The small boy climbed out of bed excitedly. One wouldn’t believe that it was eighth birthday due to his size. He found a pile of presents by his bed and hurried over to open them. A lot had improved for him over the years. He was definitely a lot happier than he had been three years ago.

He still could remember his fifth birthday clearly. He had been so hopeful that his aunt and uncle would celebrate the day. His aunt had told him when his birthday was, it was the first time in his memory that he could remember anyone mentioning it. When he woke that day, he had high hopes about the day. However, he was given a spanking and then he was shoved into a cage in the basement for the day.

He had believed after that day that he could never be happy again, but then he was rescued by a man by the name of Severus Snape. Now he lived in a magical world where everyone appeared to love him. His first few months at Hogwarts, he had been very unsure of himself. He believed his name was Freak, but everyone told him that it was Harry.

After a while, he grew to accept the truth, he was a good boy and he was not a freak. The Christmas morning after he was rescued proved that. Santa had given him gifts for the first time and it had been given to Harry, not Freak. That alone proved to him that everyone was telling him the truth.

The months after that, he grew happier. He had an excellent tutor who apparently knew his parents at one time. Everyday after their lessons, Remus Lupin would sit him down on his lap and tell him stories about Lily and James Potter. This was always Harry’s favourite part of the day.

Then there were the students at Hogwarts. They all wanted to play with him. Never in his life had he met so many people who adored him. He was disappointed when the school year ended and all the students went home. He went to a new home as well. Apparently Severus had another home away from Hogwarts.

It was there that he had his own bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. Harry made sure to bath everyday. Most children his age didn’t like baths, but after having to live in his own filth for four years, Harry loved them. He liked to feel clean all over. He loved the fact that he had more clothes than he’d probably ever wear.

His sixth birthday came up shortly after the school year had ended. His fifth birthday still being on his mind made him apprehensive. However, he was taken back to Hogwarts to have a party with the other teachers. They had all given him gifts. This was strange to him, even though he knew he was good boy. It was the first time he had ever celebrated his birthday. At Christmas he had cried out of happiness because he’d been given presents, but he had cried again on his birthday. That time it was because he was celebrating it instead of being locked up in a cage all day.

Now it was two years later. It was his eighth birthday and he couldn’t be much happier. Of course he was still unsure of himself at times because he’d lived four years of abuse, but he was better than he had been. The only part of himself he was unhappy with was his height. The teachers had let him meet other children his age, and he couldn’t help but compare their height to his own. He was at least a head shorter than all of them.

That day he was in fact having a birthday party at Severus’ house with several of the children he had met. It was the first time he had one with people his age before, so he had been excited for weeks. When he was done ripping through his gifts, he left his room and ran into his guardian’s room.

Severus Snape was snoring, his mouth was open, and some drool was oozing out of his mouth and onto the pillow. Harry giggled but didn’t say anything. He just got down onto his knees and stared into the mans face. He shook with silent laughter as Severus let out a small snort. He started to blow into his face hard.

“Whuzzat?” Severus asked as sat up.

Harry started to laugh hard at that point.

“What have I told you about waking me?”

He tried to sound stern, but Harry knew that he really wasn’t angry.

“It’s my birthday,” Harry told him. “Today I’m going to have all my friends here.”

“I look forward to it,” Severus answered but in a dry voice. “Go get dressed, I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.”

Harry hurried from the room. He was supposed to wear a new pair of dress robes they had picked out the other day. He really didn’t want to since he disliked dressing up, but he did it anyway. He tried to do everything Severus told him to do, even the stuff he didn’t want to.

Although he knew that his guardian would never hit him, there were times when he was scared that it would all end. He had nightmares where he would wake up back in his cupboard at his aunt and uncles. That was why he did his best to behave because he didn’t know what he’d do if he went back to the Dursley’s. He was told that his aunt and uncle were in prison, but that didn’t stop his fear.

He changed into the green dress robes and then headed down the stairs. Severus had a bowl of cereal waiting for him. They were called Krispy Wands, they were his favourite out of all the cereal brands. The pieces were shaped like wands and stars. They tasted like the alphabet cereal he had eaten once and a while at his aunt and uncles.

“Do you think Draco will get along with my other friends?” Harry asked.

Draco Malfoy was a boy he had known for years. Severus had taken him to meet him shortly before his sixth birthday. The boy only liked certain children. Harry however knew so many other families courtesy of the other teachers and students at Hogwarts that he had a wide variety of friends.

“He’ll behave. He was raised to be a good guest,” Severus answered.

“Good, because I know he doesn’t like the Weasley’s, but they are my friends,” Harry said.

“Why did you have to invite the Weasley twins? It’s going to be mayhem enough with all the children that will be running around here,” Severus sighed.

“You told me I could invite who I wanted and as many people I wanted. You said you were going to get help,” Harry answered. “Anyway, the older Weasley brothers will be here too. They’ll make sure that they behave.”

“I have my doubts, I’m just glad that I did get extra help.”

Some of the teachers from Hogwarts would be there, a long with Lucius Malfoy, who Harry detested a lot. He wasn’t pleased at all that the man would be there for his party, but he would put up with him. He wished Remus could be there, but he was ill at the moment.

He started to eat his cereal; he looked over at Severus who was reading the Daily Prophet. Harry wanted to call him daddy more than anything, but at times he wasn’t sure if he should. He loved his own father even if he was dead, but it wasn’t only that, what if Severus didn’t want him to call him that?

When they were done breakfast, he helped Severus clear up. Harry didn’t have to do chores, but he felt better when he did do them. He didn’t feel right when he wasn’t helping out and he guessed it was because of his old life. No one had liked this at first, but they all realized that he was much happier when he could do them.

“Severus Snape?”

The voice came from the sitting-room. Harry and Severus hurried into the room to find Molly Weasley’s head sitting in the flames.

“Good morning Mrs. Weasley,” Severus said.

“Hello,” she said. “I was just wondering if I could send the children over. They are very eager to go over, and they’ve promised to be on their best behaviour.”

“Very well, the others should be arriving very soon,” Severus said.

Molly bid him good-bye and disappeared. A few minutes later, Charlie Weasley stepped out of the fireplace. He held his hand out for Harry to shake, and then he turned to Severus.

“Good morning sir,” he said.

Harry knew that Charlie and Bill Weasley didn’t like Severus, but they were putting up with him for Harry’s sake. They knew how to be polite when they had to be. A few moments later, Bill appeared.

“I think you’ve grown since I last saw you,” he greeted Harry.

There weren’t too many people who got away with commenting on Harry’s height, but the Weasley’s could. He just smiled up at him. Bill was starting his last year at Hogwarts that year.

“I’ve grown an inch,” Harry said.

Soon all of the Weasley but Percy were there. Harry felt disappointed by this because he liked all of them. He had met Bill at Hogwarts when he was five, and then he was introduced to the rest of the family later. He had gone to their place a few times for dinner or a sleep over.

“We’ll help you with anything you need of course sir,” Bill said. “Percy couldn’t come, but he sends his wishes.”

“Are the others here yet?” Ron the youngest brother asked. “Who else is coming.”

“You’ll see,” Harry answered.

Ginny, the youngest and the only girl was clutching onto one of the twins hand. She was always very shy around Harry. He had a feeling it had to do with his fame. He didn’t know about the details of it, but Professor Dumbledore had promised him that he learn them that year. He didn’t like for people to think of him as famous though. He was just a regular child.

“Well, if you would like to help me set up,” Severus addressed Charlie and Bill. “The others should be here anytime. We’re having the party in my yard.”

“All right,” Charlie said he looked down at Fred and George. “You two behave!”

“We will,” Fred said in an innocent voice. “We’re always very good boys.”

Bill let out a snort, but followed Severus out of the room. The twins just laughed.

“Wanna see what I got for my birthday?” Harry asked them.

“Sure,” Ron said.

Harry led them up the stairs that was concealed behind a bookcase. Ginny was six going on seven, and even she was taller than he was. This put him off a bit, but he pushed these thoughts away. Someday he would be very tall. Everyone got very tall when they were teenagers. All the students at Hogwarts were really tall.

Only Ron had seen Harry’s room before. The others let out loud exclamations when they saw all his toys. Fred and George ran straight for the fake wands. They weren’t up there for long before Severus was calling them back down.

“Another young man has arrived,” Severus said when they entered the sitting room. “Please stay down here until the rest of your guests arrive.”

Neville Longbottom stood in the room clutching a small gift.

“Happy birthday,” he said.

“Happy birthday to you as well,” Harry said. “You can think of this party as yours too.”

“It’s okay, I had a small one yesterday,” Neville said.

Harry took Neville’s gift and set it on a table. He would open the presents from his friends later. The Weasley’s had bought him one gift all together. It had come that morning with the rest of his gifts. As Harry did this, the fireplace lit up and a small girl with blond hair stepped out.

“Hello Harry,” she said in a dreamy voice. “Thank you for inviting me to your party. I’ve never been to one before.”

Harry had only met Luna Lovegood the other day in Diagon Alley. Her father had overheard Harry and Severus discussing the party and had asked if she could come as well. He was always looking for new friends, so he said yes. She handed him a wrapped gift and then looked around at everyone else.

“You’re the Weasley’s,” she said as she eyed each of them. “Daddy says all of you have red hair and freckles.”

None of them seemed to know what to say, so they just greeted her politely. More people arrived over the next hour. Soon Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Ernie Macmillan, Seamus Finnigan, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Oliver Wood, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, and Pansy Parkinson were there. Harry wasn’t very friendly with Pansy, but she was good friends with Draco.

He led them out to the backyard where Bill, Charlie, Mr. Malfoy, Professor’s McGonagall, Dumbledore, Sprout and Flitwick had set up a magical play ground. Immediately everyone ran to start playing. There were a number of broomsticks on the ground; Harry went straight over to them.

He was joined by Ron, Draco, Oliver and the Weasley twins. They started to fly around the yard racing each other. Bill and Charlie also wanted to play as well. Eventually they managed to get fair teams and started a game of Quidditch. Severus called them down when it was time to serve the cake.

It was just a normal cake with white frosting on it. In green icing were the words: Happy Eighth Birthday Harry.

“Make a wish,” Professor McGonagall told him.

Harry closed his eyes. I wish that I will never be sad again he thought referring to his time three years ago.

Everyone clapped when he had blown out the candles. Severus cut up the pieces and handed them out to everyone. When they were done eating, Harry opened the gifts from everyone. Some of the stuff they gave him were things he already had, but some weren’t. Nevertheless, he was pleased. He was raised to not be selfish, so he thanked everyone.

Neville had given a thorny plant that was supposed to grown with him. It would take one full year for it to grow an inch. All Harry had to do was give it the special plant food that day. The day Harry turned nine; the plant would be one inch taller. He knew that Neville was fascinated with plants.

The rest of the party, he spent the time socializing with each person he had invited. It was kind of nice to know early on some of the people he would be going to school with when he started at Hogwarts. The only person he wasn’t sure about was Luna Lovegood, not that he had a problem with her, he just didn’t understand her.

He was disappointed when it was time for everyone to leave, but he thought Severus looked relieved. He didn’t even realize himself just how tired he was. The Weasley’s were the last ones to go. The other teachers had left after everyone cleaned up the yard.

“Glad that’s over,” Severus said when everyone was gone.

“It was fun,” Harry said.

“Well I’m glad you think so,” he answered. “What do you want to do for the rest of the night.”

“Will you read to me from one of my new books?” he asked.

Although he was eight, he still liked to curl up into Severus’ lap for a story. It was something he had never been allowed to do at the Dursley’s. He knew soon he would be too old for it, so he wanted to get in as much time as he could.

“Go pick out a book then,” Severus told him.

Harry hurried to pick out a new chapter book that Draco had brought for him. When he returned, he quickly climbed into Severus’ lap and laid his head on his shoulder. His guardian was only halfway through the chapter before Harry’s eyes were closing.

“We’ll continue this book later,” Severus said and put Harry on the floor. “Go on up to bed.”

Harry hesitated, then gave Severus a hug. “I love you daddy,” he said.

Harry stared into space from his position on his bed. He had gone to talk to Professor Dumbledore earlier that day. They had finally explained to him the reason for why he was famous. He didn’t feel so good about himself anymore. His mother had died to save him. Why though? Why would someone want to murder him in the first place?

He tried not to think about his time at his aunt and uncles, but it was hard not to. They had beaten him all the time. At first he thought it was because of the magic. He had been told that his aunt and uncle didn’t understand his powers, so that’s why they had done it. Now he wasn’t so sure anymore. His mother had been his aunt’s sister. That meant that she was angry with him.

“Harry, son?” Severus called through the door as he knocked.

Harry ignored him. They had all lied to him. He really was a freak. A wizard had come after him to kill because he was an abnormal freak! Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t tell him why the wizard had been after his family or why he had wanted to kill Harry. It was because he was a terrible child, and the wizard knew that. His aunt had been angry with him for getting her sister killed, so they had beaten him… and he had deserved it.

“Harry?” Severus opened the door now. “I have dinner ready.”

Harry just stared at him. How could that man still love and care about him? Why did all those other people love him but his aunt and uncle couldn’t? They seemed to have forgiven him for letting his mother die, but if his aunt and uncle didn’t then that meant he was bad, right?

“Come on son, talk to me, what are you thinking?” Severus asked.

Harry continued to stare at him. He wouldn’t talk. If he started to talk, the man who he considered as a father would comfort him, and he didn’t deserve it. Freaks didn’t deserve love. They deserved to be beaten and locked up. He turned his head away from Severus and stared at the window. An owl swooped down in front of the window.

“I know what you heard today was hard to hear about, but it’s all right,” Severus said. “I know I’m not your real father, but you’ve been calling me that for days. I’m willing to be your father.”

Severus had never said anything like that to him before. Harry would have liked to hear it before, but now he didn’t want to. Professor Dumbledore believed that his real father had been killed first before the Lord Voldemort man went after his mother. She had stepped in front of the cot to save Harry, but he killed her. Then when he tried to kill him, the curse had backfired onto its owner. He should have died along with his parents. His mother shouldn’t have protected a freak like him.

Severus reached over and easily picked Harry up, even though he didn’t like to be carried. He didn’t say a word though, even when he was taken down the stairs and into the kitchen. He refused to eat a bite of his food.

“I’ll feed you myself if you don’t eat,” Severus said. “I don’t think you want me to treat you like a baby do you?”

Harry just stared at him. Then he took his hand and hit the plate of food onto the floor hard. The plate smashed and food scattered every where. He then got up and ran. He heard Severus cursing, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to prove to him that he was just as bad as his aunt and uncle had said he was.

Later, when he fell asleep, he had a dream about them. He hadn’t dreamt about them for years.

“You smash my plate will you?” Severus shouted. “That’s it, I am sick of you. I lied earlier. I hate that you called me daddy. I don’t want you. It’s your fault that your parents are dead! You are going back to your aunt and uncles place.”

Harry pleaded with him. He was sorry.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have smashed the plate!” he said.

It was too late; he was already back at his aunt and uncles. They were a lot bigger than they used to be.

“Beat him,” Severus told Uncle Vernon.

Harry stared up at him with his mouth open. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He had promised! Severus had said that he’d never have to see his aunt and uncle again.

He had remembered that Severus had asked for the Dark Lord to spare Lily’s life. He hadn’t told Harry that, but he had explained to the boy that the Dark Lord had likely killed James first, and then proceeded to kill Harry. Lily had tried to stop him from doing it.

“Wait, Voldemort wasn’t going to kill my mummy. Is that what you mean?”

“It’s just a theory, but I think that he wouldn’t have killed her. He was just going to kill you.”

“Why me? I was just a baby,” Harry asked.

“That will have to wait until you’re older, when you are ready for it. I know you do not wish to wait, but I’ll know when you’re ready.”

Didn’t the Headmaster understand that he had given Harry too much information? This wasn’t an adult he was talking to, but an eight-year-old boy who had spent four years believing that he was a freak. It had taken them a long time to convince him that he wasn’t one, and now it appeared they were back to square one.

Severus ran up the stairs as Harry screamed even louder. The boy hadn’t had nightmares since he was six. When he entered the room, he saw that it was worse than any dream the boy had ever had. He was thrashing around on his bed. He looked as if he had been possessed as his back arched up and he let out another terrible scream.

“Harry!” Severus said and grabbed a hold of him. “Come on, wake up, wake up.”

It took a few minutes, but finally Harry opened his eyes. Severus lit the candles in the room and looked down into his son’s face. The boy was sobbing very hard.

“Daddy, daddy, why? Why?”

“Why what?” Severus asked.

Despite the fact that the boy was in distress, it felt good to hear him call him daddy. Severus had felt thrilled on Harry’s birthday when he heard that.

“You took me back!” Harry cried. “You said I’d never have to go back!”

He knew that Harry meant by that without having to ask.

“I’ll never take you back to those people, Harry. I’ve told you that enough times now. They are in jail. Now, tell me what happened, please.”

Harry explained that Severus had taken him back to the Dursley’s. His uncle had taken a belt and whipped him on his back, he made sure to hit with the belt buckle. His aunt had picked him up and thrown him down the stairs and then they had locked him in the cage in the basement.

The Dursley’s had done all that to Harry when he had lived with them.

“I’m sorry! Sorry for throwing the plate on the floor!”

“While I’m angry that you did that, I would never send you back to them. Obviously you are upset about what you heard today. Now go back to sleep, Harry. It’s all right. We’ll talk more about the plate throwing later.”

“No!” Harry said in a frightened voice. “Let me stay with you, please!”

“All right,” he sighed.

He was about ready to go to bed anyway. Although Harry was eight, he was still very light, and still very small. He was about the size of a five or six-year-old. This upset the boy a lot because he just wanted to grow taller. It always upset him that he was smaller than what he should be. Severus walked through the house, cradling the boy as if he were a three-year-old and turned off all the lights.

Long ago, Harry had told him that he didn’t like to be carried around, but tonight seemed to be an exception.

The next day, Severus was woken early by Fawkes the Phoenix. Immediately he was alarmed. Dumbledore only sent the Phoenix when it was an emergency. Quickly, he woke up Harry and told him to get dressed. The boy seemed to still be upset about the events of the other day, but did as he was told.

Severus quickly got dressed and made breakfast. When Harry still wasn’t down the stairs, he went up to get him. He found the boy crying by the wall where they marked his growth progress.

“I’m still the same height since I last grew!” Harry sobbed.

“Harry, it takes time. You might not believe it, but you’ve grown a lot over the past three years. Madam Pomfrey told me that you are growing at a normal rate now.”

“But I’m always going to be shorter than everyone else!” Harry whined. “I’m always going to be a freak!”

Severus froze; he hadn’t heard the boy call himself that in a long time. They didn’t have time for this, but they could just leave without talking first.

“What have I told you about calling yourself that?” Severus asked.

“Then why am I not as tall as a normal eight-year-old?” Harry asked as the tears streamed down his cheeks. “Even Ginny Weasley is taller than me!”

“You stopped growing when you lived with your aunt and uncle, as we’ve told you. Now you are growing again, and you’ve grown at a good rate. Just look at this!”

Severus pointed to a lower line on the wall.

“That’s where you stood when we first came here, and keep in mind that you grew about two inches or so before we measured you. Now you are all the way up here-” and he pointed to a line that they had drawn after they had come home from Hogwarts. There was a good gap between the two lines, and there were many lines on the wall “you have grown a lot Harry. You will also keep growing, but it’s going to take time. Madam Pomfrey believes that you will shoot up when you are a teenager, so don’t worry.”

He grabbed the boy by the hand and led him down the stairs. He silently cursed the Dursley’s as they went. It all went back to them. Harry should have been taller but because they had starved him, he wasn’t.

“We’re going to Hogwarts,” Severus informed him once they were in the sitting-room.

He grabbed the pot that held the floo powder.

“Take a handful; we’re going to Dumbledore’s office.”

Harry nodded, he was still silently crying. As soon as he disappeared through the floo, Severus went through next. After a few minutes of spinning, he stepped out of the Headmaster’s fireplace. Remus Lupin was there was well; Harry was giving him a hug.

“I summoned Remus to come watch Harry while we talked,” Albus told him.

Although Severus still hated Remus, he had managed to be friendly around the man the past three years. He quickly explained in a whisper about what had happened the night before.

“I plan to take Harry to Hogsmeade today,” Remus said. “We’ll be back shortly.”

“Bye Severus,” Harry said.

Severus didn’t want to show that he was hurt because the boy didn’t refer to him as daddy. He had hoped this would happen more frequently. He sighed and sat down into a chair. Albus had a very serious look on his face.

“So how is he? He seemed quiet last night when you left,” the Headmaster said.

“Not good. He had a nightmare about his aunt and uncle last night. He was quiet all day yesterday and he threw a plate across the room. You shouldn’t have gone into so much detail yesterday. I thought we were just going to tell him what he needed to know. Your theory might not even be right,” Severus said.

“You and I both know that it is probably is true. You were very sure that he would spare Lily’s life,” Albus said.

Severus didn’t want to think about that night.

“You said you didn’t want to tell him anything that he was too young to understand about,” he said instead.

“I meant the prophecy. I do not plan to tell him about that until he is much older. That is not why I called you here of course. It appears that the boy’s aunt and uncle left Azkaban last night.”

Severus stared at him. No one could break out of Azkaban, it wasn’t possible. If a wizard couldn’t break out, then how did two non-magical people do it? Before he could ask, Dumbledore explained that someone must have taken them out to torture and kill them. Apparently Petunia’s body was found. From the looks of it, the person had tortured her and then killed her.

“But they would know who broke into Azkaban!” Severus said.

He believed that Petunia and Vernon got what they deserved, but it still shocked him that someone had gotten into Azkaban and took them out.

“That’s why I believe it’s an inside job,” Albus said. “Someone who has the authority to keep it all quiet, they would have to because you know the Dementors. Whoever did it still has Vernon Dursley. At the moment I fear for Dudley Dursley’s life. I would like you to get him from the orphanage we place him at.”

“Surely someone wouldn’t torture a child? This person must be doing it because of who Harry Potter is,” Severus said. “Besides, I don’t want that child near Harry.”

“I will find someone to take care of him until the culprit is caught,” Albus answered. “For now, we must keep the innocent safe. Whoever did this might attack the whole family out of revenge for what happened to Harry.”

“Do you have any theories on who it might be?” Severus asked.

Albus shook his head gravely. Severus still didn’t feel anything for the two adult Dursley’s. Secretly, he hoped that whoever had Vernon was torturing him as they spoke. He deserved it for what he did to Harry. However, Dumbledore was right; Dudley was just an innocent child. He only repeated his family’s actions.

“All right, I’ll get the boy. Remember, I don’t want Harry to even see him,” Severus said.

While they waited for Severus and Harry to come to the office, Albus had explained that the boy knew everything now. It wasn’t really a shock that he’d had a nightmare about his aunt and uncle again. All the boy did was nod but he stared down at his feet.

“You know that Severus would never send you away, don’t you?” Remus asked.

He had been angry three-years-ago when he found that Severus was Harry’s guardian. James and Lily would not have wanted that. However, he had seen the way the man was with the boy. They actually made a good pair. Anyone else would have spoiled him too much. Harry was a good child, and not the least bit arrogant.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Good, and I hope you know that you have a lot of people who love you.”

“Why though?” Harry asked. “My mummy died because of me.”

“No, she didn’t. She died because of Lord Voldemort. He killed a lot of people, not just your parents. He was an evil man and thanks to you, he is dead.”

“But he wanted to kill me because I’m a freak. My aunt and uncle were right all along!” Harry protested. “Why else would someone want to kill a baby? Why else would they hurt me all the time?”

“Lord Voldemort killed a lot of women and children for no reason at all! He wanted to kill Albus Dumbledore, and you know he is a good man. You were just an innocent baby, and your parents were innocent victims. I’ve told you about how he felt about Muggles and Muggleborns during our classes! I thought you understood all of that,” Remus said.

He had wanted to wait until Harry was older, but there were a lot of children who knew the story. Over time, the teachers at Hogwarts had found families that had kids for Harry to play with. They soon learned that it was time to tell the boy everything. Remus taught him what he needed to know in classes, while Severus and Dumbledore were supposed to tell him what really happened to his parents.

“I never knew when my birthday was,” Harry said. “No one told me and then one day I found out I was four when I went to the hospital and I didn’t even know I had been three! No one told me nothing. One day she told me I was turning five. She told me and I thought maybe we would do something for my birthday. Why else would she tell me when it was? I was excited for it. Then it came and there were presents but Uncle Vernon gave them to Dudley. He spanked me and said it was a birthday spanking but it hurt a lot like a normal one. It went on for a long long time! Then he locked me in a cage in the basement and Remus I think they were going to lock me down there forever!”

Remus had heard about this from Dumbledore and Severus. They had even let him see some of Harry’s memories, and what those people had done to Harry was sick. He was glad that Petunia had been tortured and killed, and he hoped the same was happening to Vernon. They had no right to do that to an innocent child. He didn’t want to think about how James and Lily would have reacted.

“Did they lock you down there often?”

“No, but sometimes I heard Uncle Vernon tell Aunt Petunia that he wanted to lock me up forever. I thought maybe it was my cupboard, but after my birthday I thought it might be the cage. If I am not bad and if I am not a freak then why would people who were my family want to hurt me? Aunt Petunia was my mum’s sister. That means she knew I was a freak and that’s why she hurt me. She knew that’s why the man went after me. She was angry that it was her sister instead of me. That’s why they wanted to lock me up forever. That’s why I wasn’t allowed to have a name. They told me I didn’t deserve a name and it’s because of that man, isn’t it?”

“No,” Remus said.

They were still in the corridors of the castle. He knelt down in front of Harry and hugged him tightly. He hated everything that had to happen to James’ family. At one time they had been very happy, and then Lord Voldemort had to step in and wreck that. Sirius had to betray his best friends and destroy a happy family just because he’d never had one himself. That was why Harry was sent to live with people who abused him and changed his name.

“We explained this to you Harry. Your aunt and uncle were scared of magic. They didn’t understand it. Nobody who can do magic is a freak though. I also think your aunt might have been jealous of your mother. From what I remember, they didn’t have much to do with each other. I think Petunia wanted to pretend that it didn’t exist. She had no right to do what she did to you and neither did her husband.”

“But why couldn’t my own family love me? You said you love me, all the teachers love me, and the students at Hogwarts do too. Severus hasn’t told me he loves me, but I know he does. So why couldn’t people that were my family love me? If I am not bad, then why did they want to lock me in a cage forever? Why didn’t they do stuff for my birthday? Why-”

“Harry, they were just bad people. Lord Voldemort was an evil man for killing people. Your aunt and uncle were bad people for hurting you. There are people out there who do bad things to innocent people. Now you know I was friends with your parents, and let me tell you something. Those two loved you more than their own lives. Your father never wanted me to tell you this, but the moment he held you in arms the first time, he cried because he was happy. I had never seen that man cry once in all the years I knew him, not even after your mother told him she’d marry him! Your grandfather’s name was Harold so they named you Harry. Your dad gave you his name as your middle name. Neither your mother or father would be happy to know that you were abused.”

“But my aunt was my mum’s sister! She was my family and so she should have loved me,” Harry protested.

“Sometimes blood doesn’t make family. You have a big family that loves you now,” Remus said. “Never forget that. Your mother and father loved you a lot and I don’t want you to ever forget that either.”

Harry nodded at last, so Remus stood up and took him by the hand. There was no doubt in his mind; he was glad that the Dursley’s were getting what they deserved. He just wondered who their abductor was. It had to be someone who was smart enough to fool the Dementors and the Ministry.

Everything was very dark. The man’s stomach growled loudly. He looked around in fear, what if they returned? If they heard his stomach, they would make him wait a lot longer before he was given anymore food. He pushed his hands into his stomach willing for it to be quiet. All he wanted was to have a good meal.

Once he’d realized that he was out of the cold and depressing place, he had hoped that everything would be better. How wrong he was. Although there wasn’t some invisible creature to suck away all his happiness, there were two men who tortured him.

One had broken him out of prison but that one rarely came around. The other man, he enjoyed telling Vernon off for the abuse he had subjected his nephew to.

Don’t you think I don’t regret it now? If I’d know I’d be locked up I wouldn’t have done it!

That’s not good enough. You only regret it because you were caught. To this day you would still be treating Harry Potter as if he were a slave!

No, Vernon did not feel guilty for beating the evil freaky little creature. The boy deserved it. He had burnt Dudley with the freaky powers. If that wasn’t evil, then what was? The boy had only been two-years-old when he’d done it. What would he have done when he was older? What would he have done if he’d gone to that school for freaks Petunia had told him about?

There were footsteps outside of the room he was imprisoned in. Vernon had tried to escape, but no matter how hard he tried to break down the door, it wouldn’t budge. There were no windows in the room either. He had tried to attack one of the men, but they had made him feel as if he were being stabbed over and over by a thousands knives.

The door opened, the man who entered the room had a mask over his face. He shut the door behind him and lit his ‘wand’ so some light penetrated the room.

“Please,” Vernon pleaded. “Let me go. Let me see my wife.”

“She’s dead,” the man answered harshly. “She was killed the day we took you out of Azkaban. Don’t worry, she didn’t suffer long. She hurt that little boy, but she wasn’t as brutal as you were. My friend used the cruciatus curse on her and then killed her.”

“You- you monsters!” Vernon croaked.

He’d already lost his son, his freedom, and now his wife was dead. They had at least been in the same cell together in the prison, so they had comforted each other when they could.

“I’m a monster?” the man hissed. “You abused an innocent little boy for two years! Your wife got what she deserved, and you’re getting what you deserve!”

“That child wasn’t innocent! He burnt my son!” Vernon shouted. “We didn’t beat him before that day. It was on a Christmas morning… I remember that much. The boy’s were fighting over a toy, and that evil creature burnt my son!”

“He didn’t know what he was doing. He’s an underage wizard. Children cannot control their powers. I reckon the boy was upset and did it by accident. I always knew that it was mistake for Albus to drop that child off at your doorstep. People warned him not to do it! There is nothing evil about Harry!” The man snarled.

Vernon curled up tightly ready for the curse. Sometimes when he called the boy evil, the man would attack him. However, there was just a scraping noise as a man sat in the ‘guard chair.’

“I can understand maybe you were frightened,” the man said in a calm voice, “but abuse is never the answer. You could have dealt with it in another way. No, instead you beat him daily; you forced him to live in his own filth; you gave him chores that were too difficult for a child that age; you locked him in a cage for his fifth birthday and you ripped his hair out!”

When the man put it that way, it did sound awful, but Vernon didn’t want to admit that. He just closed his eyes and wished that he had enough strength to attack the man, but he was too weak with hunger. I wonder if this is how Freak felt. Wait, why am I wondering that? The boy deserved it, didn’t he?

“Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that you made him grow up believing his name was Freak. That was before he burnt your son, was it not? You didn’t send him to school, although from what I hear, he really wanted to go. You’d be surprised at how many people think that you’re a monster. Harry’s whole story was printed in the Daily Prophet. However, it’s not only wizards who know what you did, Muggles do as well. Every one of your old neighbour’s know exactly what you did him.”

The neighbours had always been nosey, particularly the crazy cat lady. He remembered when one questioned them about four-year-old Harry sitting in the snow with nothing but a sweater and underpants on. It had been a punishment for not completing his chores. The boy had been given a severe beating for letting someone see him.

The man was laughing now.

“And you might not know it, Dursley, but they were suspicious. A witch went to talk to them all; she wanted to know why none of them suspected what happened in your home. They all did, and every neighbour was busy making a list of what they saw. They were planning to go to your peacemen with their lists. They had actually planned to do it soon, but then Severus Snape stepped in. One of the neighbour’s had heard him screaming, and it sounded as if he were being murdered a couple of days before Snape took him away. They were going to all get together that weekend, and go to the station with their lists.”

What the ruddy hell is a peacemen? Vernon wondered. Did the man mean policemen? The wizarding types sure were idiots. He sighed and held his breath as his stomach growled again. Luckily, the man didn’t seem to notice. He really needed food, even if what he was fed was disgusting. The man enjoyed giving him tasteless soggy food.

“They didn’t know how evil he was,” Vernon croaked.

The man jumped up quickly and the chair fell down. He waited for the curse that was surely to come.

“That child is not evil! He is just an innocent little boy who had the misfortune to end up in your care! He lost his parents when he was a baby for merlin’s sake! He’d already been through enough, and then he ends up at your place where he grows up believing that he is a freak who should be beaten for being alive! He’s gone through more than most adults, and yet from what I hear he is loved by everyone who meets him. There are even Muggle’s who love him! So if he is evil like you say he is, then why do so many people love and care about him!? It’s because you are nothing but an unnaturally cruel man who hurt someone who couldn’t defend himself! Now it’s all turned on you!”

“So why don’t you just torture and kill me like you did my wife?” Vernon asked tiredly.

He had a feeling that in the end he was going to die. Why they couldn’t they just get it over with already.

“I’m not a cruel man. Right now I’m trying to hold back from hurting you. I’m just doing to you what you did to Harry. You’ll notice I’ve only hexed you when you actually deserved it. That child never deserved what you did to him. I don’t plan to kill you either, even though that’s what my friend wants.”

He wasn’t going to die? Were they just going to let him go then? Maybe they would see how long they could make him suffer before they decided to free him for good. That worked for him. Maybe he could figure out what orphanage Dudley was taken to and get him out.

“What do you plan to do then?” he asked.

“Put you back in Azkaban when it’s safe. It probably won't be for a while though. My friend told me that it’s being watched at the moment, that’s why he isn’t here. We figure you needed more bad memories to live with while you stayed there. Your wife is dead because she didn’t hurt Harry as much as you did. Although my friend thought she should have the same fate as you.”

Bad memories? He’d had enough bad memories to live through while he was in that place. There was the one where he learned that Dudley was going to be taken away from them. There were also ones from when he was a child, bullied in school because of his weight. He didn’t need to relive this…

“Well, we also wanted to give you a taste of your medicine… actually, to be honest with you; I’m surprised you’re not mad yet. Most wizards are insane after a few months; you were imprisoned for three years.”

There were moments when he had felt insane, but Petunia had always helped him. It had been lucky that the wizards decided to put them together. In the end, he believed his wife had grown insane. She had called out for both the freak and Dudley. She also yelled out that she was sorry to her sister.

I’m sorry Lily! I know I should have gotten him out of there. That wasn’t the life I wanted to live! I shouldn’t have hurt him when I did, but he hurt my son! Don’t you understand that? He burnt my son! I was scared of what those powers could do to Dudders!

I’m sorry Harry; I shouldn’t have named you Freak. I’m sorry for throwing you down the stairs. Maybe you weren’t really evil, but I had to protect my son, you understand that, don’t you? I’m sorry for letting Vernon lock you in the cage on your birthday. It was your own fault because when you found out your birthday was coming up, you actually believed we were going to celebrate it. Why would you think something stupid like that?

Oh Dudders, I miss you so much! I want my son back! It’s not right to make him grow up in an orphanage! That’s where Freak should have grown up.

“Well, I suppose you’ve been good so far,” the man finally said. “I guess you can eat today. By the way, Dursley you stink. How does it feel to live in your own filth? That’s how your nephew felt. Maybe one day you’ll actually realize the consequences of your actions. Of course it’ll be too late…”

The man turned off the light on his wand and turned to the door to leave. Vernon’s stomach growled loudly at that point. When the man was gone, he let out a small sob as he thought about his old life. He’d give anything to have it all back. The man returned later with a lump of potatoes, and greasy chicken.

“Dinner is served. Enjoy!”

When the man left again, Vernon attacked the plate. Freak had done that when he’d been denied food for days.

After his bath, they had breakfast and then they tidied up the kitchen. Severus would have preferred to do this by magic, but Harry wanted to do chores. It didn’t make sense to him, but he decided that it was healthy for a child his age to be responsible.

After they cleaned, Harry was to have study time. Severus had started to teach him the basics of what he would learn at Hogwarts, but they also went over what Lupin had taught him the previous year. This usually lasted about two hours, Severus would have liked for him to study longer, but Harry would get distracted because he wanted to play.

He also taught him how to cut up potion ingredients properly. He decided it was not too early to teach him about the ingredients. One day soon he’d let Harry see his potion’s lab in the house. He wanted to wait until the boy was a little bit older, even though Harry was anxious to see it.

After lunch, that was when Harry could have his play time. Either he could invite a friend over for a few hours, visit a friend, or he could do what he wanted outdoors if the weather permitted it. That was when Severus would go into his lab to work on potions. If the boy needed anything, all he had to do was knock on the door. The sound was magnified ten times louder than usual so he would hear it.

After dinner he usually had Harry study again, or they would go visiting. When it was close to bedtime, the boy would insist on having another bath, and then Severus would read to him before the child went to bed.

“You know you’re probably the cleanest child I’ve ever met?” Severus told him one morning. “I don’t even think Hogwarts teenagers bathe as much as you do.”

“I like to be clean,” Harry said with a shrug. “Didn’t get to have baths at my aunt and uncle’s. All I had was a stinky cloth to clean myself with-” and then he blushed “and I always forgot to use to toilet cause Aunt Petunia didn’t really teach me. Sometimes I remembered, but not always. So I would have to sit around in in that and it was gross and I always had a rash cause of it. I tried to remember and I tried to clean my pants really good but it wasn’t enough. I always felt dirty. Having a bath was a-a-”

“Luxury?” Severus supplied.

“Yeah that. The nice lady came and I got to have two baths before she came but then once she was gone everything went back to normal. Aunt Petunia even let me wear nappies again and she cleaned my clothes for me.”

“What nice lady?” Severus asked.

He and Dumbledore had gone through Harry’s memories to see what his life had been at the Dursley's, but he didn’t remember anything about a nice woman going to see Harry.

“A nice lady came to see me after I broke my arm when Aunt Petunia threw me down the stairs. I remember it really good because they were really nice to be for two weeks. I got to play again, they let me eat every meal, I wore nappies because I still really didn’t know how to use the toilet… and Aunt Petunia washed my clothes in the machine a couple of times. The lady came and asked me if I was happy and I said yes, cause I was. I thought they loved me since they didn’t hurt me anymore. She let me sit on her lap, and I never got to sit on anyone’s before that. I always wished Aunt Petunia would hold me on her lap, but she never did, at least I don’t remember it. I thought since I told the lady I was happy and that I was never hit they would give me my own room with toys. Uncle Vernon sometimes ruffled up Dudley’s hair and told him he was a good boy. I always had dreams that he would do that to me too.”

Severus didn’t know what to say to that, so he told Harry to work on some of the summer work Lupin had left for him. He wanted to know who the woman was who had gone to see the boy. Why hadn’t she suspected anything? Did someone ask her to go check on things at the Dursley’s?

He knew that the neighbour’s had planned to tell the Muggle police about Harry’s treatment there. One woman said that she did call the cops after she noticed the boy covered in bruises, but for some reason nothing came out of it. Had they sent someone over to check on Harry?

It was three years later, but after seeing Harry’s reaction after they told him the truth about his parents, Severus was still angry. It didn’t help that the boy was very self-conscious because of his height. He was probably the size of what a five-year-old boy should be, and that embarrassed the boy.

He didn’t tell anyone, but he was worried that Harry would always be at a stunted growth. He had done research to see if there was a way to help the boy grow, but there wasn’t. He had even looked into some potions that could maybe help him. If anyone knew anything about potions, it was Severus, but so far he hadn’t found anything.

Poppy had said that as long as Harry ate well, and exercised, he should be fine. It was true that the boy had grown over the years, but he was still too small. What if he didn’t have a growth spurt when he was older? He was likely going to be the shortest in his class when he started the first year.

“Severus,” Harry said. “Can you help me with this problem? I don’t know why Remus makes me do this maths stuff when I won’t have to do it at Hogwart’s.”

“You’ll need to know some of it. It will be very helpful in Potion’s if you can measure. Also, in your third year you can take a class called Arithmancy,” Severus said as he walked over to Harry, he was disappointed that the boy didn’t call him ‘daddy.’

It had actually been his idea for the boy to learn about maths equations. Remus had taught him how to add and subtract, but Severus wanted Harry to learn more beyond that.

“You know, other kids don’t have to study over the summer,” Harry said. “Hannah Abbot told me that she sleeps in and then plays all day.”

“Yes well, you’ll have a head start when you get to Hogwarts, now won’t you? You aren’t going to be one of those children who slack off on their homework. I expect you to get good marks. If you’re sorted into Slytherin, I’ll have access to all of your marks. If I see that you are below average, you’ll be working with me every night until you pull your grades up,” he answered.

“What if I’m in Gryffindor?” Harry shot back. “I don’t know if I want to be in Slytherin. My mummy and daddy were Gryffindor’s. I know you were in Slytherin, but some of the kids I met there aren’t very nice to me.”

“What do you mean?” Severus demanded.

Harry didn’t answer. He blushed and looked down at the parchment full of equations. Were his students tormenting the boy? He wouldn’t have expected it from any of them. Sure they picked on the other students, but why would they pick on a little boy? They all knew Harry’s story, and they also knew who his guardian was.

“Harry, have my students been bothering you?” he asked.

“No,” Harry answered quickly. “I really don’t like multiplication. It’s complicated…”

“You know I can find out if you’re lying don’t you?” Severus said ignoring his last comment.

“You’re not gonna use Legli-whatever on me. You said I was too little even though Professor Dumbledore says you should start soon.”

“He wants me to use it on you for your less than pleasant memories. I believe you aren’t ready for that yet. Although I do plan to teach Occlumency to you the summer before you start Hogwarts… but no, I didn’t say I wouldn’t use it on you if you lie to me. It’s not often you do. Now tell the truth. Are my students picking on you?”

Harry didn’t answer. He just started to work on the next equation. Severus was going to have to teach him how to use a quill properly. The boy’s hand writing was terrible. He also managed to drip ink all over the place. There were already ink smudges on his face. He usually managed to get his hands covered in ink, and then he would touch his face.

“Harry,” Severus said in a stern voice.

“Sometimes they bother me about my past. They said I should have defended myself, but I was too weak. I know it’s not true cause you and Dumbledore and McGonagall and-”

“Who said this to you?”

Severus was surprised this hadn’t caused a setback on the child. He must have been full of stronger stuff then he had previously presumed.

“I don’t know their names. It’s not the bigger ones, they tell them to leave me alone. It’s the first and second years. The bigger one, the prefect put two boys in detention because of it. She said she would tell you, so I don’t know why you don’t know about it. It’s not all of your students. I just don’t want to live with the people who did bother me for it.”

A certain prefect was going to lose her powers for not coming to him sooner. She was also supposed to fill out a form about the incident, but he had not once seen any forms about students teasing Harry.

“Well, you should have told me, and before now. They have no right to bother you about that.”

He never would have believed it from any of the students at Hogwarts. They all knew he used to believe his name was Freak, why would someone bother him about it? Kids can be cruel sometimes a voice in his head reminded him.

“Well I know it’s not true. I’ve been told all the time it’s not. I don’t like to be teased, but I remember what it was like at my aunt and uncle’s. No one could have defended themselves against it unless they were a lot older.”

Harry was a lot more capable than he first believed. Not many abused children would say that. He knew that some would wonder if they should have tried to defend themselves. Harry already understood that he couldn’t have defended himself against his aunt and uncle.

They worked together on the maths problems for the next half-hour without speaking. Afterwards, Severus had Harry help him with potion ingredients.

“By the way, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot were wondering if they could visit tomorrow,” Severus said.

“You mean together?” Harry asked and his eyes widened.

“Yes, together. Well Hannah’s mother asked if she could come over, and Susan wanted to see you again. I decided to let them both come over tomorrow.”

“But the last time I played with them they made me play a girly game. I had to pretend to be a knight and they were princesses. I had to save them from a dragon. I don’t like that game,” Harry said.

“Hmm really?” Severus asked. “Sounds fascinating. Maybe I’ll mention your little game to Draco when he comes over.”

“No!” Harry said in horror. “I don’t need him to know, or Ron or the twins! Nobody can know.”

Severus just laughed.