Harry closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead against the cold stone walls. God, he was so tired of this. First Severus, then Ron. He had thought at least, that Ron would be able to understand. Now, he knew that he was wrong. At least he had Hermione. He just hoped that Draco would not react as badly. However, a sarcastic voice in the back of his mind whispered, 'Fat Chance!'

Turning wearily, he headed towards the Lake. He desperately needed to take a walk to calm his mind. However, as he headed through the desolate corridors he heard a pair of voices heading his direction. With panic building up in his chest, he frantically tried to think of a way out of a confrontation with whoever it might be.

The idea suddenly hit him. Quickly, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt himself shift, morphing as his features rounded out, head turning into the face of Neville Longbottom.

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil came around the corner, talking loudly.

"---I can't believe it! It's like, totally cool!"

"I know, Lav... She's just awesome, I--- Oh!"

Parvati stopped short when she saw him. "Er... oh hi, Neville!"

Harry tried to calm his racing heartbeat. "Hi, Parvati," he said, fidgeting on purpose in the nervous manner he had seen Neville do.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I--- I erm, I had detention with P-Professor Snape."

"You did?" Lavender looked at him curiously. "I don't remember him assigning you detention..."

"I---He caught me looking at the Herbology plants last week when I should have been working," Harry said quickly, sighing with relief when he saw the acceptance on the girls' face. "Er... well, I've gotta go now. Bye Parvati, Lavender!" With that, he rushed off.

He continued to make his way outside, but before going any further, he quickly shifted his features again. He didn't want to accidentally bump into Neville while he was in the boy's form. Instead, he turned his hair deep, dark red, eyes shifting into amber brown. He shortened a few inches before he nodded to himself, satisfied.

It was cold outside. The evening air blew around him, whistling discordantly. Harry pulled his cloak tighter around himself, shivering slightly. He inhaled deeply - the air was fresh and clear and it felt nice to feel it rushing against his face. He gazed out at the water, shimmering slightly in the light. The sky was dark grey, cold and forbidding. He leant against a nearby tree, just observing, practising clearing his mind.

It didn't work for long. As soon as he attempted to rid his mind of all thoughts, memories would trickle in; the look of betrayal in Severus' eyes, the anger in Ron's... He snapped his eyes open again, trying to distract himself from his brooding. Finding that it didn? help, he banged his hand against the wood. He was just so frustrated!

/What's wrong, child?/ A voice suddenly ran through his mind.

Lady Lyra! He had almost forgotten her in the recent mess of classes, homework, the capture and conflicts. /My Lady?/

/I can feel the anger and the sorrow in your mind, Harry. Tell me what is bothering you, child. I promise you it will help./

Harry sighed. /Lady, I----/ He stopped, sighing. /I don't know how to explain./

He could almost hear the Lady smile. /Harry. First of all, I would ask you to calm down. I can sense what you're feeling right now, so I'll give you advice to the best of my abilities. Remember, all the frustration you've stored up inside of you is going to erupt soon. Let it out. As to facing your friends, remember this: You are who you are. What you do is what you are to do, what you're meant to do. If your friends can not accept who you truly are, then they are not really your friends at all. I know you have to confront Draco soon, but I suggest you give them a few days to calm down./

Harry nodded slowly. /Yes, I think I understand. But...I'm so frustrated and I can't stop thinking about them!/

/Relax, child. You have Eliza, do you not? Spent time with her, play music... It will calm your mind. Remember, not only is music an entertainment, it can also be an outlet./

/Alright. I'll try./ Harry responded half heartedly before taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself. His heart was beating quickly as he attempted to clear his mind from all the frustration and confusion.

Suddenly, he felt the hair on his back prickle, almost as if someone was watching him. Turning, he looked straight into a pair of grey-blue eyes.

"Draco," Harry said emotionlessly before biting the inside of his lips. Damn it! He shouldn't have said that. The blond glared suspiciously at him. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I'm a Hogwarts student, Malfoy," Harry said, trying to hide his panic. "Don't tell me you still don't know the students after six years!" It would never have worked on anyone else, but he was praying on the fact that Draco treated most people as invisible if he didn? deem them worthy of his attention.

Draco frowned. "What house are you in?"

"S--Hufflepuff." Harry inwardly kicked himself for the slip.

Draco smirked triumphantly. "Then why are you wearing Slytherin robes?"

Damn it! Quickly, Harry turned slightly so that he was facing away from the blond boy. Using wandless magic, it only took him a few seconds to transfigure the Slytherin sign into a Hufflepuff badge. "What are you talking about, Malfoy? Are you blind?" He shot back, trying to sound as rude as possible.

Draco whirled around. "YOU'RE the one who's blind! Can't you see that those robes are Sly---" The blond's words died on his lips as he saw the Hufflepuff badge. Harry was sure he heard him mumble, "Strange. I was sure those were Slytherin robes a minute ago."

Harry smirked, about to retort when Draco spoke again. "What's your name?"

"Se--- Septimus. Septimus Moonstream."

Draco's look was piercing, his expression suspicious. "Septimus? Isn't that a Slytherin name?"

Harry forced a triumphant sneer onto his face. "Really Malfoy, you should know by now that all names are categorized."

"Pureblood?"

Harry shook his head, thinking that if he said he was Muggleborn, Draco would surely lose interest in him. "Muggleborn."

It worked. Hearing the word, Draco sneered and turned away. "So you?e nothing but a Mudblood. No wonder I've never noticed you before." He smirked evilly. "See you, Septimus." There was something about the way he said those words that made them seem as if they were filth. Normally, Harry would retort and snap back in anger, but since he was trying to avoid attention, he just gave a small nod, watching as the blond walked away.

He stood there, lost in his thoughts until suddenly, a voice called out to him.

"Excuse me?"

Turning, Harry saw Eliza. The girl was wearing a long, fur cloak which trailed behind her. "Er... I've never seen you around the school before. Are you a student?"

Smiling, Harry remembered Lady Lyra's advice. "Eliza!" he said as he shifted back into Sebastien Frostpine.

A look of surprise flashed across the girl's face before she smiled in return. "Hey, Sebastien. How's it going?"

Harry's smile faded. "Not well."

"I've heard from Dumbledore about what happened. Do-- Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry nodded slightly as he sat down on a rock. "Okay...." he trailed off, "I-- I don't know where to start though." He suddenly felt awkward.

Amusement shone in misty-grey orbs. "The beginning's usually a good place."

Smirking, Harry whacked Eliza on the elbow. "Fine, fine," he said, sighing, "I'll tell you. It all started with when Draco and I decided to sneak into Hogsmeade..."

By the time Harry was done recounting his tale, it was near dinnertime. After getting scolded by Eliza for being so careless, ("YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT! WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING???!!?/SPAN>) they both headed towards the Great Hall. Harry smiled slightly; he felt much better now that he had talked about his feelings. Although Eliza scolded him mercilessly, she was still extremely understanding and sympathetic.

As they neared the hall, however, Harry was once again beginning to panic. He had not yet faced Draco, and they usually sat right next to each other. How would the blond react?

Eliza, sensing his anxiety, smiled at him. "It's alright, Harry. Remember, Draco's the only one who knows about this in Slytherin. Just relax: you've given him a chance to calm down, and now it? up to him how he wants to react. You've done your part Harry, and you should be proud of yourself; you did what had to be done. Go out there and face your problems. I promise I'll be here with you."

Harry forced a weak upturn of his lips, grateful that he had such friends. Then, taking a deep breath, he stepped in.

To his relief, the only person who looked up at him was Hermione. She gave him a small reassuring smile before turning back to Ron. Harry sighed. The redhead was sitting defiantly, face turned determinedly in the other direction. Harry? stomach squirmed as he remembered Ron wasn? even the one he was supposed to be worrying about now; he still had Draco to face. And he didn't have to wait long.

He trudged resignedly to the far end of the hall before silently sitting down at the Slytherin table, beside Draco. His heart thumped loudly as he waited for the blond to react.

"So, Frostpine," Draco sneered, a smirk resting on his lips. "What are you doing here, huh? Thought you were with the Gryffindork lions now?"

Harry bit down on his lips, feeling his heart clench painfully. "Don?, Draco," he said softly. "I-- I did what I had to do."

"What you had to do, really?" The blond spat out mockingly. "Could you not have told anyone even if you had wanted to? Had to, my ass!"

Draco didn't seem to care that people were beginning to stare that them, but Harry was growing increasingly uncomfortable of the curious glances thrown in their direction. "Er... I'll just be going, Eliza," he said apologetically to the girl sitting beside him. "I'm not really hungry." With that, he took off, running out of the Great Halls without a backward glance.

ELIZA'S POV

I watched sorrowfully as Harry ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Most of the members of the Great Hall turned to stare as the gigantic doors crashed shut. Draco, however, turned determinedly in the other direction, talking loudly to Blaise as if nothing had happened at all.

I felt anger mounting inside me at the sight. How DARE Draco act this way? Harry was not really to blame: He had always tried his best, doing what he had to do, what he was meant to do. It was true that by imposing as Sebastien, he had hurt many people's feelings, but the way Draco was acting was unreasonable. It wasn't as if Harry had any choice!

A steak of lightening cracked through the air as my fire elemental magic lost control. Quickly, I gripped myself, grabbing and focusing the power back inside me. I couldn't loose control right now. I would probably end up burning everyone if I did. But my anger was overwhelming me. I had to let it out somehow. And I had to get out of here before I did something I would regret.

I stood up suddenly, decision made. Reaching out, I grabbed Draco by the collar, lifting him off of his seat. The Great Hall became silent, everyone watching me as Draco gave a yell.

"Rosethorn! Get the hell off me!"

I paid him no heed. "You're coming with me, Malfoy!" I hissed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dumbledore stand up, heading towards me. Without thinking, I turned, and with lightening speed, darted out of the hall, Draco in toll.

I headed into the Slytherin dormitory, yelling out the password. Once in the Common Room, I set Draco down on the floor. The blond picked himself up indignantly before turning to face me, his eyes blazing.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Rosethorn! How DARE you drag me out of the room without my permission!"

I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. "Yes, I dare. I dare, Draco Malfoy, because I had to deal with you before I exploded on you."

A sneer graced his face. "HA! Tell me, what has gotten on your nerves now, Your Highness?" His voice was mockingly high, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

For a second, I stood there, rage and shock burning through me. Then, I raised my hand and brought it down upon Draco.

Whack!

The slap landed with a satisfying smack. Draco just looked at me, hand cupping his cheek, too shocked to react.

"YOU!" I hissed angrily, shaking with fury. "YOU! You go around blaming people all day for things they couldn't help, and you blame it on me! You insult me for dragging you out of the Great Hall! Why don't your look at your own behaviour, Malfoy. You're acting like an absolute prat. And you blame Sebastien for whatever that's happened. He helped you when you had no friends: he befriended you and became your best friend. And this is how you repay him? It wasn't his fault he had to pretend to be another! Do you think he enjoyed it? That it was all some sort of sick joke? Well, I'll tell you this, I'm sick of this, Draco Malfoy! You stand around sulking all the time, complaining to the others, whining endlessly and blaming everything on Sebastien! And what has he ever done to you? He made friends with you, he helped you, and you... you...." I stopped, eyes flashing dangerously. "God, you're such and idiot, Draco Malfoy! Just get your wand out of your ass and look at what's happening before you go around judging people!" Shooting one last angry glare, I stormed out of the room, leaving a confused and shocked Draco Malfoy behind me.

Draco just stood there, staring in shock as he watched Eliza storm out of the room. Dear Merlin... Eliza had always seemed shy and polite to him: he hadn't known she had such a temper. He still couldn't believe that the same girl had managed to drag him (literally) out of the Great Hall and had been yelling at him on the top of her lungs for the last.... fifteen minutes.

All because of Potter. Damn Potter.

And it had been mostly his influence that had stopped Draco from becoming a Death Eater! True, he had never been as at ease with taking the Dark Mark as he had outwardly appeared, but it had been Sebastien who had shown him that he could make his own decisions, and turn away from the path that had already been made for him. He had thought he had found someone to admire ?a Slytherin who was against the Dark Lord and would firmly support Draco? choice against becoming one of his minions, when really all he had found was damn Potter!

What Draco hated to admit, however, was that in a way, Eliza was right. Potter had only done what he had had to do --Draco doubted the Gryffindor had meant any harm. But... his mind just couldn't get over the fact that Harry Potter, the Damn Boy-Who-Lived, his worst rival, was actually his best friend. It was just too confusing. How could Potter and Sebastien, seemingly so different, be the same person?

Draco sighed. Perhaps he had over-reacted after all. In his heart, he knew that he had been acting foolishly. As he lay down in his bed in his dorm, he vowed to himself that he would try to behave more maturely in the future.

Eliza rushed out of the Common Room in search of Harry. Where had the boy gone now?

After running around the school for several minutes, she ran head-long into a figure that was coming out of the library.

"Oops... Sorry, Hermione," she said apologetically as she helped the other girl up.

Hermione just smiled. "No problem. What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for H--- Sebastien. I haven't seen him since he ran out of the Great Hall."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Poor Sebastien," she said quietly. "Draco's obviously ignoring him, and Ron's being an absolute prat. I can't believe those two!"

"Want to help me look?" Eliza asked hopefully, peering around.

Hermione smiled gratefully. "Sure. Let's go."

After they searched the dorms, the library, and the kitchen (in which Dobby was horrified to hear that they couldn't find Harry Potter), they finally headed up to the seventh floor. As they neared the room, they both heard the sound of music drifting out.

"Devil's Trill..." Eliza whispered.

Hermione just looked at her. "Is-- Is that Sebastien?"

Eliza nodded.

Hermione's eyes widened. "It's beautiful," she said softly. "I didn't know he could play."

"He learned," was the only reply as Eliza reached out and pulled open the door.

Harry sat on the piano bench in front of a Grand piano. His eyes were focused, his brows wrinkled slightly in concentration. The music just drifted out from under his fingers.

"Wow, Harry," Hermione whispered when the music ended. "That was beautiful."

"Thanks, 'Mione," the boy said, turning and allowing a faint smile to grace his lips.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Eliza asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine." The answer was slightly harsh, causing both girls to back away.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, guys," he said. "I'm just really tired right now. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"No problem," Hermione said brightly. "It's alright, Harry. Even if Draco and Ron are acting like prats, don't worry, we'll be here for you."

Harry smiled, thinking that he was truly lucky to have such friends. "Thanks, guys."

"Come on," Eliza said, breaking the short silence. "We should get to bed."

Together, they walked to the doorway, where they paused.

To Harry surprise, Hermione stopped and threw her arms around him, bringing him into a comforting hug. "Don't worry, Harry," she whispered softly before turning and heading in the direction of the Gryffindor dorms. Harry and Eliza watched her until she disappeared before they headed towards the Serpent's Lair.