"Potter."

Harry inwardly winced as he heard Severus' barely audible voice. He turned away, not wanting to see the rage he was sure would be in the Potions Master's eyes. Judging by the looks on Ron, Hermione, and Draco's faces, they had figured it out too. Looked like his act was over.

He sighed as he looked up fiercely into Voldemort's crimson, reptilian eyes. He felt anger course through him as he looked at the monster that had murdered his parents, his godfather, Cedric...

For a second, he just wished that he could just fight and get it over with-- he was tired of waiting, of hiding, or pretending to be whom he could never be. That moment passed as soon as it had come: he knew he could not risk the lives of those he held dearest. He would not risk his friends.

His mind whirled furiously as he tried to think of a way to escape. Finally, he came up with an idea. Turning towards Voldemort, he suddenly let loose his elemental powers.

A deluge of whistling wind and dropping hail rained down upon the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Harry was careful to keep the precipitation off of his friends. Unfortunately, he could not exclude Severus: Voldemort would surely get suspicious if the Potions Master was the only Death Eater who got away unscathed.

His idea obviously worked. Chaos broke out as Death Eaters attempted to keep their footing in the ferocious storm, hiding behind shields and furniture alike. The room was utter chaos, papers and people flying around the hitting others.

While the Death Eaters were busy, Harry slowly managed to stand up. His body throbbed with pain, but there was no time to heal himself. Turning, he focused, wrapping his magic around his friends, preparing to Apparate. He could sense the Anti-Apparation Charms about the room, but he easily ignored them. The last thing he heard before he disappeared was the sound of the ferocious wind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of the Hospital Wing. Ron, Hermione, and Draco were around him, although they were still restrained by the shields Harry had put on them. Without saying a word, he turned around and marched out of the Hospital Wing, heading in the direction of the Headmaster's office.

After guessing for five minutes, he muttered, "Sugar Quills" and the stone gargoyle lept aside. Walking in and pulling open the door, he saw that Dumbledore was sitting in his office.

"Sebastien!" The elderly Headmaster said when he saw him, relief evident in his voice. "I'm glad you're safe, my dear boy." He paused, looking at him. "Shouldn't you be in the Hospital Wing right now?"

Harry blushed slightly as he looked down. His arm was bleeding profusedly while his robes were ripped in many places. His hair was a mess and blood and dirt were slattered over his clothes. "I'll go as soon as I'm finished, Professor," he said as he quickly explained what had happened. He looked away shamefully as he felt Dumbledore's reprimanding look on him when he mentioned sneaking Hogsmeade.

"Continue," the older wizard said.

So Harry ended up explaining about being captured by Death Eaters, about Voldemort threatening him with his friends, about Severus... "... I'm afraid they known about my identity now, sir."

The Headmaster nodded slowly. "Try not to worry, Mr. Potter. I'll speak with them."

"Um... now that they know, Professor, would I go back to being Harry Potter in Gryffindor, or would I stay Sebastien Frostpine?"

"I think it would be best if you went back to your true identity, Harry. However, before we do that, I will give you two weeks' time to speak with your friends and Severus. Hopefully, that will be long enough."

Harry managed a small smile. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," he said as he left the room. In truth, it was not Ron and Hermione he was worried about. They had been his first friends, and surely they would be happy that Harry was back again. It was Draco and Severus that he was worried about. Draco had come to be a good friend for him in the past months, someone whom he would count on, someone who was always there for him. Severus was like the father he had never had. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear loosing these two.

Turning, he headed in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Severus was boiling mad, to say the least. He had just come back from the Death Eater meeting (which was very unpleasant, due to the fact that Voldemort was VERY displeased over the fact that his prisoners had managed to escape) only to be reminded yet again of what had occured in the last several hours.

Sebastien Frostpine was Harry Potter. The words kept ringing in his mind, forcing him to remember, again and again, over and over. At first, he had been shocked, but it had soon worn off and the anger and rage came full force. He couldn't believe it. That... boy, that BRAT had betrayed him: betrayed his trust, his acceptance. How DARE that arrogant idiot do such a thing!

In a away, he was disgusted with himself but not because of the boy. It was because of his own feelings. Instead of feeling repulsed like he had expected, he couldn't help but remember how the child's warm and lithe body had felt in his arms, how nice it had felt to have someone depend on him, to have someone care for him. He had never had that kind of trust and dependance placed in him before.

God damn it! Severus slammed his fist into the stone wall, trying to release his frustrations. WHY did this have to happen to him? Why did this have to happen just when he was beginning to care about Sebastien? He realized now that he had come to see the boy as the son he had never had, as the child he could comfort and hold. DAMN IT! Why did he care anyways? The boy was nothing, had never meant anything to him... The child had been nothing but a burden. Why did he want the brat in the first place?

He tried desperately to convince himself to hate the boy, finally managing to allow the hate and anger build up inside him. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to regain some self-control. Finally, he came to the stone gargoyle guarding Albus' office. And speaking of Albus...

"ALBUS!" Severus bellowed loudly, storming into the office. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU KNEW THAT -- THAT SEBATIEN WAS THAT BRAT AND YOU STILL DID THIS TO ME! GOD, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME, YOU OLD MAN? AND I'M NOT TAKING HIM UNDER POTIONS APPRENTICE ANY LONGER!"

"Severus!" the Headmaster commanded firmly. "You calm down this second."

The Potions Master managed to stop rambing as he stopped, breathing hard.

"I will explain. I first found out several weeks after he appeared in your living room. He was very reluctant to tell me the truth, but I finally convinced him. He told me what had happened to him and made me promise not to tell anyone of his true identity. Which is why I didn't tell you. I suggest you take a few hours to think about this, Severus. It is not entirely his fault. He was injured when he came to tell me earlier."

"I DON'T BLOODY CARE IF HE'S INJURED!" Severus roared, control deserting him. "HE CAN FUCKING DIE FOR I CARE! YOU THINK HE MATTERS TO ME AFTER ALL THAT HE'S DONE! I HATE HIM, AND I HATE HIS FATHER, AND I HATE ANYONE RELATED TO HIM!"

"Severus!" Albus said, his voice suddenly void of all warmth and understanding. The temperature seemed to suddenly drop. "I suggest you think about what you are saying. Listen to youself, rambling on about hating him. You know that you cared for him when he was Sebastien Frostpine. With the last name of Frostpine, you saw no reason for hate or anger-- there was no dislike between you and him. You managed to befriend him, to comfort and take care of him. Now that he has regained his true name however, you claim to no longer care for him. Do you realize what you are doing to him, Severus, what you are doing to yourself? You are blinded by your prejudice, by your anger. I know you had rivaries with James Potter and Sirius Black, but you have to realize this: Harry is not James, nor is he Sirius. He is Harry, a person for himself. The boy you have come to know is still there, underneath the name and fame. You just have to come out and search for it." With this, the Headmaster stood up, heading towards the door. "Think about it, Severus. You are a good man underneath your masks and secrets, and you have many things in common with young Harry. Look past the outer mask and learn to see the inside. I'll leave you for now." And he was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I have spoken with Severus, Harry," Dumbledore said as he looked at the boy. "You'll have to give him some time to think about this. Unfortunately, he's requested to take you out of Potions Apprentice."

Harry nodded numbly as he sat in front of the Headmaster. Severus had taken him out of his Potions Apprentice. He didn't know why he felt so surprised-- he should have expected it after what had happened. He could help but feel lost and hurt, however. Pain built up inside him-- not any physical pain, but the pain of his emotions, his feelings. He felt unsteady and out-of-balanced without his friends who had been supporting him only hours ago.

As he exited the office, he suddenly didn't know where to go anymore. He didn't feel wanted, he didn't /belong/ anymore. The Slytherin Common Room was too full of memories of what had just happened, and as a Slytherin, he certainly couldn't get into the Gryffindor Commons. If it had been before, he would have gone to the dungeons to visit Severus, but now, he couldn't, not when Severus hated him. That left one choice. The Room of Requirement. Hopefully, he would get a few hours of peace.

He felt a wave of despair engulf him as tears suddenly overwhelmed him. He wanted things to be back to the way they had been before, before Voldemort had captured him and his friends. For him, however, he knew that things would never be the same, for he wanted what he could no longer have: Severus as a friend, a father-figure, and a mentor. That would never happen, not when the Potions Master had clearly showed his loathing and disgust. All seemed hopeless as he headed towards the seventh floor. All he could pray for was for tomorrow to be a better day. A single trail of tears ran unnoticed down his cheeks.