*Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes.

"I still don't like your tone, boy." she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case." *

Harry turned his back to them and took several deep breaths. He could do this..his thoughts went immediately to the permission form upstairs. The last thing he needed was to lose his chance at visiting Hogsmead.

One deep breath...another deep breath...another...

At the same time, just outside the rather ordinary house, two figures dressed in black materialized, with a Disillusion charm cast on them. They were completely invisible to everyone around them, even to the Muggle who was walking his German Shepherd in their direction. Still, the two men stepped off the sidewalk so the two may pass. The dog stopped then, being able to sense things that were not there, and began to wine and growl at them. The blonde man looked at his friend and chuckled.

The dark haired man simply rolled his eyes and moved on, the other man following behind.

The blonde chuckled again as he pulled down his hood. His hair was thick and well groomed and hung down just past his shoulders. He was a tall man and powerfully built. He looked all around him while stroking his very becoming beard.

"Are you quite sure this is the right place? It seems these Muggles have very little imagination."

They walked down the street and stopped in front of the house. It was dull and ordinary just like the others.

"Yes, this is their house. They should be sitting down to dinner by now." he said as he copied the other man and pulled down his own hood.

This man had lanky black hair that came down to his shoulders and had a lean build. His eyes were like hard stones of obsidian, black as night and matched his current mood.

"Frankly, Brother, I'm not surprised. I remember Petunia Evans before your father rescued us. She hated Lily and I because we were 'freaks'. It stands to reason that she would detest anything that was out of the ordinary. Especially when it comes to magic." He continued in an undertone.

Both men were quiet for a moment as they solemnly gazed at the house.

"Are you sure this is wise, brother? What are the odds the mongrel will even get this far?"

"I'm not taking any chances. I've stood back these last two years and watched that boy recklessly risk his life time after time. His last foolish endeavor nearly cost him his life. He almost died in that blasted chamber... I nearly had heart failure when I found out. I'll not risk a third time. I'm going to step in before that dogfather of his gets to him."

The blonde man could only nod as he followed his brother, Severus and walked confidently up to the Muggle home. As silently as the Black Death, they crept up to the back fence and cast an Eavesdropping spell so they could hear what was going on.

*"You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon. If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it." *

Severus frowned and looked at his brother...it was way too soon to move in. He could feel the faint telltale stirrings of unchecked magic about to be unleashed.

Steady Harry...don't lose your temper. We're going to get you as soon as we can, Severus quietly begged the boy.

Harry grimaced and took several more breathes.

*"It all comes down to blood...as I was saying the other day, bad blood well out. Now, I'm not saying anything about your family dear, but your sister's a bad egg..." *

Severus frowned and closed his eyes. The blonde man next to him was watching intently.

Don't lose it Harry, just a few more minutes.

*"You see it all the time in dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch then there's something wrong with the pup." *

"Damn." Severus cursed as he looked up, flinching sharply as Harry's magic exploded.

Severus pulled out his wand from his cloak pocket and started to stand...but his companion, Thordred stopped him.

"We can't move yet lest old Dumbleydore will know it was us. We've got to let it play out."

And so they watched as the overgrown stuffy Muggle floated out the door and up into the sky. Then it was time to move. "Go get the boy, Sev. I'll keep watch here."

Once Severus was gone, his brother looked on as Dursely dropped to his knees yelling for Marge to come back.

Severus scaled the wall and peered in to the boy's room. Harry was hurriedly stashing his belongings into the trunk and looking around furtively as he did...as if expecting an attack any moment.

Severus silently urged him on from his window. He was still invisible to everyone but his companion. He frowned as his teacher's eye noticed how dusty his text books were. Didn't the boy get any homework during his summer holidays?

Well, that is one thing that shall be remedied...no wonder he has such trouble in class...

Just then he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. He whipped his wand out faster than a blink and leveled it at the door. He could only guess what that morbidly obese pig would do now. A full grown man would have far too big an advantage on a slight boy...

Suddenly, the door burst open and the monster walked in. Harry flinched as the fists rained down on him. He crumpled to the floor almost instantly and lay very still. Not even making a whimper.

Vernon leaned over the boy. "I'll make sure you never wake up again, boy. I've had enough of putting up with your freakishness. Time to get rid of you before you can contaminate my family. You worthless abnormal..."

Severus narrowed his eyes and threw off the invisibility charm and launched himself into Vernon whose eyes widened as he himself fell to the floor, enraged.

Severus stood over him. His fierce eyes burned with a fire, black hair whipping unforgivably across his furious face. He lashed out at the vermin standing before him, his fists ramming into the man's face.

"Petrificus Totalus," Thordred spoke in a calm voice before Severus could go any further.

Vernon's obese body froze, though his eyes widened as the blonde man canceled his own invisibility charm.

Now that his brother was there in the room with him, Severus turned his attention on Harry. He gently turned the boy over and saw a small bump forming at the back of his head. There was also a thin stream of blood leaking as well. He took out his hanker chief and cast a spell turning it into a bandage and wrapping it tightly around the teenager's head.

He was a Potion Master... not a Healer. He dared not do anything more for fear of making it worse. It would have to wait until they found a person capable of attending to Harry's physical needs. He held Harry close to him, nearly cradling the 13 year old boy and whispered soft reassurances to the prone form...and then Petunia walked into the room. A loud screech was heard.

"What are you doing in my house?" she shrieked.

Thordred looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow and then glanced back at the fuming woman.

"We've come for your nephew. He's badly injured...thanks to your charming husband." Thordred's face tightened, finally showing the anger he had been restraining. "Be warned there will be consequences," he uttered in deadly soft voice.

Petnunia sniffed. "He's no nephew of mine. Just a wretched burden. Take him and get out,before I call the police. And do not threaten me you uncouth bastards!"

Severus sneered at the horse-faced woman. "You will do no such thing, Tuney. You were entrusted with his care. You were showered with more than enough money. I've seen the state the boy has been in the last two years. And I. Am. Not. Pleased."

"Oh and Petunia, we're certainly not threatening you...we're promising you."

As these words were spoken, Thordred began putting the rest of Harry's things back into his trunk before shrinking and tucking it into his cloaks inner pocket. He fixed her with a glower that made her back up several feet.

"You are most fortunate that I don't hit women. Mark my words, Mrs. Dursley, say one word to the police, and you will regret that decision for the rest of your life. You won't like the consequences, of that you can be sure."

Without another word both men stalked out the door, down the stairs and out of the house barely noticing Dudly who was still watching the telly. Moments later they cast a final invisibility spell and disappeared into the night.

Once they were out of that blasted neighborhood, Severus canceled the spell. Momentarily, the bloody child beater would awake. He was more than infuriated. He wanted to turn back around and help that dastardly man meet his Maker. Only the precious cargo he held kept him from fulfilling his wish and taking revenge.

He'd wanted nothing more to beat the blue blazes out of Dursley.

Theodred looked at his brother, sensing his dark thoughts. "You did well, brother, restraining your famous temper. Father will be very proud." Saying this, he summoned their steeds, a pair of majestic winged Pegasuses, the size of Clydsdells that were blacker then black. The mighty horses stamped the ground impatiently and spread out their wings, ready to take flight.

Once Harry had been carefully secured against Severus's chest (he'd wrapped his own cloak around them both and held the child's head securely in one arm), Thordred pulled the bridle of Severus' mount close so that he was looking into the animal's intelligent eyes.

"The boy is severely injured, Onyx. Use the smoothest wind paths you can catch. We must get to New Asgard as fast as your wings can take you!"

The mount snorted and bumped his shoulder before it took flight, its powerful muscles pumping as it gained altitude and leveled out as smoothly as it could before turning its nose to the east, heading towards a place of safety, where they would all be safe and hidden by Norse Magic as old as the earth itself.

With his brother in the air, he mounted his own steed and rubbed its neck, "Come on Sable, my beauty. Let's make sure they get home safe." The horse nickered and turned once before taking to the sky.

It would take a couple hours to get there, but he had every confidence they'd make it there without further incident. He'd see to it.