fSeverus Snape sat in his office looking over the previous terms potions essays. All of them, with a few exceptions, were not very good. He turned over a paper and glared hatefully at the name printed at the top.

Harry Potter, bane of his existence. Why couldn't the boy stay out of his life for just one day? Not a day went by when Severus didn't hear his name or something to do with him. Of course, it was to be expected, him being who he was and all. The bloody boy who lived. Arrogant all the way.

Probably sitting on his throne leading

his poor muggle family to believe that he was more than a king.

As Severus was imagining Potter's grand home life, a knock sounded at the door. He pulled himself from his musings and shuffled his papers irritably.

"Enter," he said flatly.

The door opened and in the doorway stood Albus Dumbledore, Severus's mentor, father figure, and friend. Severus waved him in with a motion, noting the grave expression on the headmaster's face.

"Severus, I have received some news that you aren't going to like. Actually, it is the favor that I need you to do because of the news that I have."

Severus arched one black eyebrow and waited.

"There is someone who we all know and. love who needs our help. You have been in situations that enable you to help this person. You must put aside your hatred and bitterness because if you do not, you could ruin all hope that I have for him."

Severus was getting a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. He thought he knew who Dumbledore was talking about and it made him want to throw something. Curiosity tugged at his mind. Why would he of all people need his help over the summer holidays? Hadn't he just envisioned a lovely life for him with servants and anything he could ever want or need? Severus only waited for Albus to go on.

"I actually don't know if what I have heard is true, but I can not take the chance that it is. If it is, you, we will have a lot of work to do to heal his spirit. Do you know who I am talking about Severus?" asked Dumbledore already knowing the answer.

"It's Potter. But, why would he need my help? He would never trust me. And what in Merlin do you mean by situations that I am qualified to handle?" By now, Severus was getting angry. He thought he knew what Albus meant by that as well, but didn't want to think about it. After all of the years of trying to cover up his past, he would have to drag it out again. For Potter no less!

"Severus, I think you know very well what I mean. Harry is experiencing what you have experienced, maybe more. He has hidden it quite well over the years, but this has gone too far. I need you to go and help him, bring him back from the brink of breaking. I do not think he can take anymore."

"Who told you this information?"

"That is not for you to fknow. All you need know is that I need for you to go over to number 4 Privet Drive and get him out of there and back to Hogwarts."

"I don't have a choice in this do I?"

"I am not forcing you, but I am asking you as a favor to me to Help Harry."

Severus winced. When it was put that way, he could not say no. Albus had done a lot for him, given him his life back. He would save his golden boy.

***

Harry Potter lay on his bed sleeping. It was not a peaceful sleep however. No, last year's events at the department of mysteries plagued his dreams. He saw Sirius fall through the veil over and over. He heard his parents and Cedric Diggory blame him for their deaths. All of that became too much for the small boy and he woke up screaming. Instantly, he regretted his actions as several clicks and thumps announced the arrival of his uncle Vernon.

"You freak! How dare you make so much noise at this time of night in my house. No wonder Petunia never gets enough sleep. You are going to pay for this boy." Said Vernon in a menacing voice.

Harry tried to fight his uncle, but the two weeks of starvation and abuse had taken their toll on him. Vernon hit him for a few minutes but to Harry it felt like a few hours. He muttered insults as he methodically went about hitting Harry where he knew it would hurt. Those last two weeks had given the man insight as to what could hurt Harry the most.

Harry finally succumbed to unconsciousness. The pain was too much and Harry retreated into his mind. He wished that someone would come and rescue him, but his hopes were slipping away by the second.

Vernon had thrown out all of his letters and told Harry that if he didn’t send that bird away then she wouldn’t make it passed the count of five. Harry had sent her back to Hogwarts and no letters were given to Harry.

He always wondered if he would make it to his 16th birthday. For two weeks he had been beaten and starved. There was no warning either.

*Flashback*

Harry lay on his bed after completing the long list of chores his uncle had assigned for him. As he lay there, he thought about Sirius. Tears streamed down his face as he saw in his mind his god father fall backwards through the veil still with a smile on his face and his laugh ringing in the air. He was pulled from his thoughts by a slamming from downstairs.

“Damned people at work! I hate the lot of them! Think they can do that to me eh? No, I’ll show them. Why I…” Suddenly he stopped and it seemed that he was looking at something.

“Boy! Get down here this minute!” Harry jumped up and ran downstairs, nearly tripping over Dudley who was trying to listen. The threat on the Dursleys given by Madeye Moody seemed to have worn off. Harry could sense that whatever had happened at work was going to be blamed on him and his freakish ways.

“Boy! I have clothed you, fed you, put up with your freaky nature for the passed 16 years, and what do you do? You curse my company. Because of you, I am getting in trouble for not putting in enough orders for drills! No food for a week and double the chores for you!”

*End Flashback*

And so it had gone for two long weeks. He had had no food the first week and not enough to feed a mouse the second. His uncle had beaten him and even let Dudley have a go at him a few times. Petunia did nothing.

As Harry lay there, he thought about his life. What did he have to lose by ending it all? His friends, his life, and Hogwarts. Also there was the fact that he had the prophecy hanging over his head. He had to live for others, not himself. It was sad, but it was reality.
***
Severus walked down Privet Drive, scanning the numbers on the doors. He could not believe that Albus was making him do this. He must have his own reasons though. That old man had a reason for everything he did.

Spying the number he needed, Severus walked purposefully up the drive, his black cloak billowing behind him. The house looked nice enough.

‘Maybe my thoughts about a nice life weren’t wrong.’ Severus thought ruefully as he reached up his hand to knock on the door.

The door opened and Severus stared at a fat boy, about the size of a baby killer whale. Briefly he wondered how Harry could be so skinny if this boy was so big.

“I am here to see Potter,” He said in as polite a voice as he could. Severus was surprised when the boy leapt back and slammed the door, howling about freaks. Then the man of the house came. He was not as fat, but there was plenty of meat on his bones.

“Get away from my house! You are nothing but a freak! There is no Harry Potter here and that’s all, now go away!” Severus did not like being called names, and he knew Dursley was lying about Potter.

“If you don’t step back from the door and let me inside to see Potter, you and your family will regret ever being born. Believe you me, I can make it so. I know spells that can give you pain until you can not handle it, and then some. All the while, you will be alive to suffer,” Severus said in his most dangerous voice. If the situation weren’t so serious, Severus would’ve laughed at the way Vernon fell over himself to get out of the way.

Looking around the too neat house, Severus thought he heard something upstairs. He was about to go and check when a horsy faced woman came into the room.

“What have you done to my husband! You freak! How dare you! I…” Flicking his wand, Severus pointed it at Petunia.

"I’ll give you a chance to tell me where Potter is. If you don’t tell me, I may just do what I told your husband over there. If you want to know the details, I give you permission to ask him. Now, where, is, Potter,” he said in a voice reserved for his victims during his death eater days.”

"He.he’s upstairs, l.last door on th.the left,” stammered the boy. ‘Good lad.’ Thought Severus as he headed up the stairs.

Looking around, Severus could see four rooms. Opening the first, he could see a bed and some nice furniture. The second one held lots of toys scattered haphazardly over the floor and any other surface. The room after that on the right was a bathroom. The last one on the left sparked some interest.

Many locks were on the door, as if to keep someone in. Severus had a bad feeling that he would not like what he was about to find. Stepping forward, he unlocked the six or so locks with his wand. The locks were disengaged and the door swung open soundlessly.

Looking around, Severus could see that the window in the room had bars on it and a thick curtain. Little light penetrated the place. Also, he could sense the pain, sadness, and fear. The smell of old blood and fresh was like a slap to the face for Severus. It took him back to his death eater days when the end of a victorious battle was in sight.

Bringing himself back to the present, Severus looked around for Harry. An old mattress sat in one corner with a dirty sheet. There was a slight bulge under the sheet and he thought that the boy had to be there. A bucket sat across from the mattress for an obvious reason. Apparently the Dursleys had not let him out for any excuse.

“Potter,” Severus called softly. The boy didn’t twitch so he went back to his old methods.

“Potter!” This elicited a strong reaction. Potter leapt up and backed as far away as he could get. His skinny arms were trying to protect his face, as if he were expecting to be hit at any moment.

It struck Severus then just how small Potter was. His arms were like sticks and his face was pail and sickly looking. He looked like he could fall dead at any moment. Had he really made a mistake in assuming that this boy, the savior of the wizarding world had a grand life?

Severus knew that this was similar if not worse than his own childhood had been. Harry, no, Potter needed help, but he would be damned if he would let him into his heart.

“Come on Pot- Harry. I will not hurt you. It’s alright.” Slowly, Harry’s arms came down from his face and he focused his eyes on Severus.

“Pro- Professor?” asked the boy in a small scared voice.

“Yes Po- Harry. I have come to take you away from here,” he said in what he hoped was a comforting voice. Harry nodded and seemed to relax a fraction.

“Where are your things?”

“They’re under the stairs, in a cupboard,” he said weakly. Severus could see that the boy needed immediate help.

“Accio trunk,” he said softly. There was a thump from downstairs and three scared screams as the trunk came up the stairs and landed at Severus’s feet. He smirked and took all of the padlocks from the trunk’s latch.

“Professor?”

“Yes?”

“I have some stuff under that floorboard,” he said, pointing with a small hand.

Reaching in, Severus felt a soft something and a hard something. Pulling them out, he saw the invisibility cloak and a photo album. He put them into the trunk and shrunk the lot of it to put into his pocket so that he could carry Harry without difficulty.

Carefully as he could, Severus slid an arm under the boy’s knees and the other beneath his head. He felt him tense and murmured soothing words to him. He went slowly down the stairs so as not to jar Harry and make his injuries worse. Poppy Pomfrey could only do so much and some of the injuries looked old and infected.

Reaching the front hall, he could see all three Dursleys standing still as stone, staring at nothing. Severus decided to give them something to think about before leaving.

“You all are the worst sort of muggles I have ever come across. If it weren’t for Albus’s instructions not to hurt you, I’d have a bonfire blazing right here in this house and you all would be part of it. Mistreating a child be it wizard or muggle is the worst crime in my opinion. Believe me, I will be back and I will deal with the lot of you,” he said, his evilest smirk in place. It made the Dursleys fall over themselves scrambling into their kitchen before the door slammed behind him.

Securing Harry more in his arms, Severus apparated to Hogsmeade and ran as fast as he could to Hogwarts infirmary.

***

“Poppy! Poppy come out here this instant!” Severus yelled even before the doors had fully opened.

“Severus Snape! What do you mean coming in here and yelling like that! I could have… Oh!”

She spotted the bloody form in his arms and instantly turned all business.

“Who is this boy…? Oh, never mind. I need a blood replenishing potion, healing creams, dreamless sleep draft and… anything else you think is necessary.”

For a moment, Severus could not move. Poppy Pomfrey never got this flustered.

“Now Severus! This boy’s life hangs in the Balance!” Severus resisted saying that if Potter died, they all would. He hurried out and down to his potions stores to get the required vials. He would get the headmaster when things had calmed down a bit.

***

After collecting what he needed, Severus walked slowly back. He couldn’t get the image of Harry’s arms protecting his face that small body curled under a dirty sheet on an old mattress. He hated to think about it, but he knew that the images would haunt him for a long time. The realization that Harry and he had similar lives hit him, but he pushed it away.

***

“Severus! Give me those vials this minute! Harry could have gotten…”

“Poppy, if you start yelling at me, Potter will only get worse,” he said in a matter of fact manner. She huffed, but went to Harry. Severus went to get the headmaster. He didn’t think he could handle another verbal thrashing from the mediwitch.

***

“Malted milkballs,” Severus sneered at the gargoyle guarding Albus’s chambers and office. He hated those candy passwords. If he didn’t know better, he would swear the man did it just to hear him say something that in other circumstances would not pass his lips.

“Come in Severus,” said Albus before his hand even touched the oak door. Grimacing, he opened the door and stepped into the round office.

“So Severus. How is young Harry?” Severus couldn’t wait to wipe that calm look from the headmaster’s face, make that twinkle disappear from those blue eyes.

“Potter is far worse than either of us could have imagined.” He found himself having to hold back anger as he remembered Harry’s, no, Potter’s condition.

“Please Severus, sit. Would you like some tea or a lemon drop?” For Severus, this was the last straw. He had just given Albus the opportunity to ask in what condition his golden boy had been found, and Albus had asked him if he wanted tea? For all the both of them knew, Potter could be dying up there. So he exploded at his mentor, father figure and friend.

“How dare you Headmaster! It is your fault that potter ended up the way he did. Was it not you who said he should be put in that hellhole? Yes, you Headmaster! Then you send me to fetch him, having an idea of what I might find, completely aware of my past and how this would affect me? You think this will bring Potter and I together! Well, let me tell you something Albus! This will not work! I will not be taken in by your supposed caring right now. Yes, you have done favors for me, turned my life around, but just because you have done that doesn’t mean that I will jump when you say!”

Severus could see that his rant had affected the old man deeply. The lines on his face were carved permanently it seemed and he could have sworn that a tear glittered in those eyes.

‘Well, I accomplished my goal of making his twinkle disappear.’ Severus thought wryly.

“I am well aware that it was I who placed him in that danger. Believe me, if I had known…”

Severus said nothing. He thought that enough guilt had been put upon the man. “Come; let us see how Harry is fairing.”

***

Back at the hospital wing, Severus stood beside Albus as he looked down at Harry. He could see that Albus wanted revenge on the Dursleys and he smirked inwardly, knowing that he would be the one to do the deed. He couldn’t wait.

“Poppy, may I see the paper with the list of injuries?” asked Albus. Reaching to the bedside table, she picked up a roll of parchment, handing it to him.

Severus watched as Albus’s eyes scanned the parchment. Wordlessly, he held out a hand and took it from him to see for himself.

Injuries include several broken ribs one nearly puncturing a lung, a concussion, broken wrist, two broken fingers, several lacerations all over the body from what looks to be a steak knife being stabbed and quickly withdrawn, and numerous bruises. There is also evidence that this has been going on for a long time, many scars.

Severus stared fixedly at the parchment now crumpled in his fist. After all the boy had been through, he had to reevaluate how he felt. He was angry that Albus had been right all along.

He tossed the paper on the table and stalked toward the door, but was halted by his mentor’s voice.

“Severus, hold on. I need to talk to you in my office.” Turning, he met the sad gaze of his old friend. He thought he knew what was about to come and he didn’t like it one bit.

***

Severus sat in an armchair across from the headmaster with a cup of tea in front of him. This time when he had been offered tea, he had accepted. He thought of saying no, but he thought he might need a dose of calming potion for the coming conversation. Only in his head would he admit that his earlier outburst had been irrational.

“So what do you wish to discuss?” Severus sighed, tensing for the expected answer.

“It being summer, all of the professors except your self are leaving for a break. Since you have opted to stay here, Harry needs a place to stay and I ask that you watch him. He will not be the boy you knew. What I mean is that he does not have the fire in his spirit right now. I need you to, implore you, to help him recover as much as he can both physically and emotionally.”

Severus sat there thinking about what Albus had said. He knew of course, that he was right.

He could handle Potter. The only issue was his pride, and of course Voldemort. He was still a spy and he would be punished if it were found out that he had Potter in his custody.

“Albus, what about Voldemort. I still must go to meetings to obtain information for the Order.”

“I am sure he will be ok while you are gone. He will be sixteen after all.” Severus sighed.

“He hates me and… I hate him too.”

“You don’t really feel that way,” he said knowingly. Severus only glared.

“Very well. I’ll take the boy, but don’t expect me to mollycoddle him.”

“That is exactly why I am asking you to take care of him. You have never lied to Harry. You may have been harsh, unfair, but you have always been honest. I think that in time he will realize this and you two can work out your differences.” Severus made a noncommittal noise before pushing his empty tea cup away and standing.

“When should I collect him?”

“Poppy will inform you when Harry is well enough to be put in your care. I forgot to say that she will be here as well.” Those damned eyes of his were twinkling once again and Severus growled.

“Very well, I shall prepare a room for him,” he said before sweeping out of the office, his robes billowing out behind him, a reflection of his irritation.

***

Harry opened his eyes, but promptly shut them as the bright light stung them. He gave a soft moan, wondering where he was. Then he sensed someone standing by the bed.

“You may open your eyes now Mr. Potter. I have dimmed the lights.” ‘Ahh, the hospital wing again.’ He thought as he slowly opened his eyes.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Alright,” Harry said as he sat up, automatically reaching for his glasses which were put into his hands. He was relieved to see them repaired from when Dudley had broken the lenses in half. Slowly, he looked around.

He could see several empty potion vials on the bedside table, and Madam Pomfrey stood beside his bed, looking down at him with a sad look in her eyes. Harry turned away from the pitying look and stared fixedly at the wall.

“Mr. Potter, the Headmaster is going to want to ask you some questions, is that alright?”

Harry only nodded resignedly. He knew that it would come and he just wanted to get the telling over with.

He did not turn around as he heard the nurse head for the fireplace to call him. He thought about his summer and how he planned to explain it. He knew it would be hard to do, but it had been hidden for long enough. It had to be told.