//So, what's an elemental?//

That was the first question I asked when I walked back to my room.

//An elemental,// the Lady explained, //is a person who has the abilit to control one or two elements. When we were bonded, most of my elemental magic was transfered to you. So you are now an elemental of wind and ice.//

//What about the auras?// I asked curiously.

//Ah, yes. The elemental magic allowed you to /see/ the auras, showing you how powerful, or weak, a person is. You can also sense the person's emotions. The auras rate from most powerful to least powerful, starting from white, then red, blue, yellow, purple, green, and orange. White is the most powerful; I believe Merlin was one of the few whom had it. The darker a colour, the more powerful that person is.//

//Well, Sev-- I meant Snape had a icy grey-blue aura, and it was pretty dark, so that means he's considered powerful?// I asked, blushing over my little slip.

//First of all, child,// the Lady said, sounding amused. //Do not be afraid to call him Severus. If you feel that you know him well enough to do so, then do it. You realize that he is much like you, little one.//

//Like me?//

//He had an awful childhood; his parents encouraged him to join Voldemort. But you realize that their parents were nothing like the Weasleys. They are cold, hard people, displaying no love or warmth.//

//But... what happened?//

//That, child, is not for me to say. You will have to ask him some day. You must realize that he needs you, just as you need him.// Lady Lyra was smiling, I could tell, as if she could see my stunned expression. //You may not realize it, little one, but its true.// She sighed. //Now, back to the point. Yes, Severus is considered powerful, but have you noticed the silver lining on his aura?//

I shook my head. //Nope. What does it mean?//

//A silver lining represents Dark magic. If a person interacts with Dark magic too often, their auras will automatically have a silver lining. Since Severus has the Dark Mark, but loathes the thought of being a Death Eater, his line is barely visible. On the other hand,// Here, the Lady paused slightly. //The opposite, is a golden lining. It's a sign of Light magic. For example, if you see Albus Dumbledore, you'll see a well-defined golden lining outside his aura.//

//Um... I'm just curious,// I asked uncertainly. //But... what colour is my aura?//

The Lady laughed, a beautiful, melodic sound. //Do not worry, little one. Your aura is of the purest white, and you will be able to defeat the Dark with no problems as long as you train and practise.//

//Train?// I asked, confused.

//Training is necessary for you to explore your powers and control you elements. We will begin practical training lessons as soon as possible. First though, you must read about the theory and meditation skills. When you have mastered the meditation, then we can move on. Also, you will have to learn Shape-Shifting. It allows you to change your appearance. That's what Shiara did you your appearance. Shape-Shifting it a part of elemental and spiritual magic which you will learn.//

//What book do I have to get?// I asked, eager to begin.

//No need. There, take these two.//

I was shocked as three books flew towards me and onto the table. One read, 'Elemental Magic: The Ancient Elements by Rowena Ravenclaw' while the other was called 'Meditation Skills: A Complete Guide by Godric Gryffindor'. The last one was called 'The Art of Shape-Shifting by Salazar Slytherin.' //Rowena, Godric, and Salazar wrote these?// I asked, completely stunned.

//Yes, they wanted their future generations to be able to learn the ancient skills. Now, read these two books as soon as possible, and practise the meditation skills. Inform me when you are done. You have one week at the longest.//

I groaned. Reading, reading, reading. I opened one of the books to the first page and began to read.

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

The days passed quickly. Harry had soon finished reading his required books, and was now mastering the art of elementals and meditation. His control over his elements has improved greatly. He was now able to call the wind and ice to him when he wished. His Shape-Shifting techniques were also improving. He was now able to shift his appearance at will. Each morning, he woke at four a.m. in order to practise.

Now, he had a second problem. Nightmares. The daily visions were depriving him of sleep. Each night, he dreamed of Voldemort with his reptilian eyes, torturing Muggles mercilessly. And Cedric, Sirius, his parents.... they all came to haunt him during the frightening shadows of the night. Sometimes, it was the Dursleys again, usually beating him whil he had no way of defending himself. He was constantly tired and messing up his work.

"Sebastien!" Severus barked. "What do you think you're doing? You're supposed to put in nutmeg FIRST, before the basilik powder! Now the potion's completely ruined!"

"I'm sorry, sir," Sebastien replied, yawning. Looking at him, Severus felt concern. It was only eight in the evening, and Sebastein seemed unbelievably tired. The child had been messing everything up for the last few days. Something was wrong, though what, he did not know.

"Wait here," he ordered. "I'll go get a new supply of ingrediants from the storage room so you can start over. With that, he left the room.

When he came back, his arms full of ingrediants, he was surprised to see Sebastien asleep on the table. The child looked dead to his feet. Usually, Severus would awaken the student and yell at them for falling asleep, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it now. The child looked different without his usually guarded look, so fragile, so... vulnerable. Dropping the ingrediants on a table, he levitated the boy onto the sofa. Summoning a blanket, he covered the child.

For a few moments, Severus watched Sebastien sleep, looking so peaceful. He reached out a hand and unconsciously brushed away a strand of hair. He caught himself in the middle of the action. What was he doing?

He was about to leave when the boy started mumbling, looking uneasy. "No, no... not me, not again... I didn't do it, it was Dudley..."

Dudley? Who was that? The name sounded slightly familiar.

The child continued to mumble. "Please... don't, leave me alone..." His voice was rising both in volume and intensity, making a crescendo. "PLEASE, NO~!" The child leaned backwards, cowering. Severus watched, shocked, as blood started leaking out of the boy's mouth.

Severus wondered for a moment what would cause such a violent reaction before turning to the matter at hand. What could he do to calm the child? He reached out uncertainly and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, but Sebastien winced, flinching away from him.

He had to show Sebastien that he was safe, and there was only one thing he could think of to do. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the child and pulled him into an embrace.

At first, the boy stiffened, but slowly relaxed. After a few minutes, Severus moved to put Sebastien back onto the sofa, but the child grabbed onto his robes, snuggling against him. Severus froze. This was the first time someone willingly sought out comfort from him, and he wasn't used to the human contact.

The boy slowing fell into relaxed sleep, but Severus could not move without waking up the child. Using a spell, he quickly got rid of all traces of blood. He held the boy for the rest of the night.

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

The first thing Harry was aware of was warmth. Such unbelievable comfort and love. He felt someone pull a strand of hair from his face. He snuggled towards the warmth as he felt whoever was holding him freeze. A second later, the person relaxed again.

He could not ever remember being held this way. Yes, Mrs. Weasley had held him a few times while he cried, but this was... different. There was a feeling of protectiveness that he hadn't noticed before.

Opening his eyes, he found himself looking into a pair of obsidian black eyes. With a gulp, he realized that it was Sev-- no, Snape... no, Severus. (WHATEVER!) He cheeks flushed as he jumped up and immediately apologized. "Um... Sorry, sir."

"No need. How are you feeling?" was the reply. Harry slowly looked up. There was a softness in Severus' voice that he had never heard before. A slight understanding. And was that concern he saw in the man's usually emotionless eyes? No, he had to be imagining it. Why would Severus Snape care about Harry Potter? He could almost laugh at the very idea. He suddenly realized that he was being asked a question.

"Um... fine, sir," he replied, blushing again. He got up and hesitantly added, "Thank you, sir," as he walked out of the room. He didn't see the sad expression on the Potions Master's face.

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

Severus saw Sebastien open his eyes. The boy looked shocked for a second before immediately putting on a blank mask. He felt surprised at how sorrowful he felt. This boy was concealing his emotions and hiding away from the rest of the world. A child shouldn't have to do that, to go through that. Whatever the child had been dreaming about, it wasn't pleasent.

He watched as Sebastien left the room. He sighed, getting up. He was about to go eat breakfast when his left arm suddenly burned. Damn it, why now? Well, not that he had a choice. Sighing once again, he went to Sebastien's rooms.

"I'll be gone for a while, I don't know when I'll be back," he said, quickly leaving, clutching his left forearm. He didn't notice the icy-blue eyes looking at him with concern.

Severus walked out of the house until he was out of the Anti- Appartion wards. With a pop, he was gone, leaving thin air where he was standing a minute ago.

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

Harry was worried. Yes, he admitted it. He was worried about Severus. After all, his professor had comforted him earlier with his nightmares.

He had to admit that Severus wasn't bad when he wasn't around other students. He was almost... nice when he didn't constantly where that smirk of his on his face.

Harry paced the rooms, tapping his foot impatiently. Beside him, he had several different bottles of healing potion ready. He knew that when Severus came back, he wouldn't be in a good condition and would definately need the potions. He checked his watch. The Potions Master had been gone for two hours already. He began pacing again.

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

Severus found himself in front of a looming house. This was Riddle Manor, though where it was located, he was unsure. Voldemort never told his followers any of this information, just in case there as a spy among them.

With a swish of his robes, he walked into the now familiar Manor. The Dark Lord often held meetings here. Walking through the grand entrance hall, he walked down the hallway to where Voldemort usually held his meetings.

Walking into the dimly lit room, he found Voldemort sitting in an armchair. Gathered around him were a group of Death Eaters, each cloaked in black.

"My Lord," he said, kneeling, as he kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robes, feeling sick all the while.

Voldemort turned around and smiled, a cold smile of anticipation, sending a chill down Severus' back.

"Finally, you have come, Severus."

"Of course, My Lord, I am always at your service."

"Are you sure you are loyal, my dear Severus?"

"My loyalty shall never waver, my Lord," Severus replied, his voice showing none of the disgust he felt.

"Then why have you not notified me about you new charge? Sebastien is his name, is it not?"

Severus swallowed. How had the Dark Lord found out about Sebastien? "My Lord," he said, still kneeling. "I did not wish to bother you and thought I would notify you next when you call us. I did not know you knew already."

"I will take that excuse for today, Severus, but next time, I expect better of you."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Today," Voldemort said, a smile plastered on his face. "I will test your loyalties. Each of you will be put under tests and those of you who are not loyal, will die in pain."

Severus' stomach clenched painfully. He knew exactly what the Dark Lord meant by 'tests'. Voldemort occasionally tested people's loyalty by putting them under various curses and torture devises. He thought that anyone not loyal would end up confessing. Severus had seem many times when a Death Eater confessed to passing information to Dumbledore when Severus knew for a fact that the follower had done nothing of the sort. Most just confessed so that they could be killed, so that the pain would be over.

Severus bit back a scream as Voldemort pointed his wand at him and said, "Culter." It felt as though a billion knives were ripping into his skin. Cuts opened on his pale skin as he started bleeding. Soon, he was lying in a pool of his own blood. Many others were in the same condition.

Three hours later, the torture finally ended. The only thing which kept Severus going was the fact that he was disloyal, and that he had to survive so he could continue spying for Dumbledore.

He staggered from the house and with a loud 'pop', Apparated.

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

Harry had been waiting for almost four hours when finally, there was a pop. Severus appeared out of thin air, but his condition was terrible. Various cuts lined his pale skin, making him bleed. Judging from his aura, he was in great pain. He had been put under the prolonged Cruciatus curse, looking at the way the man was shaking.

"Professor!" Harry cried as he rushed over and helped the Potions Master onto the sofa. Taking out a bottle of healing potion he had brewed a few days ago, he gave it to his professor. "Drink this, sir."

The professor lifted the cup to his face, but his hands were shaking too much. Finally, Harry just took the cup and helped his teacher down the contents by holding it up to the Potions Masters' mouth.

He took out a potion for dealing with the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse. Helping Severus drink the blue potion, he sat down and sighed.

He had done all he could with potions. Now, for the spells. Pulling out his wand, he whispered, "Communis Healius!"

The cuts and wounds, both internal and external, began to heal. Harry sighed. Severus looked much better than when he had first walked in. Casting a sleeping spell on the man, he decided to notify Dumbledore.

Going to Severus' fireplace, he threw a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace. Instead of stepping in though, he called out, "Albus Dumbledore!" With that, he stuck his head into the fire.

He found himself in Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was sitting at his desk. Dumbledore looked surprised when he saw him. "Sebastien," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Snape just came back from a Death Eater meeting, sir," Harry gasped out, not caring if he wasnt' supposed to know this information. "He's hurt."

"Go back," Dumbledore ordered. "I'll be there in a second."

Hary obeyed, and sure enough, Dumbledore stepped through the fireplace a minute later. "Where is he?"

Leading the Headmaster to the sofa in which Severus was lying in, he explained, "I gave him several healing potions and healing spells."

"Thank you, that's all we can do at the moment." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again before he became serious. "Although Sebastien, you must tell me, how did you know that Severus was going to a Death Eater meeting? How did you know all those healing spells? They are advanced beyond your level, and I doubt you have made /that/ much progress these weeks."

"I--" Harry opened his mouth to tell Dumbledore that he couldn't tell him when Lady Lyra interrupted.

//Tell him, Harry. He will help you.//

//Excuse me?// Harry asked, stunned.

//Tell him who you are. He will understand and help you. I promise.//

//If your sure.// Harry sighed, admitting defeat. Turning to the curious Headmaster, he said, "Professor, I doubt you will believe this..."

"Do not be so quick to judge me, Sebastien," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

"Fine. I'm not really Sebastien Frostpine. I AM an orphan, but I was not Obliviated. I know exactly what happened and how I got here."

"And how, is that, my dear boy?"

Harry raised his hand and as he shifted into his true form, said, "Headmaster, I am Harry Potter."

He smirked slightly at the look on the headmaster's face. So Dumbledore wasn't 'all-knowing' after all.

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said after a moment. "But I must ask you to prove this."

"No problem." Harry raised his head and hissed in Parseltongue. ~Come to me, Ice and Shadow.~ A minute later, the two snakes slithered onto his arm.

He looked up and saw that the Headmaster's look was guarded. "Professor?"

"I must ask you to do something else," Dumbledore replied, his wand in hand. "For Harry Potter is not the only one who knows how to speak Parseltongue. Tom Marvelo Riddle also knows how. I must be sure that you are not Voldemort in disguise."

Harry could have laughed at the silliness of the sentence. Dumbledore thought HE was Voldemort? Ha!"Of course, Headmaster," he said as he raised his voice. This time, he called out in Phoenixus, ?Come, Flame!?

A minute later, there was a loud trill in reply. Flame flew into the room and perched himself on Harry's shoulder.

"Is this proof enough?"

This time, the Headmaster smiled, his eyes twinkling. "It is good to have you back, Mr. Potter. Can you tell me how this happened?"

So Harry spent the next hour telling the Headmaster of what had happened: The fire, Lady Shiara, the Dimension travel, meeting the Founders, bonding with Lady Lyra, the gifts, Severus' Death Eater meeting... all that and more. The only things he left out were the trainign he was going through.

"... So I came to the fire to notify you, and here you are." Harry finished.

"Excellent, excellent." Dumbledore's eyes were amused. He checked his watch. "You realize that we must keep this between us, and tell no one, not even the Weasleys or Severus." Seeing Harry's nod of comprehension, he added, "It's been a long morning, Harry. Go get yourself some food. I'll watch over Severus."

Harry left the room. He didn't hear the Headmaster say to himself, "Looks like it will be another exciting year."