REPOST. November 4. 2006.

When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself lying face-up in a large, spacious room. There was what seemed to be an oak dining table in the middle of the room, with a brown-tinged couch off to one side. From the center of the ceiling hung an elaborate chandelier, the glass crystal pieces hanging off it from all sides.

Curious as to where exactly Oryx had sent him and slightly dreading what he would find, Harry moved to pick himself up off the floor. His arm protested in pain as he put a bit too much weight on his hand.

Finally getting himself up, Harry had barely taken two steps when the nausea suddenly hit him. Leaning against the nearest wall, he breathed hard, trying not to let his stomach regurgitate what little was in it. By then, his head was also pounding. Looking around, he barely managed to drag himself over to the brown couch before his legs collapsed underneath him and the world went black.

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Meanwhile, Severus Snape was down in his potions lab, scribbling out some notes and keeping an eye on a highly volatile potion when his ward-monitor went off. Someone had entered Snape Manor, although Severus found it disturbing that the floo-alarm hadn't gone off – it meant that whoever it was had gotten in without using the Floo System.

Deciding it was probably some Death Eater lackey or another, he stood, an irritated glare gracing his features as he turned the heat off his potion and stalked out.

Whenever the Death Eaters came, they always ended up meeting him in the living room. Figuring that was as good a location as any, he strode across his kitchen and yanked open the door. Quietly, he entered the room.

At first glance, it seemed as if nothing was amiss. But as he turned around, he barely managed to suppress his shocked gasp.

Lying half on and half off his couch was a boy who looked about sixteen. But the cause for alarm was the small pool of blood on the floor beside him.

Severus quickly strode over to the crumpled figure. Receiving no response, he levitated the boy fully onto the couch.

This was not someone he recognized. Definitely not a Hogwarts student.

The boy had, from what he could tell, several injuries, including a broken arm and severely bruised ribs. Severus couldn't help but wonder whether the injuries were caused by Death Eaters or someone else. But the multiple bruises and scars he had seen suggested that this had been a more long-term abuse, something the Death Eaters weren't known for.

He wasn't a healer, but he did know a thing or two about healing, with all of his years spent in the Dark Lord's service. Pulling out his wand, he first scanned the boy, taking into account the various injuries before getting down to closing the wounds.

He was in the middle of healing the boy's arm when the teen moved.

"Hello?" Severus asked cautiously. He couldn't help but feel a bit foolish.

The boy opened his eyes, and Severus saw a flicker of surprise fly across the boy's features. Then as soon as it came, it was gone, a blank expression slamming down. As Severus studied the boy, he couldn't help but be slightly chilled by those grey eyes. There was an emptiness there that he wasn't used to seeing – a blankness that shouldn't be on the face of any child. They reminded Severus not of a boy, but a tired old man who had seen too much.

They stared at each other for many long moments, before Severus broken the silence. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He added just a hint of a sneer into his voice.

There was something about the boy's aura that was like nothing he'd felt before. Now that the teen was awake, the magic levels flared up, and Severus couldn't help but feel as if he was being pushed back by them.

"I'm Sebastien. Sebastien Frostpine."

The response was soft, quiet.

"And exactly what are you doing in Snape Manor?"

There was momentary panic in the boy's expression before he responded. "I… don't remember. I was Obliviated."

Severus stared at the boy for a moment before asking in a slightly softer tone, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." The child's voice was firm, booking no argument.

The Potions Master stared long and hard at him for a moment before letting it go. "All right. You'll have to stay here for now. I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about this tomorrow. Come."

The boy stood up, seeming unsteady on his feet. Noticing this, Severus reached out a hand to steady him.

Leading Sebastian to his room. Severus watched as the boy climbed unsteadily into bed. Knowing that there was on way the teen would sleep with him in the room, he stepped outside.

Fifteen minutes later, he pushed open the door again and saw that the boy was fast asleep. Stepping towards the bed, Severus found himself reaching up and pulling the covers, tucking it around the boy. The teen had enough problems without catching a cold too.

Walking out of the room, he quickly went to his own bedroom. Deciding it was time for him to get some rest, he changed, and soon climbed into bed. Closing his eyes, Severus was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

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Severus was suddenly awakened in the middle of the night by a sharp, piercing scream. Memories of Sebastien and what had occurred earlier coming back to him, he quickly threw on a robe before heading in the direction he had heard the sound. Racing down the hall with wand in hand, he pushed open the door to the boy's room, a hex on the tip of his tongue…

… Only to find the teen thrashing around on the bed, a muffled mumbling coming from his lips. Straining his years, Severus thought he could hear a few of the words.

"No, no, let me go! It's not my fault, I didn't know!"

It was some relief that it was only a nightmare, but not some sort of attack, but at the same time, Severus was getting concerned. "Sebastien!" he called loudly, hoping to wake the boy up without alarming him.

Sebastien didn't seem to hear him, trapped in his nightmare; his struggling grew more frantic and the mumbling suddenly rose in a scream, chilling Severus with it's intensity. The boy was half-twiching, half-writhing, as if in pain or fending off an invisible attacker. He could see fingers digging into palms.

"Sebastien! Wake up! It's only a dream!"

The boy suddenly leaped up from the bed, eyes rolling. Reaching out, the Potions Master caught the teen's shoulders, holding him down. Sebastien's eyes refocused slightly, a raw guilt in his eyes. Severus saw a flash or something in those orbs, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

With a suddenly jerk, the boy's eyes focused once more. Severus saw that Sebastien's palms were bleeding where his nails had dug into them, as were the corner of his lip.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked, slightly awkwardly after he'd given the boy a calming potion. A part of him couldn't believe he was asking such an obvious question, but for once, he'd been at a loss as to what to say. There had been something about the boy's nightmare that had chilled Severus to the bones – no child should have been haunted by dreams as violent and fearful as the ones he'd just witnessed. And a part of him couldn't help but wonder, what had happened to drive a mere teen to such a position?

"I'm fine." The answer was guarded, defensive. Those eyes were once again unreadable. "I'm sorry I woke you, sir."

"Do you have these dreams often?"

A nod.

"Are they usually this... violent?"

Sebastien threw him a piercing look, which the Potions Master found himself trying to avoid.

"It depends. Not always."

Severus could literally feel the tension in the air. Feeling the boy's discomfort, he gave a quick nod before exiting the room. Coming back a moment later, he handed the child a Dreamless Sleeping Potion.

Sebastien's eyes lingered on Severus' face as he downed the potion in one gulp. Crawling into bed, the boy whispered. "Thank you. Good night, sir."

After a moment of hesitation, Severus replied softly, "Good night, Sebastien."