Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Someone noticed by Bratling
Summary: Canonically, Harry was an abused child. Rowling didn't go into it much because she would then have to actually deal with the issue rather than pushing it aside, but the fact remains--the Dursleys neglected and abused Harry. The question is--why in hell did nobody notice?

It's understandable, really, that Dumbledore either marginalized or ignored the abuse. The same with Mrs. Figg. It's an age thing. Child abuse wasn't recognized as a problem before the late seventies, which means to Dumbledore's Victorian mindset, it's "just discipline" and doesn't count. Mrs. Figg would have considered it none of her business. Again, it's the age in which she grew up. Mrs. Figg would have considered it a, "family issue" and thus, "private business".

What is unforgivable is that none of his teachers seemed to notice his problems and none of the neighbors reported it, either. It would have been absolutely obvious to teachers just in comparison between Dudley and Harry! Just their wardrobes should have rung warning bells. By the 1980s, mandatory reporting laws were on the books, (at least in the US--I know they exist, but not the exact timeline for the UK laws. I'm doing a bit of assumption here) and Harry should have been taken away from the Dursleys. Considering that Dumbledore never checked up on him, except via Mrs. Figg, in the real world, just from the contrast between Dudley and Harry, Harry would have ended up in foster care. This is made even more true by the educational push there was about the issue during the era.

So, my challenge is for a story in which someone, be it a teacher, a neighbor, etc, notice Harry's plight and do something about it. This can be before or after Hogwarts, but my only stipulation is that it can't be anyone from the Wizarding World. It's also your choice how Severus finds out and gets involved--except it can't be at Dumbledore's behest. It can go for pretty much any category for the relationship between Severus and Harry, but I'd like Severus to remember that above all, he was Lily's best friend since childhood.


Suggested Categories: Master Snape > Apprentice Harry, Misc > Strictly Canon Universe, Parental Snape, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape, Healer Snape, Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape, Teacher Snape > Professor Snape, Misc

Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Dudley, Original Character, Other, Petunia, Vernon
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Mrs. Jahoda sees what is going on next door at number four Privet Drive and the only one who will help is Severus Snape

Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11) - Snape flavour: None
Tags: Alternate Universe, Child fic, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape
Rated: T - Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Alcohol Use, Character Bashing, Violence
Chapters: 1 - Completed: Yes - Updated: 11 Jun 2011 / 11 Jun 2011
Series: None - Challenges: Someone noticed
Entrance into the summer fic fest of 2015. Someone noticed that Harry was being abused and as a result he was removed from the Dursley’s care. Now he lives with his grandfather in Cokeworth. Enter Severus Snape, who’s in town to clean up his childhood home after his father died.

Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11) - Snape flavour: None
Tags: Child fic
Categories: Fic Fests > #18 Summer 2015
Rated: T - Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Physical Punishment Spanking, Neglect, Out of Character
Chapters: 5 - Completed: No - Updated: 12 Sep 2015 / 30 Aug 2015
Series: None - Challenges: Xenopus, Someone noticed, Lost handkerchief, Puddles

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