Severus grabbed the floo powder off the mantle and prepared to floo to Hogwarts. After seeing the fierce expression on Weasely’s face when he tried to make him release his grip on Potter, they all flooed to the school together. Arriving in his quarters he set the boy down on the sofa and went to get the potions that Potter needed.

Harry wiped his tears away with his free hand and continued sniffling until a handkerchief was put into his hand. He wiped his nose and hoarsely spoke a thank you to Ron who was looking at him with an unreadable expression. Harry had never seen him look so serious, usually he wore his every emotion on his face but not now.

“Ron, are you ok?”

“No mate I’m not, I don’t understand this Harry.”

“Understand what Ron?”

“Why does everyone have to hurt you? What did you ever do to them?”

“Hey, I’m fine Ron I bounce back quickly. Besides I’ve had worse, and this is no big deal.”

“I know you’ve had worse mate, but you are definitely not fine.” Ron sighed and shook his head.“

Do you think I’ll have to go back?”

“To Sirius you mean? No mum would never allow the Headmaster to allow it, besides did you see Snape’s face?”

“No I was kind of buried in his robes,” Harry weakly chuckled.

Harry rested his head in his hands, what was he thinking pleading to Snape like that. Of all people to choose he had to pick to the one man who hated his guts and now even more so since the day with the pensive. Why did he take him to Hogwarts, what was he hoping to gain? Harry shook his head; he’s probably going to tell his Slytherins how Harry Potter cried in his robes of all people. He really hated his life right now, why did it have to vary from hurt or humiliation, why couldn’t he just catch a break? He heard his professor coming back to the room, and his whole body tensed in preparation for whatever his teacher was going to do to him. Harry unknowingly tightened his grip on Ron’s hand and tried not to tremble.

Severus came back into the room and watched the boy visibly hunched into himself. His body was tensed and every once in a while a shudder would cut through the child’s frame.

“Mr. Potter I need you to lift up your sleeves so I can spread the bruise salve on it. I also need you to take this potion, it’s for any pain you may have.”    

        Harry quickly drank the pain potion and sighed in relief when he felt it immediately start working. He could see Snape gesturing to his arms, but he pretended not to see. He avoided all eye contact, and he mused that Ron was right for once. Why did everyone want to hurt him? He never did anything to anybody except maybe Snape, but he was treating Harry decently at least for now he was.         

   Severus scowled; the brat was ignoring him after he brought him to and Hogwarts and got him away from Black. Not having much patience in the beginning, what he had was starting to wane.

“Now Potter, your arms”     

       Severus was rewarded with a flinch but the boy did lift up his sleeves. Severus hid a wince as he saw the dark bruising on the pale skin up close. The boy would need a few more applications of the salve before the bruising would disappear completely. He knew firsthand that Potter could be annoying but what did he say for Black to do this to him. He was startled from his thoughts when his floo flared and they all visibly tensed until they realized it was only Albus. What was he doing here; surely the meeting wasn’t over just yet, was it?

“Is the meeting over already Albus?”

“We haven’t even started my boy; I’m merely here to confirm what happened to Harry.”

“What is there to confirm? Black hurt him and if that wasn’t enough you saw the way he reacted when the mutt touched him. Or are you really going to dismiss this all as an accident?”      

      Harry had zoned out before he heard the Headmaster’s answer, he wasn’t even surprised really that no one believed him. No one ever believed him when he told them that someone was hurting him, and now the Headmaster was practically calling him a liar. He wasn’t aware that he was gasping on his sobs, or that all conversation ceased as they looked at him. In the distance he could hear Ron’s voice talking to him, why was Ron so far away?

“Harry mate, he didn’t say that he didn’t believe you. Anyone with eyes can see the proof on your arms, now calm down Harry before you make yourself sick.”           

Severus silently turned and stared at Weasely in disbelief as he calmly spoke to Potter. Spelling a calming draught into the boy’s stomach he waited for it to take effect, before grabbing Albus by the arm and heading toward the fireplace.

“Call a house elf if you guys get hungry, Weasely take care of him until I get back.”

Shaking his head Severus couldn’t believe he was leaving 2 Gryffindors alone in his quarters, never mind that it was Potter and Weasely. He took the floo powder and flooed to Albus’s office.

~*~*~*~Back at Grimmald Place~*~*~*~*

Remus was seething, and with the full moon only a few days away he looked more like a wolf then human. His face and eyes were both feral as he bared his teeth at Sirius. He had watched bemused, when Severus picked Harry up and then took him to Hogwarts. That was supposed to be Sirius’s job; he was not supposed to be the cause of his godson’s pain. Remus didn’t trust himself right now to talk to Sirius alone, so he just stayed in the meeting room shooting murderous glances at his friend.

Sirius for his part was sitting at the table with narrowed eyes. The way the order members were looking at him made him feel like he was a schoolboy all over again. So he grabbed Harry and tried to shake a little sense into him big deal, his parents had done that to him and more and he came out all right. What was really irking him was the fact that Snivellous of all people was allowed to pick Harry up. But he flinched back when his godfather barely touched his shoulder. He shook his head, how dare that greasy bat brainwash Harry like that. Everyone knew that the hatred between Harry and Snape was mutual wasn’t it? How could Harry choose Snivellous over him? He chanced a glance at Moony whose glare was burning a hole through his skull. He was trying to come up with an explanation for Moony when an anguish sound from the werewolf made him stop short.“

Why, Padfoot?”

“Why what Moony?”

“Why did you hurt Harry?”

“I didn’t mean too, he just wasn’t listening to me.”

“Oh and I supposed grabbing him like that made him listen to you? Right, I’ll bet the boy couldn’t even move because your grip was too tight,” Moody gruffly replied.

“You guys don’t understand at all, Harry wasn’t acting like James son.”

“How could he know how his father acted, he never even knew the man,” Minerva answered.“I hope to Merlin that you didn’t tell him that,” Moony angrily replied.

“Of course I did, he needed to know that he wasn’t acting like a Potter.”“

You idiot, how stupid can you be Padfoot?”          

  Remus saw red at Sirius’s answer, was he trying to break the child? Unconsciously he drew his left arm back as his hand molded into a fist; as he walked toward Sirius. He felt a strange gleam of satisfaction as he swiftly punched his best friend in the face. Ignoring the gasps behind him, he turned around without another glance to see if his friend was ok and walked out of the now silent room.

Everyone in the room was gaping at the man on the floor, who was knocked out from the blow. Each wondering if Remus was ok, the usually quiet and non-violent man has just punched one of his closest friends in the face. Shaking their heads, they silently headed to the kitchen for refreshments.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Hogwarts~*~*~*~*

“Albus what is going on? What did you really want to talk to me about? Surely those bruises on Harry’s arms were not accidental, is that what you truly believe?”

“No Severus, I am aware of what you have to do to achieve that kind of bruising. What I wish to talk to you about is Harry’s metal health at this point. He seems to semi-trust you to keep him safe, so I wondering if you could help the child come to terms with Sirius’s mistake?”

“Why would you ask me of all people Albus? What’s wrong with the wolf?”

“I don’t think Remus could help him like you can Severus.”

"What do you mean Albus? What aren’t you telling me?”        

    Severus watched the old wizard sigh deeply before covering his face with one hand. The gesture was so unlike Albus that it made him feel a bit guarded.

“What is it Albus?” Severus asked gently.

“I made an error, where I placed Harry for the last 15 years.”

“What do you mean?” Severus asked cautiously.

“I placed him with Lily’s sister Petunia, and I thought she would love him like her own son but I was mistaken.”

“You placed Potter with her? But you told me he was with his grandparents, you lied to me. I told you how Petunia was as a child, and yet you still put Lily’s son with her? Are you mad old man?”

“Severus the blood wards were stronger with her and her son, and anyways his grandparents died 1 month later.”

“They were probably heartbroken; they had just lost their daughter and son-in-law and then find out that their daughter’s will was ignored. How did she treat Lily’s son?”

“Not liked I hoped at all.”

“How did she treat Lily’s son?”

“She let her husband handle Harry; yes the same way your handled you.”

“And how long have you known about it? Because so help me if you knew and kept sending him back year after year, I’m resigning right now.”

“I only knew that he wasn’t happy, Arabella informed me of this past summer. Trust me when I say that I deeply regret not checking in on him, but back to the matter at hand. Will you help him Severus?”

“I can’t just turn my back on the child now can I? So many people have already; I walked in on a bit of their conversation back in my quarters. They were trying to figure out why everyone wanted to hurt Potter, what child asks that Albus?”

“I know my dear boy, I know.”

“I should head back and see what they’re doing. I wasn’t planning on staying here this year for winter break, so perhaps I could help him when I get back.”

 “I don’t think that would be the best plan Severus, this was the first year where no students were staying and most of the teachers if not all are gone. The magic here wouldn’t protect the boy very well, and anything could happen.”

“No Albus, I’m not taking him. I agreed to help him but I never agreed to take care of him.”

“Severus you must or he’s going to have to go back to Grimmald place.”

“Are you serious, you would send a child back to an abusive household?”

“Well order members would be there so Harry would never have to be alone with Sirius.”

“But he would still be able to see him you mean. Fine I’ll take him, what am I to do with him when I go back to the meeting today?”

“Nothing, he will be fine in your quarters with Ron.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in a little bit.”

Severus flooed to his quarters to find the boys sitting at the kitchen table playing with their food; they looked up at his arrival but didn’t say anything.

“I have an order meeting to go to, so you are both to stay here at Hogwarts in my quarters. Don’t go anywhere and don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

“Why do we have to stay here?” Ron whined.

“Did you really want Potter to go back to Grimmald place?”

“No way in hell is he going back,” Ron replied angrily.

“I didn’t think so Mr. Weasley. When I come back Mr. Potter, the Headmaster and I wish to talk to you about where you are to stay for the rest of the Christmas holidays.”

“Wait, could you please bring my stuff back Professor?” Harry quietly asked.

“I will Potter,” Severus replied.

Harry watched as Snape flooed away, and he turned to Ron and grinned. He figured they had at least 2 hours to kill, and he really wanted some chocolate to cheer him up.

“Are we really going to stay here Harry?” Ron giving up on his dinner, for once he wasn't hungry.

“Hey Ron, do you fancy a trip to Honeydukes?” Harry asked with a sly smile.