Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JKR does! Also, slight allusion to sexual abuse but not graphic details of it.

Chapter 4: Confusion

Harry Potter is currently confused. He's currently staying in a bed in some hospital looking room.

At first, Harry thought his Papa had rescued him. He always dreamt that some other family member will rescue him from the Dursleys.

Harry may be four, and not understand a lot of things, but he does understand that pain and not eating a lot of food is not how kids should be raised. He sometimes heard little kids in the playground screaming and shouting for joy while his Aunt Petunia will yell at him to go weed the yard.

No four years old should really be wielding a rake that is even bigger than he was.

The one time that Harry got hurt while mishandling tools, that were very much for grown up, his Aunt Petunia, decided to teach Harry a lesson. She slapped him hard on his face and told him to go finish his chore or he won't get dinner that night. He didn't get dinner that night even though he finished the chore. Harry learned then that his Aunt and Uncle don't love him and that Dudley gets treated better. And that he really shouldn't be sleeping in the cupboard or on the cold floor in the basement.

Harry doesn't like it when Uncle Vernon looks at him weird, and tries to touch him in bad places that shouldn't be done. He doesn't know why Uncle Vernon keeps touching him there, but afterwards he sends Harry to sleep in the basement. Sometimes, he finds Uncle Vernon wanting to sleep next to him, and while Harry would rather like the warmth that his Uncle gives him, he doesn't like it when Uncle Vernon keeps touching his body.

Harry doesn't really understand why he lives with his uncle and aunt and he's sure that someone, anyone who loves him will come rescue him.

He looks around the room he's currently in and sees the man with the black cape speaking to an elderly lady who looks nice. They are speaking in hush tones and then he sees that the man with the black cape is looking at him. Maybe this man is his papa or another unknown relative who would love him.

Severus Snape is currently asking Madame Pomfrey what the verdict is about Harry Potter. He's already seen some of the extent that went on. He can still see bruises on Harry's face, but he wanted to make sure that Harry gets everything taken care of.

"He suffered a lot of damage, besides those bruises on his face, he is currently recovering from a strain on his shoulders, and looks like he one time had broken his legs. He also has signs of severe malnutrition. Also, it looks like someone was sexually abusing him" Madame Pomfrey.

"Suffering sexual abuse as well? It looks like he went through every kind of abuse imaginable. Get him started with fixing that strain and give him some sleep potions so he won't feel the pain. I need to go speak to him" he told the nurse.

Severus Snape was shocked that Lily Potter's boy suffered at the hands of her own sister's jealousy and raged. He wondered which member of the household was sexually abusing Harry.

"Hello, P-Harry," he almost wanted to call Harry's last name, but it was easier for Snape to say his first name. After all he didn't really want to scare the boy. He had other people he wanted to scare, such as his students cause his class is dangerous, as well as possibly murder the Dursleys. But Harry was innocent.

"This here," he points out Madame Pomfrey, "is Madame Pomfrey, and she'll take care of you. But I need to ask you some questions," he asked Harry, who only nodded at him to continue.

"Did anyone touch you in bad places, anywhere that they shouldn't have?" He wanted to know which member to inflict pain the most.

"Sometimes, Unca Vernon w-w-would touch me. I told him no, but h-he p-p-promised me food if I did so. Does this make me bad? I don't want to be bad boy mister. I promise to be a good boy. Don't make me leave?" Harry said this while shacking. Harry didn't want his last family member to hate him as well. He knows he's a freak that's what he's been told.

"This is not your fault little one, and no one is going to make you leave" Severus told him. "Now , here's some medication that will heal you and I'll be here. I promise" He gave Harry the potions that he needed to heal, and waited for Harry to go to sleep to report back to Professor Dumbledore.

Before Harry went to sleep, Severus heard him say softly, "are you my daddy?"

And for whatever reason, Severus said yes.

It's bad enough that he went through with his only father's abuse. He promised when he became the head of house for Slytherins to help those who are going through abuse, or have family members hurting them to get them out of those cases.

Sure Harry Potter is the spawn of the man he hates and the woman he loves, but even Severus knows he has a heart lying somewhere beneath his façade.

He had to go to Dumbledore to tell him what happened. He wanted to make sure that Dumbledore understand that Harry cannot be placed back with the Dursleys ever again. He'll have to make sure to trick Dumbledore in thinking that he would become Harry's guardian. Severus would act like he hates this, but he wants Dumbledore to think that.

After all, he knows he can provide Harry everything. And maybe, he is the right person to be Harry's guardian. After all, Harry already thinks of him as a papa-figure.

Severus is still confused about how readily he is to want to be Harry's guardian, but sometimes the best ideas come when he least expects it.