Severus once again sat in the Hospital Wing next to Sebastien's bed. A week had passed since the day of the attack, and the child had yet to wake. He stayed by the boy's side as often as he could between lessons and etc.

He closed his eyes tiredly and was about to drift off when a whimper caught his attention. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was Sebastien making the sound. He was at the boy's side in a flash. "Come on, Sebastien," he coaxed softly. "Hurry up and wake up. It's time to get up now."

Slowly, ever so slowly, the boy's eyes opened. Blue orbs met black as Severus leaped up. "You're finally awake," he said softly.

The child's eyes were full of confusion. He watched as the boy slowly recognized him.

"S-Severus?"

The voice was raspy from a week of disuse. Severus quickly summoned a cup of water and lifted it up to Sebastien's lips. "Drink," he ordered.

The boy obeyed, swallowing the water. He shivered slightly.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked, noticing the way the child was trembling.

"It's cold. So cold."

Severus grabbed the boy and brought him closer, wrapping his arms around the shaking child. He surprised himself with the action. It had been so long since he had willingly felt physical contact with another.

He discovered, to his horror, that the boy was burning hot. Taking his temperature, he saw that it was about 43 degrees Celcius. He quickly summoned several wet towels as he placed them on the burning forehead. "Poppy!" he yelled loudly. "He's awake!"

A few seconds later, Poppy raced into the room with Fever-Reducing Potions. The fever dropped two degrees, and was better than before, but was still too high for comfort.

"The best we can do right now is keep him warm," the nurse said.

Unfortunately, Severus had to leave for morning lessons. He was extremely snappy and impatient that morning, taking out his anger and helplessness on the cowering students. At lunch, he raced back to the Hospital Wing to find that the bed Sebastien had occupied before was empty.

In panic, he looked around the room, not seeing the boy. He was about to go for Poppy when he heard a small whimper. Looking up, he saw a small figure curled up in the corner of the room where the two walls met.

Walking over, he placed a hand on the shaking shoulder. The boy looked up, confusion evident in the blue orbs. "Sebastien?" he asked. "What's wrong?" His fingers touched the burning cheeks.

"I-I'm lost," a small voice whispered, barely audible. "Where am I?"

It broke Severus' heart to see the boy he had come to look after as a son behave this way. "Oh, Sebastien," he said softly, pulling the child closer. "You're at Hogwarts. You're safe."

The confusion disappeared. "S-Sev?"

"Yes, Sebastien, it's me."

The boy suddenly launched himself at him, throwing fraile arms around his neck.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," he said, lifting the child easily and placing him onto the hospital bed. He tucked the sheets tightly around the boy. "Are you hungry?"

Sebastien shook his head. "Just tired."

"Well, go to sleep, Sebastien," Severus said. The boy complied and minutes later, he was once again asleep. When he was sure no one would see him, he leaned down and placed a kiss on the forehead of the child he had come to love.

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

Harry woke several more times over the course of the next few days. Soon, he had built up enough stamina to walk around for short periods of time, although someone had to be with him on these trips for he often got hit with dizzy or weakness spells. Draco, Eliza, Ron, and Hermione often came to see him between classes, bringing get-well gifts and etc. Severus was mostly around to talk with.

One afternoon, he was in bed when there was a knock. The door opened and Remus Lupin walked in. "Hello, Sebastien," the werewolf said.

"Good Morning, Mo--Professor Lupin," Harry said quietly, inwardly kicking himself. What would he answer if Remus asked him how he knew his nickname?

"How are you feeling?" the man asked, sitting down in a chair next to him.

"Much better, sir," Harry heard himself reply.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Then...

"I want to thank you, Sebastien. For saving me. It it hadn't been for you, I would be dead by now." Remus looked at him, warm brown eyes shining with gratitude. "You risked your own life for me, and I can't thank you enough for that."

Harry flushed, embarassed. "I only did what I had to do, Professor," he said, blushing furiously, his cheeks fiery red.

"Sebastien, I wanted to ask... How did you know my nickname? Not many do."

Harry looked down, distinctly uncomfortable. "Er... I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't tell you," he said quietly. "I promised not to tell. Let's just say... An old friend told me."

Remus looked at him for a minute before nodding. "It's alright," he said. After another minute of silence, he asked, "Sebastien, you knew about my nickname, so did you know about... Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail?"

Harry nodded. "Padfoot was Sirius Black, godfather of Harry Potter, blamed for a crime he did not do. Prongs was James Potter, father of Harry Potter, killed by Voldemort on Halloween. And Wormtail." His voice hardened and his eyes flashed coldly. "Peter Pettigrew, Death Eater and Spy for Voldemort. He betrayed Lily and James and he framed Sirius." He looked up again, smiling sadly at Moony. "I know you want to know how I know, Remus, but I can't. I promised myself and everyone else. I promise you'll find out one day."

A pained expression flashed across the werewolf's face, but it quickly disappeared. "I understand, Sebastien," he said, standing up, smiling sorrowfully. "I'll see you soon, okay? I have to leave for classes now." With that, he left the room, leaving Harry to ponder over his own thoughts.

Harry lay in bed, thinking about what had happened over the past few days. When he had first awoken, he could barely remember anything. One of the things he did recall, however, was the feeling of strong arms wrapped around him protectively. Severus' arms. He had seen a gentle side of the Potions Master no one had ever seen before. He discovered suddenly that he cared about the man, that Severus was the closest thing to a father- figure he'd ever known. He was the one to comfort him when he had frightening nightmares, or took care of him when he felt weak. He realized that the man meant more to him than he could ever guess.

The last thought he had before drifting into darkness was of how the world would react if they knew Severus Snape was willingly taking care of Harry Potter.