"Are you all right now?" she asked, her voice still gentle, almost coaxing. Tom scowled into the bear's blue fur for a moment, then nodded, the calm mask back in place.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

"Harry?" the nurse probed further.

You should just say yes, Blue spoke up fearfully inside. Don't tell!

She's gonna know anyway, I mean, we went kinda full-fledged bonkers, Jay replied in a rather acerbic tone. Might as fucking well.

Is it safe? Harry himself asked inside, almost as frightened as Tom.

I don't know, Tom answered internally, before finally, reluctantly, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Madam Pomfrey asked. He could feel her gaze strengthen, turn more inquisitive. It was maddening.

"I'm not Harry," Tom said, spacing the words out. He could feel Jay influencing him, but for once, he didn't care. If they had to spill out their most preciously guarded secret, he was going to make it as difficult as possible.

"Then who are you?" Professor Snape spoke up. He sounded more confused than anything, and Tom couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm not sure that it's wise to tell you," Tom said, with a slight sneer.

"And why would that be?" Snape asked, his scowl growing more pronounced. "Are you possessing Potter? Is that it?"

"Merlin's sake, of course not!" Tom burst out, uncomfortably aware that in some ways, for all intents and purposes, his presence in Harry's mind could, perhaps, in a way, be classified as possession. "It's complicated, all right?"

"Severus, calm down," Madam Pomfrey snapped, with a warning glare at her colleague. "You don't have to-to tell if you don't want to," she continued, gentler now. "But it would be very helpful if you did."

"I don't know what it's called," Tom finally said, easing his way to the subject of his name. "Or if I'm-we're-the only ones. There isn't just Harry in here. There's a lot of us."

"And your name?" Snape prompted again.

Realising what was probably going to happen, if Professor Snape knew how to put two and two together, that was (and if his own rather vague recollections of the man were accurate), Tom took a deep breath and simply said, "Like I told you before, sir. Tom."

The effect on the Potions professor was, once again, striking. Before Tom could so much as blink, the tip of the man's wand was right at his throat, and it was only the result of a fierce internal struggle that left him still in control at all

"How are you possessing the boy?" Snape demanded, his eyes burning into Tom's. "What are you doing to him? What Dark magic is this?"

Jay had had more than enough.

He threw himself to front, smashing past Tom like a cannon, and shoved Snape away with as hard a push as their eight-year-old arms could muster.

"Tom's not Dark, you fucking bastard!" Jay nearly yelled, his fingers tightening on the blue teddy bear until he realised what he was doing and hastily thrust the treasured object under his shirt, tucking the tails in for safekeeping, before his glare landed back on the rather surprised and still angry-looking Potions Master. "Fuck you, I'm tired of your fucking assumptions, do you ever try to think?! There's more than one person in Harry's head because of bloody abuse, you gobbed-off shite, and if you'd pull your head out of your arse and think for two bloody moments, maybe you would have realised that! And in case it wasn't bloody obvious, I'm not Harry fucking Potter, either!"

"Language," Poppy gently reproved, but Jay just shook his head, feeling hot and trembly all over with anger.

"My apologies," Professor Snape said rather stiffly, lowering his wand. The man's face was flushed, and all Jay could see was a weird mixture of anger, confusion, and...shame? in Snape's eyes.

"Tom ain't Dark," Jay repeated, sullen as he backed away and sat down on the edge of the nearest bed. All he could hear was a high-pitched buzzing in his ears. "None of us are."

"How many are you?" Madam Pomfrey pressed, but Jay shook his head.

"Don't wanna say," he told her. "Enough. Harry's in here, too, but he's got us to help him out."

"Thank you," Pomfrey said. "You know..." she trailed off, brow wrinkled in thought. "I don't think you are the only one with this-this condition at all, but I'm afraid I will have to do my research first..."

"Not the only one?" Jay and Snape echoed simultaneously in shock. Jay recovered first and glowered at the Potions professor, who had the grace to flush a little.

"Not by a long shot," Poppy said with a decisive shake of her head. "May I trust you, Harry who is not Harry, to stay in this room and amuse yourself quietly? I will not ask you to go with Professor Snape," she tacked on, watching his mutinous expression. "But I need to know that you are somewhere safe, for my own peace of mind, if nothing else."

"I guess," Jay finally, reluctantly said.

"Severus, I'd like you to leave for a while," Poppy continued. "It would be for the best right now, giving you both time to calm down."

Snape looked like he wanted to protest, but instead merely inclined his head a bit and nodded at Jay.

"I do my best, Potter," Snape said in a low voice, eyes pinning Jay to the bed. "But while I admit I over-stepped, the Dark Lord and his return is one of my primary concerns, and I cannot take things that may concern him lightly."

"Whatever," Jay shrugged, inwardly baffled.

I'll try to tell you later, Tom said inside, also sounding subdued.

With a nod at Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape left the infirmary with his customary flourish.

"Sit there, would you?" Poppy smiled and motioned to the bed. "Or under, if you prefer, I did try to make it more comfortable for you. Or...whoever it was."

"Thanks," Jay mumbled, his ears burning as Poppy flicked her wand and a colouring book and box of crayons landed beside him on the sheets.

For the moment, they had a reprieve. But how long could that last?