry had never felt so angry in his life. Here was the person who had murdered his godfather, the person who was torturing his father. The person who helped Voldemort kil his parents, the person who was standing here, insulting him now. His rage took control of him as Harry began to glow, rising a feet off the ground. His magic aura spread around him, forming an eerie glow. Raising his hand, he let go of all the emotions he had buried inside him, letting the feelings explode from him. He remembered the pain he had felt at the time of his godfather's death, the sorrow for his parents, the self-loathing and regret he went through at Cedric's funeral... the anger at Wormtail for betraying his parents... He wanted to hurt Bellatrix, he didn't care how, as long as he did...Mustering all his strength and courage, he screamed out, "CRUCIO!"

He heard gasps from beind him as the flashing jet of white light shot through the air with lightning swiftness adn contacted with Bellatrix's shoulder.

The young women let out a blood-curdling scream, chilling the blood of everyone in the room. But Harry didn't care; he wanted to hurt the women, he wanted to let out the anger he had buried inside him.

Gathering every fiber of concentration inside him, Harry clenched his fists. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Death eaters floated off of the ground.

Lightening flashed and thunder roared outside. Everyoen stopped what they were doing and watched the glowing boy in the middle of the room.

Harry took a deep breath, he knew he shouldn't be doing this, he had to calm himself before he did something he would regret...

"What, scared Potter? I always knew you were a coward, just like your arrogant father and Mudblood mother..." Bellatrix sneered, her voice dripping with contempt.

Lucius Malfoy laughed. That was his mistake.

Harry had had enough. That was all he needed. "SHUT UP!" he roared as he focused and threw out the last of his energy.

The floating Death Eaters hurtled around the room, screaming while crashing into the cold, dungeon walls with sickening thuds.

"No, Harry , STOP!" !Remus! and !Severus! cried in horror as the bodies threw themselves against the stone walls.

Harry suddenly felt very tired, as if he would pass out. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself floating down a path. A path of nothingness, There was nothing to worry about, all his problems were gone. Here, he was nothing. He was just there, just existing. Why or how, he did not know.

Suddenly, a saw a figure walking towards him. The figure came closer and closer and Harry could see that it was a women. A women with rich, dark red hair and lush, emerald-green eyes.

"Mother?" Harry whispered, sounding slightly uncertain.

"Harry, dear child," Lily Potter said, her eyes flashing. "Come with me."

Harry felt strangely peaceful and comforted. He grabbed onto his mother and together, they traveled down the path of nothingness, tight in each other's embrace.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

To everyone who was watching, the Death Eaters shot around the room, bouncing off walls. In the middle of the chaos stood. His arms were raised, his hands clenched in tight fists. A golden aura glowed, emitting from the boy, and he was floating an inch off the ground.

Suddenly, there was a blinding, blue flash. Everyone shut their eyes. When they opened them again, there was only empty space where the boy had been a second ago. Harry was gone.

Harry walked along the path of nothingness in his mother's warm embrace. For how long they walked, he did not know, but he felt amazingly calm.

After walking for what seemed like a few hours, they came to a beautiful garden. Lush, green trees grew everywhere, and flowers were scattered on the ground.

"LILY!" A voice called. Turning, Harry saw a young man with messy black hair walking up the road.

"Father?" he whispered, his voice lost in Lily's cry of 'JAMES!'

"Harry," James said, looking at him. "You are my son in everything but blood. But remember, I will always love you, no matter what happens. I will always be here to support you."

"Thank you," Harry whispered, resting his head on James' shoulders. "Thank you, Dad."

"Your very welcome," James said. "Here comes Sirius."

"HARRY!" A younger form of Sirius ran up to them. "Oh god, Harry, I can't believe it, it's really you..."

"Of course its me," Harry smiled. "Who else can it be?'

Sirius let out his barking laugh. "Good you see you again, Harry." he grew serious. "I want to say that since James and Lily picked me as your godfather, I want to say that I will always care for you. No matter what happens, no matter what you do, I will always be there for you." At this, Sirius handed him a small box. "This is a gift from all of us. When you are lonely, look at it and may it remind you that we are here for you."

"Thank you," Harry replied, his flashing emerald eyes filling with tears. "Thank you so much."

"Harry," Lily said. "We brought you here today for a reason. One is to let you know that we love you and will always be here for you. The other is because I have to say that what you did today was wrong."

"I know," Harry whispered, slightly ashamed. "I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"Yes," James said. "Remember, you were granted power. And because you have that power, you must use it wisely. Use it for good, not for evil."

"Alright, I understand," Harry whispered, tears flowing freely down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, child," Lily said, pulling him into an embrace, and for the first time, Harry understood why people said that there was nothing in the world more pure and comforting than a mother's love. He felt happy, and for the first time in his life, truely safe.

"Where are we right now?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid we can not say," Sirius said. "But know that in your darkest hours, we are always here."

Harry nodded. "I know. Um... can I stay here a bit before I go back?"

A smile graced Lily's lips. "Of course. Follow me, and I'll show you around."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" !Severus!'s voice rang through the air, full of despair and sorrow. "HARRY!!!!!!!!!!"

"No, Severus, calm down," !Remus! grabbed his distraught colleague. "Calm down... Let's go out for now..." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, please deal with the Death Eaters."

The professor nodded as !Remus! half dragged a distressed !Severus! out of the potions dungeon.

"Everyone, back to your dorms!" Flitwick said, standing on a table. "Out, NOW!"

Everyone rushed out of the room and the Gryffindors went back to their Common Room.

"What happened to Harry?" Ron whispered anxiously.

"I don't know," Hermione answered. "What do you think, Draco?"

"Hmm?" Draco asked, not paying attention. He was still shocked at what had happened. Harry had just disappeared. Even more surprising was the way his Head of House had behaved; Draco had never seen the Potions Master lose control like that before. The teacher had seem so... lost.

"Draco, are you okay?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on the blond's shoulder. The blond was surprised for a moment, then nodded. "I was just thinking about.... how... well, I'm stunned at how Professor Snape behaved."

Ron nodded. "Same here, I can't believe that git..." he stopped when both Draco and Hermione shot him deadly looks. "I mean, how Professor Snape was acting."

"And you know how Harry managed to throw all those Death Eaters around the room? I have no idea how on earth he did that; it's... just simply amazing." Hermione said.

Draco was about to reply when the Mauraders caught up with them.

"What happened out there?" James asked. He was still in shock as he remembered how Harry had jumped in front of him to black the Cruciatus Curse, how the raven-haired boy had willingly suffered and taken the pain for him. Why had Harry done such a thing? Especially after how James had accused him. He was really beginning to regret what he had said and how he had treated the boy.

Draco looked at him coldly, his icy grey-blue eyes boring into the other's. "You realize that if something.... happens to him, the last... memory he has of you will be you, yelling and accusing him."

James flinched at the angry words. "I know," he whispered. "I shouldn't have accused him. I'm sorry."

"That doesn't matter anymore," Draco replied, a faraway look in his eyes. "I just hope he comes back. Or else, you'll live to regret it."

Sirius was quick to stand up for his friend. "It wasn't entirely James' fault," he argued. "If Harry hadn't spoken Parseltongue when he had, then--"

"Then Peter would have gotten bitten," Draco interrupted coldly. He stared at Sirius, his eyes bitter. "If you still think he was the one who set the snake, then there's no point in talking to you at the moment."

"I didn't say that!" Sirius defended himself quickly. "I was just saying that it wasn't entirely our fault... Well, maybe it was," he added, his voice faltering when he caught Draco's glare.

"Hey, everyone! Cool it, there's no point in arguing right now," Remus said sensibly. "For now, we can just pray that Harry comes back safely."

"I'm tired," Hermione said. "I want to get an early night."

"Same here," Remus added.

As they were walking towards the dorms, Lily whispered to James, "Don't go to sleep, wait till Ron and Draco are asleep, then come to the Common Room. Bring the rest of the Mauraders. We need to talk." With that, she disappeared into her dorm, following a yawning Hermione.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry had never felt so happy in his life. He knew he should be feeling guilty; !Severus! and !Remus! had to be worried to death by now. But he couldn't help it. He could never remember an hour of his life that had been more happy than the hour he had just spent with James, Lily, and Sirius. He sighed in content and followed Lily again to visit the rest of the amazingly large garden.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

!Remus! Lupin could not believe it. !Severus! Snape, the one everyone knew as the emotionless, dour Potions Master was actually crying.

He turned and tried to comfort the distraught man. Yes, he was upset himself, but the fact that !Severus! was crying was more than he could believe. He remembered when he was still in Hogwarts, how many times James and Sirius had cursed the Slytherin. He also remembered with a shiver, the condition !Severus! was usually in when he came back from a Death Eater meeting. And all those times, he never shed a single tear.

Now, the Potions Master sat next to him, tears flowing freely down his pale face. It worried !Remus! to no end that his colleague was acting like this. He sighed as he turned to help the other into bed for an early night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

James Potter slipped out of the dorm, careful not to disturb the sleeping forms of Ron and Draco. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew was right behind him.

When they arrived in the Common Room, they saw that Lily was already there.

"We need to talk," Lily said.

"Obviously," Sirius said sarcastically, teasing the other girl.

"Stop joking around, Padfoot, she's right," Remus said. "Something's strange about Harry. I mean, look what happened today; he managed to throw about two dozen Death Eaters around the potions classroom."

"I know," James agreed. "I was shocked, like, you know, when he jumped in front me. I mean," at this, he lowered he voice. "He willingly took THREE Cruciatus Curses for me. Why on earth would he do that? I don't deserve it. Especially after how I treated him the other day. If things went wrong, he could have DIED."

"And it's strange," Lily added. "Have you noticed how many times people have referred to him as 'Harry Potter'? He doesn't look a bit like James, so why would someone do that? Professor Selenica mentioned 'Potter' in her prophecy, and then, that Death Eater called him 'Harry Potter'. And have you noticed what happened that day in our first potions class? When you asked him his name after making him drink the Varification Potion?"

James shook his head. "I was too busy trying to come up with more interesting questions."

Lily sighed, exasperated. "He was really struggling, you could practically SEE the sweat rolling off his forehead. He opened his mouth and said 'Harry P-P-' and at the last minute, he managed to say 'Harry Darkice.' I, personally, think his name may be Harry Potter."

"Why would he lie to us?" Peter squeaked. "Maybe he IS working for the Dark Lord or something..."

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Sirius said. "You saw how he fought the Death Eaters today."

"No, he is most definately NOT Dark," Remus said. "He told me that his mother was killed by the Dark Lord."

Lily shivered. "How awful!"

"I think we should just tread out way carefully around him," Sirius said. "And its not just him. His friends... they obviously know what's going on. They're just so.... secretive and mysterious."

James nodded. "But..." he paused. "I don't think they mean any harm."

"Me either," Remus agreed. He yawned. "Blimey, I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed. Coming, Prongs? Padfoot? Wormtail?"

"All right," Sirius agreed. "Let's go."

Leaving the Common Room, the Mauraders crept quietly up to their dorms and fell asleep. It had been a long day.

!Remus! Lupin was now frantic, and personally, he thought his colleague, !Severus! Snape, looked ready to throw himself off of the North Astronomy Tower. Not that he was going to give the Potions Master any ideas...

The DADA professor was getting immensely worried about the other man. The Potions Master was slowly drawing into himself, breaking any contact from the outer world.

And then, there was Harry. He had disappeared to Merlin-Knows-Where, and no one knew when, or how, he was going to come back.

He sighed and distractedly began to eat his breakfast.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry wandered around the garden after Lily with Sirius and James right behind him.

"Harry," Lily said finally. "It's time for you to go back."

"Must I?" Harry pleaded."

"Yes, child, you must," Lily replied. "There are people who are waiting.

"Okay," Harry finally agreed sadly. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Remember, we will always be here for you," James said.

"Love you, Harry." Sirius' voice was soft as he pulled his godson into a final embrace.

"Love you too."

"Come with me, child," Lily said. Firmly holding his arm, he began to walk back down the road of nothingness. Harry didn't want to go, he wanted to stay in paradise. But he listened to his mother and walked next to her.

After walking for many hours, they reached a long river. The swirling water was every colour one could imagine and looked as if every jewel in the world had combined: lush emerald green, the colour of spring leaves; deep sapphire blue, more intense than the very ocean; a blazing shade of rich ruby red, the colour of fresh, autumn leaves; golden sunlight, erupting onto the surface of the water; the colour of the darkest shade of midnight; the swirling shade of rich, amethyst purple, the colour of royalty, noblity, and spirit; now a cloud of dark, crimson red, a sign of temper, passion, life, a fire within... And millions of other colours, too intense and beautiful to describe.

Harry stared, amazement shining in his eyes. "Mother, were are we?"

"This is the boundry between your world and mine," Lily said. She suddenly bent down and taking out a glass bottle, filled it with the water from the river. She handed it to Harry. "I'm afraid you must leave now. The water in this bottle has healing power and protection beyond belief. May it keep you safe. One drop is enough to heal one of any disease."

Harry's eyes widened. "Can it- can it revive someone who has been hit by the Avada Kedavra curse?"

Lily slowly nodded. "The water is able to revive one if they drink this within one week after the curse hits. After one week, nothing will help them. But do not waste it, dear child. The water only has so much power. To revive one person from the Avada Kedavra curse, it takes all the power from the bottle. The water will just become ordinary water. But," she added. "If the one you revive is one you truely love, then all the power in the world is worth it." Placing a kiss on Harry's forehead, she whispered, "Remember, we will always be here for you. Goodbye, Harry."

"Goodbye, mother." Tears streamed down Harry's cheek. Slowly and carefully, he crossed the river. Waving to the disappearing figure of his mother, he closed his eyes. He was going back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself in the Potiosn dungeon, exactly where he had disappeared.

He felt extremely tired. The world was spinning around him, and pain shot up his body when he tried to stand.

Gripping the table, he forced himself to stand. !Severus!... His father's private quarters... he had to get there...

Step by step, he staggered towards his father's room. Up the stairs, down the corridors... He was almost there... one more step, just one more step.... there, he was right in front of the door now.

But his strength was failing him. Raising a hand, he managed to knock on the door before his legs collapsed underneath him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

!Severus! sat in his office, staring unseeingly at the wall. He wondered where Harry was right now, and when his son would come back...

His son. What an unfamiliar term. He had never thought he could live to use it. Yet Harry was indeed his son.

He had not realized how much Harry meant to him until the boy had disappeared the day before. The world had come crashing down around him as he realized that his son was gone. Only then did he truely understood that Harry, his flesh and blood, was his entire world.... nothing mattered other than the boy.

He was absentmindedly looking through a stack of Potions essays when he heard a knock on his door. Damn, probably Albus or !Remus!. "Come in," he called, expecting the door to burst open.

But nothing happend. Slowly, he got up and went to the door. "Hello?"

No answer. Raising his wand, he cautiously opened the door. And gasped. Dropping to his knees, he realized that the crumple heap on the floor was indeed his son, Harry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ron, Hermione, and Draco were walking out with the Mauraders for a game of Quidditch to get their minds off of what had happened when a black figure rushed towards them in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

"Oh, dear Merlin!" Hermione gasped as she saw the figure. "It's Professor Darkice... he has.... HARRY!" Her sentence ended in a scream as she followed the professor, dashing down the corridors, knocking down other students on the way.

Ron and Draco were right after her, and the Mauraders, having no idea what to do, followed.

By the time they reached the Hospital Wing, !Severus! had already gotten the nurse, Madam Lyra, to examine the boy.

"Ms. Pomfrey!" Madam Lyra called to her new helper. "Could you get some healing potion, dreamless sleep potion, and pain-killing potion?" Whipping out her wand, she began cleaning the many wounds Harry had recieved from the Death Eaters.

"Will he be alright?" Draco asked uncertainly.

"He's tired out right now, but he should be up and around in a few days."

After cleaning all of Harry's wounds and cuts, Madam Lyra shooed them all out of the Hospital Wing. "MY PATIENTS NEED THEIR REST!" She yelled at them, pushing them out the door.

"Now I know where Madame Pomfrey got her spirit from," Ron muttered as he was pushed into Lily by the nurse. "Let's get out of here before she kills us."

"Alright," Hermione said. "Hopefully, Harry'll be fine."

"Come on, let's play Quidditch!" Remus said, seeing the worried looks on the faces of Harry's friends.

"Yeah!" James called. "I'm Seeker!"

"Same here!"

"I'm Beater!"

Trying to forget their worries and sorrows, they ran onto the pitch and began to play.

Harry opened his eyes and groaned. The sunlight streamed into the room, shining painfully into his eyes. He could tell he was in the Hospital Wing. Why was he here?

The memories of the day before suddenly flooded him, The Death Eaterers, the attack... With a gasp, he tried to sit up, but pain shot through his body, causing him to bite his lips in pain.

"Harry!" A voice cried. "How are you feeling?"

Harry opened his eyes and found himself looking into the concerned eyes of his father. (Note from Author: by 'father', I mean !Severus! Snape.)

"Fine," he said automatically.

!Severus! looked at him worriedly, his dark eyes flashing. "Do you want some food?"

Harry shook his head.

"Drink? Water? "the professor asked as he helped the boy lie back down.

"No, thank you, professor." Harry wasn't in the mood for eating; whenever he closed his eyes, he remembered the way the Death Eaters had crashed into the walls of the stone dungeon.... He shuddered, drawing himself out of his thoughts.

!Severus! winced inwardly at Harry's formal addressing. Noticed Harry's discomfort, he quickly said, "I'll bring Madam Po- I mean, Madam Lyra. She's the nurse right now."

"No--" Harry said, trying once again to sit up. This time, he felt dizzy. The world span before him, white spots dancing before his vision. He was about to collapse when a firm hand grabbed him, steadying him. "Give me a minute," he said as the spots began fading.

"I'm fine," he insisted as his vision returned. To his surprise, !Severus! suddenly pulled him into an embrace.

"Sev?" he asked uncertainly, stunned at this suddenly display of emotions.

"Did you know how worried I was?" The Potions Master whispered. "When you disappeared.... I thought I'd lost you forever."

"I'm sorry."

"Promise me, Harry," !Severus! whispered. "Promise me you'll never leave me. I need you, Harry."

"I--" Harry stopped. "Severus, I want to promise, but... I don't want to make promises I can't keep. With Voldemort and his Death Eaters..." he trailed off, knowing that the other knew what he meant.

Indeed, !Severus! knew what he was talking about. With Voldemort around, there was no telling how long Harry would survive. This didn't help his feel any better. Instead of answering, he just pulled his son tighter into his embrace. "You need to see the nurse," he said again after a while.

Grudgingly, Harry agreed. After Madam Lyra checked out the boy, she said, "If you want to leave the Hospital Wing, you're going to have to stay with you father in his quarters until you've fully recovered. You may have dizzy spells; you've used most of your energy, and there's the after- effects of the Cruciatus Curses. You'll probably feeled easily fatigued for the first week. Now," her eyes twinkled. "You can see your friends if you want."

Harry nodded eagerly. A minute later, Ron, Hermione, and Draco burst through the door, followed shortly by James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily.

"HARRY!" Hermione said, worry adn concern flashing in her chocolate- brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, 'Mione," Harry smiled.

For the next half and hour, they talked about school and Quidditch, each carefully ignoreing the incidents of the day before.

"Harry..." Draco finally said. "Um.... can I ask you something?"

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Alright," Harry said, talking a deep breath, trying to ease the feelings of guilt exploding inside him.

"How did you Apparate? It's beyond N.E.W.T. level, and there are Anti- Appartion Wards everywhere."

"I don't really know," Harry confessed. "I could feel the wards that were preventing me from Apparating, and I just sort of... ignored them."

"Um..." Ron began. "The storm. How did you create it?"

Hary's brows furrowed in confusion. "Storm? What storm?"

"You don't remember?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well," Lily spoke. "There was lightning and thunder, and the rain was pouring down at the exact same time the Death Eaters began flying... So it's pretty obvious you were the one who caused the storm."

"I see," Harry said, slightly dazed at the information. /He/ had caused a /thunderstorm?/

After talking for several more minutes, James asked, "Um... could Sirius and I get a few moments with you, Harry?"

"Sure." Harry eyed them warily.

"Well... We'll leave for now," Hermione said, dragging Ron out of the room. Remus, Peter, Lily, and Draco followed.

"Um... Harry, we want to apologize," James began after a moment of silence. "We shouldn't have accused you."

Harry shook his head. "It's okay. I understand. You don't need to apologize."

"But it was wrong of us!" Sirius insisted.

"It's alright," Harry replied. "I'm used to it by now. You had a right to be suspicious."

"People's accused you before?"

Harry nodded. "In my second year at my old school."

"Which school did you used to go to?" James asked curiously.

"Um..." Harry said the first name he could think of. "Greenwich. It's this small school in Canada."

Harry tried to sit up, but he was hit by another dizzy spell. To keep from falling, he reached out and grabbed James' shoulder. "I'm fine," he gasped out.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked anziously, supporting him by gripping his arm.

Harry nodded. "It's just the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse."

James looked guiltily at the floor. "Um.... Harry? Why did you take the curses for me?"

"You would have died," Harry replied. "I dealt with it better because I'm used to it."

Sirius gaped at him. "You've been put under it before? It's an Unforgivable!"

"Like the Death Eaters care," Harry bit out bitterly.

James shivered at his friend's icy tone. The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped lower.

Just then, the Hospital Wing door opened. !Severus! walked in. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, you must leave for lessons now."

The two Mauraders left the room.

"Are you okay?" !Severus! asked. Seeing Harry nod, he said, "Remus wants to talk to you."

A second later, !Remus! walked into the room. "Harry!" He said. "how are you feeling?"

Harry, now utterly annoyed by the repeating of the question, replied, "Fine."

They talked for about ten minutes when Harry started feeling tired.

!Remus!, noticing Harry's discomfort, handed him the Dreamless Sleeping Potion. Downing it's contents, the Gryffindor fell into blissful sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That evening, Harry moved into !Severus'! quarters. As his father helped him enter the room, he heard a low hiss.

~There you are, young master.~

~Astrielle!~ Harry cried. Then, he said guiltily, ~I'm sorry. I forgot about you for the last few days.~

~No problem,~ Astrielle replied. ~You were injured. I went o Hagrid; he gave me food.~

~Good,~ Harry replied. He smiled at the thought of Hagrid feeding his snake.

"Harry?" !Severus! asked uncertainly. "You should get to bed now."

"Okay," Harry nodded meekly, and with the help of his father, changed, and got to bed.

Harry was no longer in !Severus'! rooms. Instead, he was standing in a cold, dark dungeon.

"Avery!" A cold, chilling voice said. "You have failed me once again."

The Death Eater knelt on the ground. "Master," he said, kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes. "I beg for your forgiveness, My Lord."

Voldemort laughed, a high, cruel laugh. "Forgiveness? I do not forgive. Because of your stupidity, half of my Death Eaters are dead. And Lucius and many others have been captured. You shall be punished for your foolishness." The Dark Lord raised his voice. "Wormtail! Bring them in!"

At this, a group of Death Eaters entered the room. Each wore dark masks which covered their faces.

"You may do whatever you like to Avery here," Voldemort said. "Other than kill him. GO!"

Harry watched, horrified, as the Death Eaters pounced onto Avery like cats attacking a mice. He watched, petrified, as a Death Eater yelled, "CRUCIO!"

Harry's scar suddenly seared in pain. He felt as if his head was exploding, as if he was the one under the curse. He wanted to scream, to die, he wanted this pain to end; but he couldn't make a sound or Voldemort would know he was here...

A new wave of pained knocked him down. He shuttered, but he could not bear it any longer. Opening his mouth, he let out an agonizing scream.

"Harry, Harry! Wake up!"

Hands gently shook his shoulders, but Harry's hysteria had a strong hod on him. It was Voldemort, he was going to die... He whimpered, curling up into a ball.

"Harry!"

Voldemort placed a hand on his shoulder...

He suddenly flung his arm back, radiating a blue light. There was a thud as his attacker was thrown back...

Harry finally opened his eyes and was horrified to see his father pick himself up from the floor. "God, Severus..." he choked out, his face burning with shame and terror. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that..." The guilt of the day before came back, drowning him in a wave.

"Harry, Harry, it's okay..." Hands encircled his shoulders and pulled him into a comforting embrace. But no, he didn't deserve this comfort, this kindness and pity. He was evil, a monster: he had killed more a dozen Death Eaters and now, he had hurt the one he cared for most... He wanted to die, but in his heart, he knew he deserved his pain and suffering...

"Please," he whispered. "Let go of me. I don't deserve this."

"Harry," !Severus'! voice was soft and soothing. "It's okay, you're safe, just calm down..."

"No," Harry choked out. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve any of this... S-Severus, I don't want this to continue, I want it to end.... I want to die..."

"Please, child, no," !Severus!tightened his grip. "Please, Harry, don't say that... you deserve better... Please, live, don't say such a thing..."

"Please, let me go... I don't deserve this," Harry sobbed into !Severus'! robes, hot tears running down his cheek. "I killed those Death Eaters, and then, I've hurt you... I'm worst than Voldemort!"

"No, Harry..." !Severus! rocked the sobbing boy. He flinched when he saw the pain and self-loathing burning in the other's eyes. "It wasn't your fault, child..." He continued rocking the Gryffindor. Finally, the boy relaxed and his breathing evened.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Severus gazed down at the now peaefully sleeping boy. The Gryffindor's cheeks were tearstained, his hair dark as night. This was his son. His flesh and blood. His entire world and being: Harry. He loved the boy, loved the boy more than he loved life itself.

For the first time in his life, he felt truely happy. Yet at the same time, he was afraid. Hell, he was terrified. He knew that Harry was in danger. That as long as Voldemort was alive, Harry would always be at risk. But there was nothing he could do at the moment.

For now, he was happy. He would deal with the rest of his problems as they come. Pulling the sleeping boy closer to him, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The days passed quickly, and Harry was soon healed from the major damages from the Death Eaters' attack. But now, he had another problem: nightmares. Every time he went to bed, he only had a few minutes of rest before the visions and nightmares started. He dreamed of Cedric and Sirius' deaths, Voldemort, the flying Death Eaters... Every night, he woke up screaming, and only !Severus'! comforting words and actions made his life bearable.

Harry was losing weight; he was always tired from lack of sleep, and the dizzy spells still hit pretty often. He was easily irritated and lost his temper many times. He knew !Severus! and !Remus! were worried about him; they often shot him axious and worried glances.

One night, Harry just couldn't sleep. He didn't want to wake up !Severus!; he knew his father was awake most of the nights, comforting him from his horrifying visions. He decided to take a night-time stroll around the corridors. Scribbling a quick note and pulling his invisibility cloak over him shoulders, he stepped out into the hallways. The midnight breeze was chilly, yet refreshening.

He walked up to the North Astronomy Tower and standing there, gazed at the scenary. The lake glistened in the glowing moonlight. He wa about to leave when he saw a dark figure, moving around the Forbidden Forest. Who, or what, was it? Never one to give up and adventure, Harry transformed into his Animagus form. Stretching him wings, he took flight, the night air rushing, brushing by his face.

Harry carefully flew towards the standing figure, always staying in the shadows so he would not be seen. Flying closer and closer, he finally landed and trotted silently behind a tree, keeping the figure in view.

Just then, the figure moved slightly, turning his face so that his features could be clearly seen in the moonlight.

Harry stifled a gasp. It was Severus Snape.

But this younger, Slytherin Severus looked.... somehow different. Instead of the usual cold, emotionless mask the boy usually wore, his expression was strangely... open. Relaxed.

Trusting his instincts, Harry trotted up to the Slytherin boy.

"What--" Severus turned abruptly but paused when he saw the beautiful unicorn in front of him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in resting in your home? Where's your mother?"

Harry was surprised at the gentle voice the Slytherin used. He nuzzled the other's hand.

Severus laughed, a rich, deep sound. "What's your name?"

Harry stared for a moment. A second later, he wrote on the dirt with his hoof, a single word.

Ice.

Severus looked thoughtful for a mometn, then smiled. "It fits. It's.... you."

Harry whinned for Severus to climb onto his back.

"What? You want me to ride with you?"

Harry gave him a look which clearly meant, 'Well, duh? Why else would I ask? Hurry up and get on!'

Severus smiled and quickly heaved himself onto the unicorn's (Harry's, that is) back. "I'm ready."

With a swift kick and flap of Harry's wings, they were off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt, soaring through the midnight sky, the cool, winter breeze on my face. Together, Ice and I flew around the lake, over the Forbidden Foerst... All my worries and sorrows had disappeared: I no longer felt the deep guilt and shame I had felt when I had come out.

Why had I been feeling shameful? Well, it is because I have accepted the Dark Mark. That I have sworn loyalty to Voldemort, the evilest and most treachous wizard of all times. When I pledged loyalty, I was young and foolish; I wanted power and respect. But now, I realize that as a Death Eater, the only things I will ever feel are pain, shame, and regret.

For a blissful hour, we flew together. I leaned onto Ice's back, the wind brushing my face. For that magical hour, we were together, flying on and on, never stopping. I gripped Ice tightly, enjoying the closeness, depending on him. We were together, flying as one. I flew to my heart's content, my spirit soaring over the mountain tops, my soul singing out for the world to hear and see me like this, joyful and carefree. The wind swept through my long, black hair, never-ending, never stopping. I wanted that moment to last forever, till the end of eternity.

Finally, Ice gently landed by the school, letting me to the ground. I looked into those mysterious green eyes, haunting, yet beautiful. They reminded me of someone I could not place my fingers on. The unicorn's body seemed to glow in the moonlight, making him seem dazzling white. The golden mane glistened and shined, smooth and windswept.

"I have to go now," I said, throwing my arms around the unicorn, hugging him. Something hot and wet ran down Ice's body. It took me a moment to realize that the liquid was my tears. "Goodbye. Will I see you again?"

Ice nodded, looking at me, wisdom shining in those emerald orbs. For a moment, I thought I heard someone whisper "Goodbye, Severus," but I dismissed it as my imagination. Turning, I ran up to the door of the school, pulling it open, racing towards the Slytherin dorms.

When I looked up, Ice was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry watched as Severus raced up to the school. A moment later, he flew up to the Tower and turned back into his human form and began walking to !Severus'! quarters. He could not forget the life he had seen sparkling in Severus' usually cold, black eyes. The Slytherin had seemed so happy, so content... Harry had enjoyed himself also; he loved the feeling of having control, to be able to fly over the lake, watching the water glisten below him.

He reached !Severus'! chambers, and letting himself in, he changed into his pajamas. Today had been a long day. He was feeling exhausted. Blowing out the candle, he fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.

The next few weeks passed quickly. The only thing worthwhile Harry could recall was Lucius Malfoy's trial.

FLASHBACK

Harry was about to go to class one day when Severus came to him with a message from Dumbledore. Reading the letter, he discovered that it was a note telling him that the trial of Lucius Malfoy would take place in several days. It included a portkey in which Harry, Draco, and Severus had to take to get to the ministry of the future time in order to attend the trial. Harry and Severus acted as witnesses while Draco was to testify against his father.

The trial passed quickly, although Draco seemed to be extremely jumpy and uncomfortable. He even took off his shirt, displaying the scarred back. Harry was more than a little unnerved, but at least he knew that Lucius had no chance against Draco. Draco had all the proof and evidence the judges needed to give the elder Malfoy a lifetime stay in Azkaban.

At the end of the day, they took another portkey returning them to the time of the Marauders.

END OF FLASHBACK

Now, it was almost Christmas and Harry had begun purchasing Xmas presents.

One afternoon, Harry had grabbed his invisibility cloak and sneaked off into Hogsmeade to purchase gifts for his friends. He got James a Quidditch Cleaning kit, Sirius, a box of pranks he had recieved from Fred and George, to Remus, a book titled, 'Goblin Wars of the Ancient Ages by Trisha Ashstaff', and Lily, a book on Advanced Charms. After a few minutes of thought, he brought a red scarf for Pettigrew. For Ron, he purchased a new broomstick while he got a book on Transfiguration for Hermione. For the older !Remus!, he got a warm, wool cloak. Draco's present took some more time. After wandering around for half an hour, he finally decided on a simple but elegent green cloak. Although Draco had plenty of clothes, he lacked plain items. All his clothes were adorn with expensive jewels and badges. He thought the blond could do with something nice and uncluttered for once.

For his father, he brought a small photo frame made of dark-red oak. He decided to put in a picture when he got back to school.

Just as he was about to leave, he had a sudden inspiration. Stepping into a jewelry shop, he looked around. Sudenly, he saw it: the perfect gift. It was a star, made of silvery marble. Imprinted onto the marble was a slithering, green snake, twisting around a pure white unicorn. The brooch hung from a simple, silver chain. He bought it for three galleons and placed it in his bag. With that, he stepped into the secret tunnel leading back to Hogwarts.

Getting back, he sat in the Room of Requirement and locking the door so that he would not be disturbed, began to wrap his gifts.

On Christmas Day, young Severus Snape woke up early in the morning. He took a quick shower as he pulled on black robes. He went back to his bed and glanced distastefully at the small pile of presents by his pillow.

He opened the first package to discover it was a new, silk cloak from his father. Green. Severus sneered. He preferred clothing in black.

The next present was from his mother: a box of sweets. He scoffed as he threw it aside.

After opening several more presents, he spotted a small box on the table. It was wrapped in silver and maroon wrapping paper. Strange. Silver was a Slytherin colour and maroon was Grffindor. Who would purposefully mix the colours together? Curiously, he reached down and opened it, pulling off the lid. What he saw inside made him stop slightly.

A star-shaped brooch lay in the box. Engraved onto the brooch were a lush, green serpant and brilliant, white unicorn, entwined together. The dark green and eerie white fit together perfectly, the opposite, yet the same. An almost undetectable smile graced his lips as he realized the irony: snakes were thought to be Dark creatures while unicorns were Light, pure and innocent. Yet here, on the brooch, they were tangled together like old friends. Somehow, the animals seemed to fit together: Ying and Yang, Light and Dark, Day and Night. Good and Evil came together to form a whole, to form a harmony. Pulling out the necklace, he realized there was a piece of paper also in the box. He pulled it out an began to read:

Severus,

I saw this necklace at Hogsmeade and it reminded me of you. I hope you like it. This brooch has a strong protection charm on it to keep you safe, so remember always to wear it.

Merry Christmas, young Slytherin.

From,

A Friend.

The words were written in a thick, purple ink. Severus looked at it curiously, wondering who had written it. He reached over and clasped the necklace around his neck. Looking down, he saw the brooch light up slightly before fading away once again. The unicorn's emerald green eyes glowed, reminding him suddenly of Ice. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he tucked the pendant inside his robes. He walked out of his dorm, through the Slytherin Common Room, and out towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry woke up early on Christmas morning and turned eagerly towards the pile of present by his bed. He found that he had recieved a set of Quidditch balls from James, a Chudley Cannons poster from Ron (how on earth had the redhead managed to get it in this time period?), a strange mirror from Sirius, and books from Remus, Lily, and Hermione. From Peter, he got Chocolate Frogs while Draco got him a delicate glass phoenix. Harry smiled as he placed the phoenix by his bedside. From !Remus!, he got a small book. Flipping it open, he saw that it was another picture album, filled with picture of the Marauders. He tucked the book away into his trunk.

He recieved the most special thing of all from his father: a platinum necklace. Hanging from it was a silver snake with jade from eyes formed into the letter 'S'. He smiled, his throat constricting slightly: it was the Snape family emblem. He clasped the necklace around his neck as he dropped it into his robes. The jewelry dangled against his chest comfortably.

He looked up and saw that the others were still sleeping. Grinning slightly, he summoned a bucket of water. Walking to the side of Sirius' bed, he tipped it slightly.

Cold water poured down and splashed onto the sleeping boy, causing Sirirus to jump up. Harry smiled widely as he saw the mock outrage in his futrue- godfather's expression. "I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THAT, DARKICE!!!!" he heard as the black-haired young man jumped up and rushed into the bathroom to change into dry clothes.

By then, the others had awoken, thanks to Sirius' wake-up call. Each turned to their own pile of presents. Soon, they were done.

"Wow, thanks, mate!" James cried, eyes growing wide as he saw the brand-new Quidditch kit he had recieved from Harry. He knew it must have cost the boy a fortune. "I've wanted this for ages!"

After several more cries of delight, Sirius appeared from the bathroom and they headed down to the Great-Hall for breakfast.

!Severus! opened his eyes to the morning sunlight. Sitting up, he turned to leave when he spotted three boxes sitting by his pillow.

He was surprised. It had been years since he had last recieved an Xmas present. Leaning down, he opened the first box. It was from !Lupin!, and it contained a book on Potions. He put it aside, thinking it would come in handy later on.

The next one was from Albus. It was a huge supply of lemon drops. He rolled his eyes and tossed it aside carelessly as he turned to the last box.

His breath caught as he looked inside. It was a picture of him and Harry, sitting together, reading. Harry was leaning comfortably against him, book in lap, as he read. The boy occasionally reached down to flip a page, deeply immersed in the book.

The picture was placed in an oak frame. The wook was dark red and smooth, simple but elegant. His eyes seemed suspiciously moist as he turned it over and saw the words 'Merry Xmas, Father. From Harry.' engraved on the edge. Quickly putting it by the side of his bed, he changed and headed down for breakfast, robes billowing out behind him.

At breakfast, Harry had just finished eating and was about to get up when Dumbledore stood up and began to speak.

"Good Morning, everyone. I would just like to say a few words. I have good news for many of you: classes are canceled today due to the Christmas Ball we will be hosting tonight at seven. Dinner will be served in private rooms, as the Great Hall will be filled with decorations. A date would be ideal, although you could come alone if you like." His blue eyes twinkled at this. "Merry Xmas to all." With that, he sat down.

An excited buzz filled the room as the headmaster sat down. Everyone conversed loudly, discussing who they would take to the ball. Harry just smiled knowingly as he sat there between the discussions of James and Sirius.

That night, after a quick dinner, Harry went up to his room to get ready for the ball. The girls had disappeared several hours ago to 'prepare' and he hadn't seen any of them since. He was going to Hermione while James was going with Lily. Sirius had asked out Maria Langswood, Parvati's mother. Peter was going with a Hufflepuff named Annika McCliney, while Ron was going with Akio Marimoto, who, to Harry's surprised, happened to be Cho Chang's mother.

Draco was another matter entirely. Girls followed him around all day, each asking him to go to the ball with them. Harry chuckled as he remembered the boy trying to hide behind him as a crowd of girls approached. Well, it wasn't surprising, considering Draco's delicate blond beauty. Many girls had been heartbroken when the boy had refused. In the end, Draco had chosen Melody Pearlwood, one of Lily's many friends.

Pulling on silvery robes with high collars, he checked the mirror, pulling his long, black hair into place. Bangs covered his scar as pale skin stood out. Smiling slightly, he headed downstairs to wait for Hermione.

The rest of the boys were already there. Ron wore deep blue robes while James wore dark maroon. Sirius had on black while Peter wore bright red. Draco looked the most elegant with lush green robes and the emerald green cloak Harry had gotten for him wrapped around his shoulders.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, the girls started coming. First came Annika, then Akima. Maria came next, followed by Melody.

Next came Lily. Harry had to admit his mother looked beautiful in beige robes which fit her perfectly, fiery red hair flying behind her. She walked over shyly as James immediately went up to her, a small gift in his hands.

Finally, another girl stepped into the room. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the tall girl. Hermione. His friend looked stunning with lavender robes swishing around her, usually bushy brown hair pulled into an elegant bun at the back of her head. A simple butterfly necklace hung from her neck, glittering wings fluttering slightly in the light.

"So, what do you think?" Hermione asked nervously as she watched her friend's reaction.

Harry smiled when he heard the anxiety in the girl's voice. Ah, Hermione, always the perfectionist. "You'e look fantastic," Harry informed her in a serious tone. He grinned slightly.

Hermione grinned slightly at the mischievous expression. "Come on, let's go," she said as she dragged him after the Marauders, who had already left.

In the Great Hall, Harry looked around and saw other pairings. Lucius Malfoy was with Narcissa Black, Simon Lestrange with Bellatrix Black. Alexander Nott was paired Adella Parkinson. Looking around, he smiled slightly when he saw that Severus was with Praeclaria Malfoy, Lucius' second cousin.

After about half a dozen dances, Harry and Hermione dropped into chairs, both exhausted. Harry looked up suddenly though when he heard someone yell.

James was the one complainging. "LILY! What a HELL are you doing with HIM? Give me my wand so I can..."

Whoever was talking was abruptly cut off when Lily promptly raised her wand and said sharply, "Shut up! Silencio!"

James' mouth snapped shut as he watched his date being led off by Snape.

A grin spread on Harry's face when he saw the younger Severus leading Lily onto the middle of the dance floor. And then, they began to dance. As he watched, the pair joined hands.

They both seemed to transform before Harry's eyes. The moment their hands touched, it was as though a new feeling entered the room. The Great Hall became a ballroom and the two professional dancers were demonstrating their skill. With her right hand still holding his left, Lily twirled once underneath the arch it made and stopped when she put her left hand on the other's shoulder. Their moves were perfectly sycronized and flawless, smooth and elegant.

They danced as a couple might- two people so comfortable with each other that they sometimes forgot where one person stopped and the other began. They danced in perfect harmony, as though they practiced together all their lives. Severus, with his natural elegance, Lily, with her stunnign beauty. They were exactly the opposite, yet so similar at the same time. They were one, Day and Night, Light and Dark, Fire and Ice, coming together to form a whole. Harry saw this closeness as both spoke softly to each other, but never pausing in their movements. He saw it in their intricate footwork and in that footwork he saw their story.

The dance drew on and on. By then, the whole Hall was watching them in silence. The pair seemed unaware that they were being watched. Finally, Lily twirled faster and faster until she was but a blur. She leaped into the air and as she came down, Severus caught her easily, holding her up in the air.

There was a moment of silence as the dance ended. Then, Harry began to clap, his applause ringing through the air. Draco followed, and so did Hermione, as did Ron. Soon, most of the Great Hall were clapping, including the teachers. The only one's scowling were James, Sirius, and a few Slytherins.

Dumbledore stood up, eyes twinkling. "Ah yes, excellent dancing, Ms. Evans and Mr. Snape. This brings an end to our Christmas Dance. I hope you all enjoyed it. I ask students to now return to their dorms. Thank you, and Merry Xmas to all of you!"

As the Headmaster sat down, the Great Hall began to empty, students streaming out of the door. Lily and Severus left the room together, still talking. James could be heard running after them.

Harry smiled as he went into his dorm and crawled into bed, yawning. It had been a long day. And he was tired. Turning to face the wall, he closed his eyes and drifted off into dreamless sleep.

Harry was sitting in potions class, listening to his father and Professor Rosethorn. It was a few days after the Xmas Dance.

"Today," !Severus! said quietly but sternly. "You will be starting a Potions Project. You are to research and brew a potion, any kind, which is the grade seven level or above. No dark or dangerous potions permitted. This project will be done in partners. Professor Rosethorn will list the partners."

"Mr. Potter, with Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Pettigrew with Mr. Bulstrode. Mr. Lupin with Mr. Parkinson. Ms. Evans with Ms. Bellatrix Black." The professor smirked as she began listing off insane Gryffindor-Slytherin partners. "Ms. Granger, with Ms. Narcissa Black. Mr. Westerly, with Mr. Goyle. Mr. Longbottom, with Mr. Crabbe. Mr. Draco Darkice, with Mr. Zabini. And Mr. Harry Darkice with Mr. Snape. Your class is dismissed for now. You may use the rest of your time on research. Begin."

Harry's smirked as his housemates began approaching the Slytherin cautiously. He strode up to the younger Severus and the boy looked up.

"Yes, Darkice?" Severus asked, his obsidian eyes piercing his. Harry looked back resolutely.

"We are partners for this Potions Project, in case you havn't notice. And we are given the following hour to begin working on it. And I do not intend to waste my time."

Severus eyed him for a second, before nodding. "Where do you wish to work."

"The library would be fine." Seeing the other nod, Harry led the way.

Reaching the library, they discovered that it was almost full. It was a good thing that Madam Pince was not there due to the fact that most of the partners were arguing loudly.

"NO, Goyle," he heard Ron yell. "It's a Dark Potion and the professors said we're not allowed..."

"So," Harry said, settling down in an empty chair while Severus sat down across from him. "What potion do you want to do?"

Severus sneered. "I doubt you would know the names of the potions I am talking about, Darkice."

Harry smirked. "Oh really, Snape? With my father as a Potions Master... I doubt it. Name what you like."

"I say the Polyjuice Potion," the other said smugly, settling back.

Harry inwardly grinned. "Excellent choice," he said, ignoring the surprised look on Severus said. Apparently, the younger Severus was not yet as talented at concealing his feelings as his father. "Do you wish to brew, or research?"

"I don't care," the Slytherin said. "Although I doubt /you/ could manage to brew such a potion."

Harry sighed. "Look," he said blatantly. "We have to make this potion together, and I really don't want to be insulted constantly. I need a good grade, and so do you if you want to be a Potions Master. So let's just forget the insults and last names, okay, Severus?"

The other seemed slightly disoriented. "Fine," he said, composing himself. "How did you know I wanted to be a Potions Master?"

"I could tell. Anyways, how about if we both brew and research, half- half."

Severus nodded before asking, "Do you know exactly how to brew it, Darkice?"

"My name's Harry," Harry retorted. "And yes, if you must know, I've made it before with Ron and Hermione in our second year."

Severus' eyes widened slightly at the words. "Good," he said finally. "There should be an ingrediants list in the Potions book I read a few months ago..."

The hour passed quickly. Soon, they had gathered enough information to begin writing. As they were about to leave the library, Lucius Malfoy walked by and sneered, "What's wrong, Darkice? Bet you don't know any potions above grade seven level. Good thing you have Severus with you..."

"I know much more than you would ever guess, /Malfoy/." Harry spat out the name.

Lucius' eyes widened at the insulting words. "How dare you, you arrogant Gryffindor," he said sharply. "Do you know what the Malfoy name means? How dare /you/, a common Mudblood, say such a thing?"

Harry's words were steel and his tone was ice when he answered. "Of course I know who Malfoys are. Rich, arrogant idiots who thinks they're the best of everyone and everything. Snobby bastards who are idolized by fellow Slytherins because of their /status/. Bowed down to anyone lately, Lucius?"

"YOU!" Lucius snarled angrily. "How DARE you..." He lung at Harry, but missed when the raven-haired boy dodged.

"Later, Lucius, until later," Harry said, his fingers brushing the blond's elbow, lingering slightly on the left forearm before he kept walking and disappeared out the library door.

Severus was the only one who saw the action. His breathing quickened as he realized that Harry knew about Lucius' Dark Mark. But... how could a Gryffindor possibly know? Unless he too worked for Voldemort... Severus was determined to figure out the mystery of the boy. What was going here?

For the next week, Harry met with Severus often, in the library or empty classrooms. He was pleased to discover that Severus didn't act too offensive when they were alone. So far, they had already finished the writing of the research paper and were beginning on the brewing of the potion.

His bag full of needed ingrediants and his cauldron in his hands, he headed towards the empty classroom on the third floor in which he had asked to use in order to work with Severus. Settling down, he waited for the other to come.

After half an hour and seeing that Severus still hadn't come, he had had enough. It wasn't like the Slytherin to forget. Walking out the door, he headed towards the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room which he had discovered in his second year with the Polyjuice Potion. Reaching the door, he saw that a portrait of Salazar Slytherin hung from it.

~Hello, Lord Slytherin,~ he hissed softly in Parseltongue. The man gave a start.

~Hello. How is it that you speak the tongue of the snakes?~

Harry smiled. ~I do not know. I just know that I was not born with the gift.~

~You're name?~

~Harry Darkice.~

~Are you in Slytherin, young man?~

~No, sir, Gryffindor.~

A small smirk lined the man's face. ~It seems unlikely, for you certainly have Slytherin cunning.~

~The Sorting Hat considered putting me in Slytherin, but it chose Gryffindor in the end.~ Harry paused slightly. ~Er... what may I address you as, Lord Slytherin?~

~You may call me Salazar,~ the Founder replied. ~Now, what was it you wanted?~

~My potions partner is Severus Snape,~ Harry explained. ~He was to meet me in the empty classroom, but he has not yet come. I was wondering what was taking so long.~

Salazar nodded in comprehension. ~Very well,~ he said. ~I will allow you to enter the Common Room for today. Promise, however, that you will come back out as soon as you find Severus.~

~You have my word, Salazar.~

The portrait nodded, then swung open. Harry grinned slightly and stepped in.

A movement in the Common Room stopped as the Gryffindor stepped into the green and silver room. There was a second of silence before the shouting broke out.

"How did you get in?" A Slytherin demanded. "How did you get the password?"

Harry smirked. "I have my ways," he answered. "Now, where's Severus Snape?"

A minute later, Severus stepped into the room. "What--" he began, but froze when he saw Harry. "Darkice," he growled menacingly. "What the HELL are you doing in here?"

Harry smirked. "Coming to get you, Severus. You were supposed to be in the empty classroom to work on the potion. Where the devil were /you/?"

Severus was about to answer when Lucius Malfoy spoke again, cutting in. "YOU!" He snarled, livid with rage. "How DARE you step foot into the Slytherin Common Room? How did you get in? Tell me!"

"I wouldn't /normally/ tell you, but since you're so curious, let's just say, Salazar let me in." Harry inwardly grinned at the confused look on the blond's face.

"You," Lucius said angrily. "I challenge you to a Wizard's Duel, Darkice!"

Harry was slightly surprised for a second before he shook his head. "I won't waste my time on you, Malfoy," he snarled. "Severus, are you coming or not?"

Severus nodded slightly. "I'll come in a second," he said darkly. "But you better not do anything else, Darkice, I warn you!"

Harry nodded. "Don't worry," he said as he turned to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucius pull out his wand.

"C---"

Whipping out his wand, Harry turned around and stunned the blond before the Slytherin even had a chance to get the first syllable out. "Listen, Malfoy," he said warningly. "I didn't accept your duel, but that doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to treat others like dirt." With the final warning, Harry left the Slytherin Common Room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few minutes later, Severus walked over to the spare classroom and pulled open the door. Before he knew what was happening, he found a wand pointed in his face.

Looking up, he saw Harry lower his wand and mutter sheepishly, "Oops, sorry about that, Sev. I thought it was someone else."

Severus just nodded as he walked across the room. He was surprised that the Gryffindor was so quick in defending himself. Such was usually a Slytherin trait. He also noticed that the boy had used his nickname. Usually, he hated it, but for some reason, he found that he didn't mind it when Harry said it.

He looked into the boiling cauldron. Opening a bottle of dried lacewing flies, he asked, "Hey, how DID you get into the Slytherin Common Room? Where did you get the password?"

The boy seemed to be fighting an internal struggle before replying. "Salazar let me in."

"Salazar Slytherin let a /Gryffindor/ into the Common Room?" Severus scoffed. "Don't lie."

To his surprise, he saw a hurt look in the other's eyes before it disappeared. "I wasn't lying, Severus," the Gryffindor said. "I talked to him and explained I was looking for him. He let me in."

For some reason, Severus found himself believing Harry, although he found it strange that the Founder had let the boy in without question. He had a feeling that the Gryffindor was leaving something out. Shrugging, he walked over and began chopping boomslang skin. Harry was next to him, stirring the liquid inside the cauldron.

He was almost done when suddenly, a pain shot through his left forearm. The Dark Lord was calling. His right hand went down to clamp around his left while he tried to stifle his exclamation of pain. He hoped Harry hadn't realized.

Too late.

"Severus?" The boy asked, turning. Seeing him, the Gryffindor asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Did you cut yourself?"

Severus was surprised to see genuine surprise in Harry's demeanor. He was about to think of an excuse to leave, he saw realization light up in the other's emerald green eyes.

"Damn, he's calling, isn't he?" Harry asked. "You'd better go, Sev, before he gets angry. I'll deal with the potion."

To say Severus was shocked have been an understatement. "How do you know?"

"We'll talk to you when you get back, Severus. Hurry, go."

Severus nodded hurried off till he was outside of the wards. Taking a deep breath, he Apparated, joining the others. They each dropped to their knees when Voldemort appeared.

"Lucius, anything new information?

"I'm sorry, not today, My Lord."

"I expect better from you next time," the Dark Lord snapped. "Severus? I hear there are a few new Gryffindors at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, my lord. They are each very powerful and well-prepared. Harry Darkice was the one who fought in the last Death Eater attack."

"What do you know of him?"

"His father is Severus Darkice, the Potions professor. He is a transfer student."

Voldemort circled around Severus who looked down submissively. "I understand the two of you are Potions partners. Try to recruit him. I want him on my side."

"Yes my lord," he said, hiding his apprehension behind his mask. He didn't want to drag Harry into this mess. Although he didn't know the boy well, he had come to think of him as a... kind of friend in the past week. He didn't exactly want to loose him. He just hoped he would be able to think of a way to keep him away from the Dark Lord.

Severus hardly slept that night. He kept on worrying about how Harry knew about him. He knew the Gryffindor obviously detested Voldemort, so why hadn't he (Harry) turned Severus in before now if he (Harry) knew he (Severus) was a Death Eater?

It was dawn when he finally fell asleep.

Harry woke up the next morning to see his father sitting at his desk, a frown plastered on his face.

"Severus?" he asked quietly as he got up, pulling on his robes. "Is something wrong?"

The Potions Master nodded. "I've just recieved a letter from Albus," he said. "Albus from our time," he clarified, seeing the other's confused expression. "He has asked Lupin and I to return to our time due to some scandal at the Ministry. You and the others were instructed to stay."

Harry, by now realizing what was bothering his father, smiled. "I'll be fine," he assured the worried man. "Besides, I've got Draco, Ron, and Hermione here, not to mention the others from this time. Just make sure you keep yourself safe. How long will you be away?"

"We'll be gone for about a week," !Severus! replied. He looked at the boy standing in front of him in scrutiny. "Are you SURE you'll be alright? If you want, I would get Albus to send another portkey to--"

"I'll be fine," Harry interrupted. "Stop worrying, Severus, just make you you come back safely."

!Severus!, finally reassured, stood up as he pulled his son into an affectionate hug. "I'll see you in a week, Harry. Take care." With that, he swept out of the room.

---SEVERUS' POV---

Later that day, Severus once again found himself walking towards the empty classroom at the end of the hall. Pulling open the door, he found Harry inside, chopping up some ingrediants.

"Here," the other boy said, handing him some bloomslang. "Mix this into the cauldron."

It was obvious that the Gryffindor was trying to get out of explaining what had happened yesterday. Severus, however, wasn't about to let him off the hooks this easily.

"We have to talk," he said abruptly, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of the boy without accepting the ingrediants Harry was offering him.

"About what?"

"Yesterday. It's about time you answered some of my questions. You can begin by telling me what you know about the Dark Lord."

"You mean Voldemort? You're going to have to specify, Severus, as I know many things about him. What do you want to know?"

Severus was throughly shocked by the use of his Lord's real name. In the time of battle, many people were too afraid to do so. But why would this young wizard in front of him be any different? "Why is it that you say his name?"

Harry smiled. "Someone once told me that fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself. And they were entirely correct. What is the point of fearing another when they are, in reality, the same as any other?"

Severus nearly gaped the the young man in front of him. Did Harry really consider the Dark Lord as any other human being? The boy must be crazy! "But the Dark Lord is different!" The Slytherin argued. "He is much more powerful than any other wizard, and he is much superior to Mudbloods and half-bloods."

Harry's smile faded and his emerald eyes hardened at the cruel words. "Does blood really mean that much, Severus?" he asked softly. "I am a half- blood, yet I was able to escape the Death Eaters when they attacked. Many muggleborns have turned out to be some of the best witches and wizards the wizarding world has ever seen. Take Lily Evans for example. She's muggleborn, yet she is obviously the top student in the school. Magic power has nothing at all to do with blood. Just remember that Voldemort was a half-blood himself."

"What?" Serverus found himself gaping. "That's impossible! The Dark Lord can not possibly be a half-blood! He has told us that he is the heir of Salazar Slytherin himself."

"Many of Salazar's heirs married muggleborns. They did not agree with the deeds of their ansectors, and they have learned to stretch their wings and do what they truly believe in. Remember that even Voldemort himself was once young and innocent. He could have become one of the most respected wizards we have ever seen, but he chose another path instead." Harry sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if it had not been for his father...."

"His father?" Severus found this getting more and more interesting. "What does his father have to do with anything?"

"Voldemort had a Muggle father. When he found out that his pregnant wife was a witch, he left her for who she was. Voldemort has hated all Muggles and Muggleborns ever since."

To Severus, this was a bit too much to take in. Not only was Voldemort a half-blood, but the only reason he hated Muggles was because of his father? "How is it that you know how this about the Dark Lord? He has not told even his most loyal Death Eaters!"

Harry smiled sadly. "I know many things about Voldemort, Severus, perhaps more than I would want to know. But Fate has decided for me to know, and so I must bear the burdens of knowing. Remember, Severus, knowledge is not necessarily good. With it comes pain and horror. Just remember that."

With that, the green-eyed boy swept out of the room, leaving Severus to feel as if he had more questions now than he had had to begin with.

That evening, Harry found himself in Dumbledore's office, along with Draco, Ron, and Hermione. They had come to see !Severus! and !Remus! off so the two could return to their own time for the week.

"Before you leave, !Severus!, Remus," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly. "We have something to settle. We do not need a replacement for you, !Severus!, as we have Professor Rosethorn, but we do need one for !Remus!. Unfortunately, we do not have any spare teachers at the moment, so we'll have to ask one or two students to fill in for the week. So !Remus!, who are the best students in your dueling class?"

"Most of the students are excellent," !Remus! replied calmly, "But clearly, the best students are Harry, and Severus. The younger Severus," he clarified, seeing the confused look Ron shot him.

!Severus! looked up in surprise at the compliment, but didn't say anything. He did however, as Harry noticed, have a pale, reddish tinge on his cheeks.

"Excellent choices, I must say," Dumbledore said, a smile clearly showing his delight. "I will notify Mr. Snape of this after he leaves. Now, if there is nothing else, I believe it is time."

!Severus! and !Remus! each hung the Portkey pendants they had recieved around their necks before stepping back. !Remus! whispered the activation password as with a brilliant flash, he disappeared. !Severus! leaned forward and quickly pulled his surprised son into a hug before doing the same.

Harry smiled at this unexpected display of emotions, a warm feeling in his heart to know that his father cared.

"Now," Dumbledore said. "Draco, Hermione, and Ron, you are now dismissed. Harry, would you be able to grab Severus Snape for me from his Charms class?"

Harry nodded. "Of course, sir, I'll be right back." With that, he left the room, heading in the direction of the Charms classroom.

---SEVERUS' POV---

I was sitting in Charms class, listening to Professor Flitwick ramble on about our new charms project. To my surprise, my partner turned out to be Lily Evans from Gryffindor. Although the girl was muggleborn, she was obviously one of the top students in the school, also being this year's Head Girl. I had to admit, she looked extremely beautiful with her dark red hair and emerald green eyes.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, and in stepped, to my surprise, Harry Darkice.

"Yes, Mr. Darkice?" Professor Flitwick asked, looking at him.

"I have a note here from Professor Dumbledore, requesting that you excuse Severus Snape for the rest of the class."

I just managed to keep my surprise off of my face. Why would Dumbledore want me?

I quickly followed Harry as Flitwick excused me from class. As we stepped outside, I turned to the Gryffindor. "What's going on, Darkice? Why does Dumbledore want me?"

"The name's Harry, Severus. As for Dumbledore, you'll have to find out yourself."

I grumped under my breath as we walked towards Dumbledore's office. Raising a hand, I was about to knock when a familiar voice came from inside.

"Come on in, Harry, Severus."

How did he do that anyways?

As we seated ourselves before the Headmaster, Dumbledore turned to us with that infuriating twinkle of his in his azure blue eyes.

"Thank you, Harry," he said before turning to me.

"Severus, whether or not you realize, Professor Longnight has had to leave us for the week for personal reasons."

I inclined my head slightly to acknowledge the comment.

"Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a subsitute for the week. When I asked, however, Professor Longnight stated that you and Mr. Darkice were clearly the best students in the class. Therefore, I would like the two of you to take over his lessons for the week."

I gaped at the man before me, wondering if the old wizard had finally lost his marbles. Me? Teach? He had to be kidding.

Before I could protest, Dumbledore continued. "You and Harry are excused from going to class today. Dueling Club will start first thing tomorrow morning, however, so you must have the material ready by tonight .I apologize for the short time limit. Any questions?"

Hell, did I have questions? Of course I did! Before I could speak, however, a voice cut in.

"Don't worry, Professor, we're fine. We start planning right away."

"Excellent, excellent. You may go."

I glared at Harry, anger beginning to form inside me. How dare the two of them manipulate me like this! Adreline pulsing through my blood, I barely held back my fury as I followed Harry out of the office.

The second we stepped out of the door, I turned upon the Gryffindor.

"Why the hell did you agree to that, for heaven's sake? Of all of the idiotic things you could have done, you moron.... I mean teach? Don't tell me you have a single CLUE where to st art with this. The dare you do this to me? You damn, inconsiderate dunder----"

"ENOUGH!"

I froze suddenly as I saw the firery fire blazing in those emerald orbs. I suddenly recalled the words that had just come out of my mouth. Did I really just say that out loud?

"How could you?" His voice was barely a whisper, but it was getting louder by the second. "How could you say such a thing? It should be an honour that Professor Lupin recommended us as subsitutes...... But I guess even a compliment is an insult to the great Severus Snape, isn't it?" His voice was laced with sarcasm as his hands balled into fists. I edged away from him, but he continued without mercy.

"I thought you were better than that, Severus. Why can't you just be a bit more considerate?"

His green eyes were spitting fire as they pierced through mine.

I knew what I should say, but some part of me held the words back. Apologies did not come easily to me, and I always felt uncomfortable doing so. But the situation seemed crutial.

I finally forced the words out.

"I'm sorry."

And in a way, I was. As much as I hated to admit it, I now realize that the way I had reacted earlier was ... unreasonable, to asy the least. I sighed as I continued.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that. I hope you accept my apology."

I looked up and watched as Harry took a deep breath, as if visibly trying to calm himself. When he spoke again, he seemed to have accepted my words, albeit his words were still a bit cold.

"Apology accepted, Severus. Just remember to think before you speak next time."

Normally, I would have blown up again at the words. Who did he think he was, trying to lecture me on what I should do? But there was something different about this sitation: those forest-green eyes seemed to look right through me, ripping away my shields and showing my vulnerability. I found myself nodding and going along.

I detected a slight hint of surprise in his expression before he spoke again.

"All right then. Lesson starts tomorrow so we'll have to start planning right away. How about this: you go to your dorm and get what you need and I'll do the same. I'll meet you here in ten minutes."

I nodded. "That's sounds acceptable. I'll be going." With that, I swept out of the room, my mind still in a whirlstorm at the quick succession of events that had just happened.

I was almost at my dorm when I realized that Harry had called Professor Longnight Professor Lupin.

SEVERUS' POV- continued

Ten minutes later, I found myself back in the hall I had been in earlier. The second Harry saw me, he told me to follow him and started off towards the seventh floor corridor.

"Where are we going?" I demanded to know.

"The Room of Requirement," the boy said easily. "It'll be easier to plan there."

"Room of Requirement?" I was puzzled. "What's that?"

Harry turned to me in surprise. "You don't know what it is?" Seeing my scowl, he quickly clarified. "It's a room on the seventh floor that allows you to have anything you need. People normally find it by accident, but are never able to find it again."

I turned to the Gryffindor with a suspicious look on my face. "How do you know about it then?"

"Me?" Harry tried to hide the surprised look on his face, but I caught it anyways. "Er... Professor Dumbledore told my father about it, and he told me."

Something told me that he wasn't being entirely truthful.

Finally, we stepped into a small room at the end of the corridor. I failed to hide my surprise as I entered. Two couches were in the middle of the room with a small table in between. Ink, parchment, and quill lay on the tables while all types of DADA books lined the shelves.

"Severus," Harry said, turning to me with a slight smile on his face. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement."

---Two hours later...---

"Done," Harry said, putting down his quill, satisfaction written on his face. Before us lay a piece of parchment, listing the things we would teach. We would have five days to teach, three classes each day, but we would teach the same thing all day. That meant we only had to think up five subjects to teach of.

I eyes scanned the paper once again as I reread what we had written.

Day 1: Basic spell review: Hexes, Curses, Jinxs

Useful spells: Inpedimenta, Stupefy, Accio, etc.

Day 2: Boggarts

- Ask HouseElves where they are located.

Day 3: Patronus

- Show patronus

Day 4: Unforgivables

- Demonstration required --> Permission from Prof. Dumbledore

Day 5: Review of week

I gaped in shock as I read the small note under the Unforgivables. Demonstration required? What was he talking about?

When I voiced my question, Harry quickly replied. "I was thinking we could demonstrate the curses on spiders. Show the class why they're called the Unforgivables in the first place."

"I don't think that's a wise idea, Harry. None of the earlier DADA teachers have ever done that before. What makes you think that it's going to work? Besides, it's illegal."

"So? My fourth year DADA professor actually placed the Imperious ON us. And the Headmaster agreed to let him do it. The only thing we need to do is ask Dumbledore." He turned to me. "You DO know how do the Unforgivables, right?"

I shook my head hesitantly. "I've only tried the Imperious and Cruciatus. Not the Killing Curse."

"That's fine, Severus. I'll deal with that one if you want." Harry smiled. "So, we're set. All we have to do is ask Dumbledore and we can start. I'll go ask him now. Do you want to come, or would you rather go back to your dorms?"

I looked at the time. "It's rather late," I said stiffly. "I think I'll retire to my dorms. Good night."

With that, I walked out of the room, many questions tugging at my mind.

The next morning after breakfast found Harry and Severus in the DADA room, waiting anxiously for the first class to come in. Thankfully, they only had to worry about sixth and seventh years, as the Dueling Club had been devised for senior years in the first place. Because of this, they only had two classes per day rather than four, which was a welcome relief.

The door flew open as students began to walk in. Fortunately, they had the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff class at the moment. The Gryffindor-Slytherin class would attend after lunch. Harry personally thought that was a blessing, as he didn’t think he could take a crowd of Gryffindors AND Slytherins on a Monday morning.

The class passed quickly and uneventfully, and the two houses quickly adjusted to the two new “professor”, although a few Ravenclaws were miffed at the fact that they hadn’t been the ones chosen as substitutes.

However, Harry should have known that the quiet wouldn’t last long. After a quick, private lunch (provided by the House Elves), the Gryffindors and Slytherins headed in. James Potter froze at the sight of Severus Snape, standing in front of the class along with Harry.

“Snivellus!” the boy sneered. “What the hell are you doing up there?”

“Professor Darkice and I are the substitutes for Professor Longnight, Potter,” Severus returned with a glare of his own.

“WHAT?!” This time, it was Sirius who spoke. “Who the hell would recommend that little Death-Eater in training?”

Before Severus could retort, Harry cut in. His eyes blazed with suppressed fury. “Twenty points from Gryffindor,” he said in a barely-controlled voice.

“Harry!” James said in shock. “Why are you helping that little snake? He’s a---“

His voice was cut off abruptly as the windows suddenly exploded. “Sit down, Mr. Potter,” Harry ground out, hands curled into fists. “Otherwise, I won’t take responsibilities for my actions.”

James immediately went quiet as he remembered the time when Harry had managed to kill over a dozen Death Eaters with wandless magic. He did not want to be the next one to test the boy’s temper. What did get him curious, however, was why was Harry protecting a Slytherin?

Severus too, was feeling puzzled. This was the first time that someone else had ever stood up for him ---well, except for those rare occasions with Lily Evans--- and what confused him the most was that that person was a Gryffindor. Why would Harry turn against his own house just to defend him? Whatever the reason a part of him warmed at the knowledge that someone was willing to stand by him, yet another part of him protested: he didn’t need pity. The protective part won out as he hissed angrily at Harry, “I don’t need your protection!”

Harry smiled despite his tone. “I don’t pity you,” he said quietly, understanding exactly the way Severus was feeling.

The Slytherin looked up, a glint of surprise on his face, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared, causing Harry to wonder whether he had just imagined it.

The rest of the lesson passed uneventfully, or at least, as uneventful as a DADA lesson could get with Severus Snape as teacher and the Marauders as students. There were a few occasions where James and Sirius tried to hex Severus, but Harry successfully blocked all of them with a solid shield charm. By the end of class, he was suitably worn out and at the end of his reserves.

When dinner finally ended and he headed up to his Common Room, Harry wished for nothing more than to crawl into bed and go straight to sleep. However, he walked through the portrait hole only to find himself eye-to-eye with one pissed off Sirius Black.

“What do you want?” He asked tiredly, feeling a headache coming on. He’d have to look through his trunk for a headache potion later.

“ME??” Sirius exploded. “ME? YOU GO AND STICK UP FOR SNAPE IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE DADA CLASS AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK ME WHAT I WANT? WELL, I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU! WHY THE HELL DID YOU HUMILIATE ME AND JAMES IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CLASS JUST FOR THAT STUPID, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING, DEATH-EATER IN TRAINING!” By then, Remus was insistently elbowing the boy, but Sirius paid him no mind. The furious Gryffindor didn’t seem to notice the fact that several people ---Harry, Draco, and Hermione, in fact----- were getting steadily angrier. “YOU’RE A GRYFFINDOR FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE, AN HONOURABLE GRYFFINDOR, NOT A NO-GOOD SLYTHERIN SNAKE! DIDN’T YOUR PARENTS TEACH YOU ANYTHING? IF YOU-----“

“ENOUGH!” Harry burst out angrily, his emerald eyes flashing dangerously. “Don’t you DARE presume anything about my parents!” His voice was ice, dripping with venom; his tone, steel, cold and unforgiving. “You accuse me of humiliating you in front of the class, yet you give no mind to the fact that you did the exact same thing to Severus. That in itself gives you no reason to complain. If you, for some reason, think that this makes you “great honorable Gryffindors”, then let me assure you, you are entirely wrong. If you behave in such a conceding manner, then you are no better than the Death Eaters themselves.” Ignoring the sputtering behind him, he turned and walked up the stairs to the boys’ dorms. “It’s late, I’m tired, and I seen more reason for me to stay here and communicate with you if you refuse to speak reasonably. Good night.” With that, he disappeared from sight.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Sirius jumped up and started ranting again. “How dare he say that I’m just like any Slytherin? I’m a Gryffindor, not a snake-in-the-grass. Damn it, this is all Snivellus’ fault. Those slimy Slytherin---“

Draco immediately responded, defending both his Head of House and his House’s honour. “That’s where you’re wrong, Sirius Black,” he said quietly. “You vigilently deny that you have any resemblance to Slytherins, that all Slytherins are arrogant bastards. But you fail to see the fact that Slytherins, much like Gryffindors, are only human. We too have emotions, although we express it much differently. That fact fails to make Slytherins any more inhuman than Gryffindors.”

“Yes it does!” Sirius argued. “They’re slimy Death Eaters and deserve to be put in Azkaban!”

There was a mometn of utter silence at this declaration.

It was a while before Draco spoke again. This time, however, there was no forgivingness, no emotion at all in lhis voice --- only harsh coldness. “That, Black is what makes you no batter than Death Eaters themselves.” Ignoring the other’s sputterings of disbelief, he continued. “Death Eaters believe that all Muggles and Muggleborns are lower than dirt, and deserve to be killed for no reason. Their desire to torture and to make others suffer is what makes Death Eaters evil, for their prejudice prevents them from seeing the world clearly. You are not so different after all, Black. True, some SLytherins may be cruel and nasty, but I would say that few actually deserve to be put in Azkaban. Your judgement si clouded by hate and prejudice, and that is what makes you exactly like the Death Eaters.” Draco stopped, breathing in deeply. Feeling that he had said his piece for the night, he turned and headed towards the staircase. “It’s late, and I’m going to bed. I hope, Black, that you think about what I’ve said.” With that, he left.

It was Hermione who finally broke the long silence that followed. “You know,” he said lightly, trying to break up the tension. “I think we should be getting to bed. It’s getting rather late.” She yawned slightly. “Coming, guys?”

Remus, following her lead, also stood up. “Come on, everyone,” he said, walking towards the stairs Harry and Draco had disappeared up earlier. “Let’s go. Bedtime.”

With a mumble fo good night, everyone stood up, Hermione going into the girls’ dorms while everyone else headed into the boys’ dorms. Ron peered at Harry’s and Draco’s beds, but apparently, they were already asleep. With a sigh, he, along with the others, crawled into their respective beds.

Somewhere outside, a lone owled hooted into the darkness.

------PETER’S POV--------

Peter shifted restlessly on his bed. Try as he might, he just couldn’t seem to fall asleep. He sighed quietly before giving up. There was no way he was going to sleep anytime soon.

As he sat there motionlessly in the darkness, his mind wandered to the four strangers that had settled into his life. There was Ron Westerly -----stubborn and fun-loving, much like Sirius------, Hermione Granger -------------strict and intelligent, strangely reminiscent of Professor McGonagall---------, Draco Darkice ---------cunning and clever with his perfect blond looks-------, and finally, Harry Darkice. Quiet, but fiercely protective.

Peter sighed. There was something about the boy, perhaps his powerful demeanor or maybe his hidden strength...---- Peter wasn’t sure, but something made him feel almost... attached to the other boy. He marveled at Harry’s bravery, his evident loyalty, his strength of the will; each quality shown so clearly during times of danger. He remembered how Harry had jumped in front of the Cruciatus curse intended for James, how determined he had been to protect his loved ones. Peter couldn’t help but admire the dark-haired boy.

For some uncanny reason though, he got the impression that Harry and his friends disliked him. Peter couldn’t be sure, but it was the small things that made him wonder ------ The coolness in Harry’s voice when he spoke; The glare from Ron behind his back; The hesitance in Hermione’s voice when she spoke to him.....

Peter gave a sigh of defeat. His eyes stared into the darkness of the room as he desperately asked himself---- what had he done? What had he done to make the others hate him so? All he had ever wanted was to fit in, to be a good friend that others could rely on. Try as he might, he couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong.

He fell asleep pondering the question.

------END OF PETER’S POV-----------

-------REMUS’ POV--------

Remus shifted slightly in bed, amber eyes peering off into the darkness. Unable to sleep, he sat up quietly before pulling open the curtains surrounding his bed. Even with his enhanced werewolf vision, he could only make out the shapes of other beds scattered in a semi-circular shape around the dorm. Somewhere off in the distance, he could hear an hour hooting mournfully.

He signed, leaning back in bed. His mind wandered to the four strangers that had walked into his life. In particular, Harry Darkice.

There was something about the boy, something about him that was so utterly familiar... but Remus couldn’t place it. It was almost as if the two of them had met before, perhaps in another time, another life. But... there was no way such a thing could happen. Right?

Remus knew that the boy and his friends were hiding something from him and the rest of the Marauders. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had fit into their group like second nature, or perhaps it was the coldness they treated Peter with, as if Wormtail had done something the rest of them weren’t aware of. Whatever it was, Remus was worried.

He leaned back onto his pillow with a sigh, knowing that it wouldn’t do him any good if he stayed up all night and wasn’t able to get up the next morning. However, it was a very long time before he managed to get to sleep.

----------END OF REMUS’ POV---------

--------SIRIUS’ POV--------------

Sirius sighed before sitting up. After shifting around his bed for about half an hour, he had to admit defeat: for some unknown reason, he just wasn’t able to fall asleep. His mind was to busy concentrating on the scene that had occurred earlier.

Harry and Draco had both accused him of behaving like Death Eaters. Sirius inwardly shivered at the thought. Normally, he would just forget about such incidents and tell himself that such a silly thing couldn’t possibly happen. However, there was something about the way Harry had spoken, something about Draco’s tone of voice that made him rethink their statement. Could they have been correct?

When Harry had first told him that he was behaving exactly like the Slytherins, Sirius had been furious. How dare the boy accuse him of such a crime? He had ignored him, telling himself that such was thing wasn’t possible. But then, Draco had spoken, and the blond had managed to point out evidence that had never occurred to him before. But what really bothered him the most, however, was the fact that he knew deep in his heart, that Draco was right. Both Harry and Draco had been right. As much as he hated admitting it, he HAD been foolish, insulting Snive---- Snape in front of the entire class. True, the ill-tempered boy WAS a nasty Slytherin, but Draco did have a point: Slytherins couldn’t be ALL nasty, and even Snape had to have SOME emotions under the layers of grease and all.

Sirius sighed. The incident earlier had hit him deep in the heart, for he knew that the one thing he feared was to be turned into the ones he himself hated the most. The thought that he would ever work for someone like Voldemort sickened him to the core.

“I am not a Death Eater,” he whispered fiercely. He would not become anything like one, even if it meant he had to be nice to Snivellus. No matter what happened, he wouldn’t be changed.

Sirius leaned back into his bed, his eyes glaring fiercely into the darkness. As he finally drifted off to sleep, he vowed to himself: He would NEVER become a Death Eater. Ever.

“RON! DRACO! JAMES! GET OUT OF BED! NOW!”

One Hermione Granger flew ruthlessly around the room, screaming at the still – slumbering boy. “SIRIUS BLACK! PETER PETTIGREW! UP! NOW!”

Beside her, Remus Lupin smiled in amusement. It was about time someone took control. Chuckling inwardly, he turned back while munching on a chocolate frog.

Ronald Weasley groaned in bed before finally sitting up. After getting the same wake-up call for years from the busy-haired girl, he knew that if he did not get up immediately, the consequences would be... unpleasant, to say the least.

In the next bed, Draco too stood up. However, he seemed cool and composed, much unlike the others. He was already dressed in his school robes; Apparently, he had been reading in bed.

“JAMES POTTER! SIRIUS BLACK! PETER PETTIGREW! I’m giving you one last chance. UP! NOW! You’ve only got five minutes left to get to class!”

Peter sat up, wincing at the noise. Seemingly intimidated by Hermione’s ferocious appearance, he quickly stood up and got dressed.

Hermione’s nostrils flared at the two boys still in bed. Ron backed away, wondering what was going to happen this time.

Hermione quickly waved her wand in quick successions several times before pointing it at the two beds. She mumbled something under her breath, and there was a flash of light.

James and Sirius soon found out that angering Hermione was not a good thing. Tubs of water that appeared from nowhere poured down upon them while at the same time, both found that their hair had been spelled lime green and now flowed all the way to the ground.

James moaned while Harry stood up. “What did you do that for?” he complained.

“You two have class in three minutes!” Hermione thundered. “And if Harry tells me that you two have not attended his class today, there will be ... consequences later. Now MOVE!”

The two quickly shot up, running around the room and randomly pulling on robes.

“Sorry Moony,” Sirius said, digging through a very organized drawer. “I’m borrowing a pair of yours socks. Don’t know where mine went.”

Remus just shrugged before standing up. “Come on, guys. We’ll be late for DADA.”

----A minute later...----

8 Gryffindors hurled along the Hogwarts corridors, trying to get to the DADA class in the next 45 seconds Hormone just seemed to glide along effortlessly next to them. “Hurry up, hurry up!”

“’Mione,” Ron panted. “How can you still have the breath to talk? I’m exhausted!”

Hermione shrugged innocently. “I put a rather... useful charm on myself earlier. And no, Ron, I’m not casting it on you, it’s your own fault you didn’t wake up earlier!”

Ron groaned, but kept on running.

“There! James said, pointing at a blank wall. “Put your hand on the wall, Ron, and say the current password for Gryffindor tower.

Ron nodded, quickly muttering the password. The wall slid open, revealing a dark hallway. James quickly dashed in, the others on his tail.

Exactly 5 seconds later, the 8 emerged from another wall halfway around the school. Draco sighed in relief when he saw that the door of the DADA class was directly in front of them.

Sirius reached out and grasped the handle, and the group skidded into the room.

Harry, Severus, and the rest of the class looked up as the door to the classroom banged open. Harry couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face at the sight of his friends. Jame’s tie was lopsided while Sirius robes weren’t buttoned up properly. Ron’s hair was a mess, as if he hadn’t bothered to brush it. The only ones who looked presentable were Hermione, Draco, and Remus.

“5 points from Gryffindor each for being late,” Severus snapped. He looked like he was about to take off more, but a quick look from Harry stopped him. “Would you please take your seats?” Harry asked, just as James opened his mouth to complain. The boys looked like they were about to protest, but a fierce glare from Hermione stopped them in their tracks. Draco smirked as all of them settled down into their seats.

“Today,” Harry began, “we will be starting on Boggarts. Can anyone tell me what a Boggart is? Yes, Ms, Evans?” He smiled at his future mother.

“A Boggart takes on the form of a person’s deepest fears,” Lily began, “They like to hide in old closets and cupboards where they are often found, No one knows how a Boggarts looks like when it is alone, and the only thing that can confuse a Boggart is laughter, or the Riddikulus charm.”

“Excellent explanation” Harry said, smiling at the red-haired girl. “20 points to Gryffindor.”

Harry then backed up slightly, allowing Severus to speak.

“There is currently a Boggart residing in the cupboard there,” Severus began, sneer plastered on his face. Harry almost smiled at the familiar sight. “Professor Darkice and I will be... demonstrating first.”

At this, Harry stepped out towards the cupboard. When he had discussed this with Severus earlier, it had soon become clear that the Slytherin was uncomfortable at the thought of displaying his fears in front of others. Harry, Not wanting to upset the other, had agreed that he would demonstrate the spell.

Severus walked off to the side of the room. Seeing Harry standing, wand in hand, he gave a quick flick of his wand and the cupboard door snapped opened with a loud click.

The class seemed to be holding their breaths as they watched the cupboard door slowly swing open.

Creak. Creak-creak.

Finally, the door swung open and as the figure inside stepped out, a feeling of heavy coldness overwhelmed them. Harry shuddered as his mother’s voice rang out in his voice.

“No... not Harry... Take me instead!”

Grasping his wand tightly, Harry said firmly, “Riddikulus!”

There was a bud pop, and in the place of the Dementor appeared a small dog, who immediately wagged its tail and began running around, all the while yipping excitedly.

“Professor Snape and I will call out your names. You will come up one by one and attempt the Riddikulus Charm. Maria Adams!”

A brown haired girl came up, and at the sight of her, the Boggart took on the form of a vampire. “Riddiculus!” she cried, and it changed into a chocolate frog.

“Sirius Black!”

His godfather is fear was certainly unique. As it Boggart caught sight of him, it immediately morphed into another Sirius Black. However, the Boggart Sirius had a cruel glint in its eyes. “Avada Kedavra!” it cried.

The beam of green light, being a figment of imagination, bounced harmlessly off of a near by fall.

Sirius faltered slightly for a second before stepping forward determinedly, “Riddikulus!”

The Boggart turned into a certain Bellatrix Lestrange with neon-pink hair and bunny ears. Sirius roared with laughter before stepping back and allowing the next person to come up.

The lesson passed quickly, and Harry noted with some curiosity what everyone’s fears were. Peter had seen his own dead body while James, with similar ideas, saw the corpses of his parents. Lily saw an enormous slug while Remus, as expected, saw the silvery moon.

The Slytherins’ reacts too were very... interesting, to say the least. Lucius Malfoy, to Harry’s amusement found himself face to face with a serpent, while Narcissa Black saw a bandaged mummy. All in all, the lesson passed rather quickly. Quickly. Although several insults passed between the Gryffindors and Slytherins, problems were quickly solved by the deduction of points.

Harry smiled as he watched the Gryyffindor and Slytherin houses troop out. A few min. later, the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff class came in and settled down.

Walking to the front of the room, Harry cleared his throat and began to speak. “Today, we will be starting on Boggarts...”

--------- THAT NIGHT... --------

“Oi! Padfoot!” A quiet voice whispered. “Wake up!”

Sirius Black groaned before opening his eyes. “Prongs? What’s wrong?” He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “This had better be good.”

“We need to call a Marauder’s meeting, “ James whispered quickly. “I need to talk to you guys. You wake up Remus and I’ll get Peter.” With that, the raven-haired boy rushed off to the bed in the corner.

Sirius groaned softly before sitting up. He quickly walked to the bed next to his and opened the curtains. “Hey! Moony! Get up!”

“Padfoot?” Moony asked anxiously, sitting up immediately “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I don’t think so,” Sirius replied. “James said he wanted to talk to us.”

Remus nodded before quickly getting up. By then, James had woken Peter up, and the 4 of them tip-toed downstairs.

The normally noisy common room was silent except for the sound of the merrily cackling flames. Remus settled down cozily into a couch with a sigh.

After a moment, he asked, “Prongs? You wanted to talk to us?”

James nodded. There was another moment of silence before he began. “I know this may seem like a strange question to you,” he asked hesitantly, “but... do any of you notice something... strange about Harry and his friends?”

Sirius mumbled something about ‘waking us up for nothing’ under his breath, but a sharp look from Remus stopped him.

“You know,” Remus began. “Now that you mention it, I realize your right. Sometimes, I get this feeling that... I knew them somehow, before all this. Which is silly, as I’ve never met them before, but it almost seems like they know exactly who we are.”

“I get that feeling too,” Peter added, speaking up timidly. “And for some reason, I think Harry doesn’t like me.” He looked down at his feet.

Remus nodded. “That’s another mystery. Have you noticed how coldly they treat Peter? Especially Ron. They tend to leave you out of their conversations, for some bizarre reason. I can’t understand why.”

James nodded. “Exactly. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but as things went on, I realize some of the things kept happening. Like their attitude towards Peter, for one.” He turned to Sirius. “Padfoot? What about you? Notice anything strange?”

Sirius shrugged. “Nothing in particular, but I noticed the fact that they seemed to know their way around the school fairly well. Which is strange, as Hogwarts is an enormous place. And then, there’s the fact hat Harry’s a Parselmouth.”

“And each of them is an Animagus,” Remus added. “Which is supposed to be extremely difficult to achieve.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “And I just realized... He knew I was a werewolf before I told him about it. Also, he knew of our codenames.”

“Exactly,” James agreed. It’s those little things that I’ve noticed. PLUS the fact that Harry and his friends seem to know about our secrets before hand. And another thing: the group of them just seem so... secretive in general. Like they’re trying to hide something.”

“So...” Sirius continued conversationally. “Any of you have any ideas on what they might be hiding?”

“I don’t know... But... do you reckon it might be dangerous?” Peter asked worriedly.

James shrugged before turning to look at Remus. There was a note of finality in his voice. “All I know that there is something really strange going on here...”

So the conversation dragged on, with the Marauders pondering possible answers to their questions of the mysterious new classmates. Not a single one of them noticed the small shadow watching them from the dorms above.

Harry, for some reason, felt as if he just couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, trying to drift off, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t help feeling slightly... restless. Sighing, he turned around and faced the wall, willing himself to stop thinking.

He was finally about to fall asleep when a soft whisper caught his attention.

“Oi! Padfoot! Wake up!”

It sounded like James’ voice.

“Prongs? What’s wrong?”

Yup, definitely James. Harry strained his ears, trying to hear what was going on.

“We need to call a Marauder’s meeting. I need to talk to you guys. You wake up Remus and I’ll get Peter.” He heard James shuffling off to the other side of the room while Sirius groaned and headed towards Remus’ bed.

A few minutes later, four figures silently sneaked downstairs towards the Common Room. Standing up, Harry quietly followed them. He stood at the top of the stairs and listened.

“Prongs? You wanted to talk to us?”

James nodded. “I know this may seem like a strange question to you,” the boy asked hesitantly, “but... do any of you notice something... strange about Harry and his friends?”

They were talking about him! Harry drew in a sharp breath, trying to make as little noise as possible as he heard the four Marauders discussing himself and his friends.

So, they had noticed something after all. Harry had known all along that something like this would happen, sooner or later. And now, it seemed as if they were beginning to suspect.

He would have to warn Ron, Hermione, and Draco to be more careful.

He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by the sound of someone coming up the stairs. Panicking, he realized that the Marauders had finished their conversation and were coming upstairs. Quickly, he ran back towards his bed and jumped in, pulling the covers over himself. His heart pounded loudly.

Barely a second later, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter walked in. Each of them settled into their beds before drawing the curtains around their bed.

Harry was awake late into the night, pondering the conversation he had just heard. It was a long time before he managed to fall asleep.