Harry woke up to the morning light, and groaned, rolling over. Opening his eyes, he found that he was (once again) in the Hospital Wing. Alone.

Excellent.

He quickly stood up, pulled on his shoes, and headed towards the door, hoping to sneak out. He'd barely taken two steps when a shrill voice made him freeze.

"SEBASTIEN FROSTPINE! JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

"Er.... out?" He answered timidly, then gulped at the look on the school nurse's face. Poppy Pomfrey was one of the few people who could still make him cower in fright.

"You, young man," the nurse said fiercely, poking him in the chest. "will be staying the Hospital Wing until I see that you are fit to leave!" With that, she marched him back to bed, muttering under her breath about teenage defiance.

Harry sighed. He had been under the nurse's care enough times to know that arguing would not do any good. This was going to be one long day.

Lying in bed for an entire day with nothing to do gave him plenty of time to contemplate what was going on in his life. He thought about the events that had taken place in the last few weeks.

He wasn't sure about his current feelings on what had happened. He certainly didn't feel the need to end his life anymore, now that everything was fine --- almost. At the time, he had felt as if he had nothing left to live for ---- Severus' words had cut deeply into his heart. Now, however, with their talk the day before, he realized that the Potions Master had just been lashing out, inflicting pain upon others as a defense mechanism. He knew that he couldn't blame the man for what had happened, and he willingly forgave him. Now, he only had to talk to a few others ---Ron being one of them--- before things could go back to normal. As normal as possible for Harry Potter, anyways.

He was suddenly broken out of his thoughts by the sound of hissing. Looking up, he spotted his two pet snakes slithering towards him.

Ice! Shadow! He cried out, allowing the snakes to curl around his arms. Guilt overwhelmed him as he realized that in the recent light of things, he had completely neglected his pets. I'm so sorry about what's happened.... I----

Ice cut him off before he could continue. No need to explain, Master. We are aware of what has happened and we've looked after ourselves just fine. There has been no harm done.

We've had plenty of food from hunting in the forest, Shadow added, as if to reassure him.

Harry looked down at his pets fondly, occasionally reaching down to stroke their backs, as he quickly caught up with what had been going on. Suddenly, both snakes froze, hissing, tongues forking out as if to taste the air. Their bodies tensed, as if ready to attack.

What is it, Shadow? Ice?

Someone is approaching, Master. They smell like.... wolf.

Wolf? Before Harry could ask anything else, the door of the Hospital Wing swung open, and in stepped Remus Lupin.

"Re--- Professor Lupin? Is something wrong?"

Remus stepped quietly into the Hospital Wing, not wanting to disturb anyone. He stopped suddenly at what he saw. Sebastien Frostpine lay in the last bed, twin snakes curled around his arms.

"Re--- Professor Lupin? Is something wrong?"

Remus noticed the boy's slip, but dismissed it without a second thought. "I heard about... what happened. I had a free class, so I just came around to see how you were doing."

The boy smiled at him. "Have a seat, Professor." Noticing his look, the Slytherin added, "Don't worry about Shadow or Ice here. They're very well-trained."

Remus nodded, pulling up a chair. He smiled at his student, although his amber eyes darkened with concern. "How are you doing, Sebastien?"

"Everything's been fine, sir, and I'm feeling much better. Although Madam Pomfrey still won't let me leave," he added, grumbling.

Remus couldn't suppress a chuckle at the comment. Soon, they were both laughing in amusement.

They talked for a few more minutes before the door swung open again. This time, Ron and Hermione walked in, the latter carrying a pile of homework.

"Hey, Harry, how're you----- Oh Professor Lupin!"

Remus, instead of answering, however, was looking between the three, frowning. "Harry?" He asked in puzzlement before turning to Sebastien. What was going here? The only plausible answer was.... But no--- it couldn't be, the boy didn't look anything like...

"Oh, er... Harry's my middle name, Professor," the boy explained quickly. "My full name's Sebastien Harry Frostpine. I don't really like my first name--- too old-fashioned----so I've asked Ron, Hermione, and Eliza to call by my middle name. For some reason, Draco refused-- said something about rivals.... not sure what he was talking about...."

"Oh... I see..." Remus inwardly kicked himself for jumping on conclusions. How could have he been so foolish? Harry Potter was dead, and he had to learn to move on with it. So lost was he in his thoughts, he didn't notice Sebastien's sigh of relief, nor did he see the glances the three shared.

They talked about school for a while (with Hermione rambling on enthusiastically about the classes) before Ron began talking about the upcoming Quidditch match. Remus listened awkwardly for a while, feeling slightly out-of-place, before standing. "Well, I think it's time I take my leave. I'm sure you youngsters wouldn't want me listening in on your conversations." He smiled warmly, heading towards the door.

Sebastien spoke up behind him.

"Oh, it's alright if you want to stay, Moony. We're not talking about anything important anyways."

Remus shook his head. "It's alright, I---" He suddenly froze as he realized... Quickly, he whirled around. "What did you say?"

Sebastien looked at him, puzzled. "What?"

Remus' voice was harsh. "What did you just call me?"

He watched as realization slowly dawned on the boy, and the child's face paled. "I--- Professor, I----"

Remus took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He didn't want to scare the boy. His mind was a hailstorm of emotions: confusion, anger, sorrow.... And so many others that he couldn't even begin to unravel. The practical part of him was trying to sort this out logically, but it too, was having difficulties. How could Sebastien, a student he had never met until the beginning of that year, know about his nickname? Could Ron and Hermione have told him? The idea was possible, but it didn't sound like the type of thing either of the Gryffindors would do. No one else knew about his nickname, no one other than Sirius ---who was no longer with them---, Peter ---who had betrayed them all---- and.... and....

He stopped short, looking carefully at the boy in front of him. Long black hair, pale skin, icy blue eyes... It couldn't be. There was no resemblance at all between those cold sapphire orbs of Sebastien Frostpine and the bright emerald green ones of the Boy-Who-Lived. But.... there was something about the boy's posture--- shoulder's hunched, legs sprawled out---- his expressions, the way he held himself... something so familiar that it took his breath away. Remus' hands trembled as he reached forward, scarcely daring to believe what he was seeing. A part of him was almost afraid that if he broke this moment of silence, the child in front of him would revert back into the person he had pretended to become. Remus, his voice shaky and full of question, finally spoke.

"Harry?"

"Harry?"

Harry's shoulders shook as he pulled his legs closer, encircling his knees with his arms. A part of him was happy: happy that he could finally behave normally around Remus again, that he could get the chance to know the man his parents had befriended. Yet another part of him was terrified: Remus knew. Remus knew who he really was, and who he had pretended to be. The man he looked up to as a second godfather knew about what he'd done and what he'd tried to do--- and he was terrified of rejection.

A small part of him realized that he could pretend he didn't know what was going on: he could pretend he was still Sebastien Frostpine. But his mind protested: he was tired, so tired --- tired of having to pretend, tired of being someone who he could never be. His body trembled as tears threatened to overcome him, but he valiantly pushed it down. No, he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't show his weakness....

He felt a hand on his chin, forcing him to look up, and he unresistingly obeyed, only to find himself looking into concerned amber eyes. He bit down on his lips, wanting to look away, but not having the strength to do so.

"Harry?"

There was such hope in that voice, such desperation, that he couldn't bear to lie anymore. With his last ounce of energy, he nodded slowly.

For a second, it seemed as if time had frozen. The four of them just sat there, no one daring even to breath for fear of breaking the moment. Then, suddenly, Remus reached forward and pulled Harry into a tight embrace.

"God, Harry... I was so worried; I thought you'd died... I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Harry shook his head, wrapping his arms tightly around the man. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he held them back determinedly.

Remus sighed softly, his hands rubbing gently on the boy's back. "It's alright Harry," he whispered quietly. "It's alright to cry. Just let it go."

With those words, it was as if a dam had been removed. Tears rushed forward, overwhelming him, as Harry clutched onto the other man like a lifeline. He was vaguely aware that Ron and Hermione had left the room, but his mind was too numb to register anything else. All that mattered was that Remus was here....

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the tears stopped flowing and Remus was left with an exhausted Boy-Who-Lived in his arms. Gently, the man placed the child back onto the bed, tucking the blanket in around him. "Go to sleep, Harry," he said quietly, his eyes moist. "You look exhausted. We'll talk later."

Harry nodded. He did indeed feel tired. Burrowing further into his blankets, he gave the werewolf a small smile. "Good night, Remus," he whispered.

"Good night, Harry."

The next time Harry woke up, it was the middle of the night. He turned, unsure of what had woken him. After a while of silence, he decided to go back to sleep. Whatever it was, it had probably been his imagination.

He was already half-asleep when he was vaguely aware of the door swinging open. Harry, not sure what to do, pretended to be asleep, although he turned his half-closed eyes towards the door.

The door opened, then a second later, closed by itself. Whoever it was, they either owned an invisibility cloak, or had done some sort of Disillusioning Charm. Hearing footsteps, approach him, he stiffened, one arm tightly gripping his wand.

Somewhere near his bed, the footsteps stopped. Harry tensed, a spell on his lips, when the person pulled off a silvery invisibility cloak to reveal....

...Ron Weasley.

Harry relaxed slightly, but still pretended to be asleep. He wanted to see what his friend would do.

"Harry! HARRY! Hey, mate, wake up!"

Harry opened his eyes fully. "Ron?" he asked. "What are you doing here? It's probably one in the morning!"

The other looked guiltily down at the floor. "I came to ... apologize."

"In the middle of the night?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Hey! It's the only time of the day when you're not bombarded with visitors, you know!" the redhead said defensively. "Besides, I wanted you to know this."

"Alright," Harry said in defeat, sitting up. "One second."

With a wave of his wand, he created a large shield to surround the both of them. Whispering a quick Lumos, the room lit up.

"Harry!" Ron hissed. "What if someone goes by the door and sees the light?"

"Don't worry," Harry answered. "I've put up a blocking shield, so if anyone walks by, they just seeing the normal darkness." He shifted slightly, getting comfortable. "Come on, sit down."

Ron settled down comfortably at the side of his bed. "Harry...." he began awkwardly. "I wanted to apologize for how I behaved the last few weeks. I----"

"Ron," Harry said patiently. "I've already forgiven you. It was my fault for keeping it from you, and anyone who's not logic-minded -----like Hermione----- would have needed a few days to adjust."

He would have gone on, but Ron held up a hand.

"No," the redhead said. "I know all of that, but I still treated you horribly and everything. I'm sorry for how I reacted."

Harry smiled. "Forgiven. Now you can stop apologizing, okay?" He looked at the time. "You know, you should go get a few hours of sleep while you still can. You don't want to fall asleep in potions, do you?"

Ron groaned at the comment. "I'd better go," he said. "Thanks, mate."

He was about to stand up when suddenly, both of them heard footsteps outside the door. Heading towards the Hospital Wing.

"Damn!" Ron said, reaching for the invisibility cloak, but Harry shook his head. "No time," he hissed, before pulling up the bedsheet and pushing the boy under the bed. "Stay there." He quickly whispered a spell to make the bed sheets longer so they covered Ron, before falling back into bed, pretending to be asleep.

A second later, the door swung open and Severus Snape walked in. Harry was surprised to see the Potions Master. What was he doing here in the middle of the night?

The man walked towards his bed, grabbed a chair, and sat down beside him. To Harry's surprise, Severus reached out and tucked a strand of raven-black hair behind his ear. After that, he just sat there. Watching him. Guarding. Protecting.

After a while, Harry began to feel drowsy. He didn't want to fall asleep -----parting because Ron was still under the bed---- but couldn't help it. With a sigh, he burrowed further into his blankets. Sleep opened her arms and took him in.

---DREAM SEQUENCE---

Two men knelt on the floor before another cloaked in midnight black. A cold voice rang through the air.

"Rookwood. What have you found out for me?"

"N-Nothing, my Lord."

Voldemort turned, his nostrils flaring. "Nothing? Is this how a servant would please his lord?"

The man trembled violently. "We could not access the----"

"Crucio!" The man screamed in pain, falling to the floor. "I do not wish to hear your pathetic excuses, Rookwood. I expect better results from you next time. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, My Lord." The man crawled forward, kissing the hem of Riddle's robes. "You are most noble, my Lord..."

"Pettigrew! What information have you found out?"

"It seems that Dumbledore has come up with a new plan to oppose you last mission, my Lord. There seems to be a leak in our people."

"Interesting. Well done, Wormtail. Have you found out about who the traitor might be?"

"N--Not yet, my Lord."

"This calls for punishment. You know that I do not tolerate failures, Peter."

The wizard shook from head to toe, trembling. "Please, my Lord...."

"Crucio!"

------End of Dream Sequence------

Harry woke up to blinding pain as he grasped at his invisible scar. His body trembled violently as he gasped in pain.

"Sebastien! Seb---Harry!"

He heard someone calling his name, but he didn't have the strength to respond. Curling himself into a ball, he groaned.

He felt arms wrap around him before he was lifted up. He buried his face into the person's robes.

Whoever it was, they just sat there, rocking him, until he felt better again. A while later, the person pulled back. "Harry? What happened?"

"Sev?"

Receiving a nod, he answered. "Voldemort. I had a vision."

After telling the Potions Master about what he had seen, he collapsed back into the bed, feeling drained.

Severus stood up. "I'm going to get some potions for you," he said. "I'll be back." With that, he swept out of the room.

The door had barely closed behind him when there was the sound of shuffling under his bed. Ron crawled out, groaning, before standing beside him. "Are you alright, mate?"

"Ron! Did you stay down there the whole time?"

"Er... I kind of fell asleep half-way through.... but anyways, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Ron. Severus' has gone to get some Potions --- You'd better go before he comes back."

"Alright," Ron agreed hesitantly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! Now hurry up!" he shoved his invisibility cloak into his friend's hands. "By the way, how did you get my invisibility cloak?"

"I'll tell you later," the redhead said. "I think Snape's almost coming back." With that, he pulled on the cloak and disappeared out the door.

A few minutes later, Severus came back in, arms full of bottles. After pouring potions after potions down Harry's throat, he banished the empty bottles to the table before he turned to the boy before him. "How are you feeling right now, Harry?"

Harry's response was quiet, and his eyes remained closed. "Tired."

Severus smiled. "Go to sleep, child," he said, standing up to leave. To his surprise, a hand tightly gripped his robes, refusing to allow him to leave. "Harry?"

"I-- Could you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

The boy's voice was timid, almost as if he was afraid of the response. Severus felt compassion well inside him. Reaching down, he carefully tucked the boy in. "Of course, child. I'll stay. Go to sleep now."

Harry nodded, burying his face into his blanket. "Thanks, Sev'rus."

There was no response for a long time.

Harry was almost asleep when he heard the quiet reply.

"Sweet dreams, Harry."