Antithesis by mandancie
Summary: This story is from the Summer Fic Fest. A prompt by Scorpia that I saw on Potions and Snitches website. Harry is kidnapped and Draco is the only one who saw it happen and who knows who did it.
Categories: Parental Snape > Godfather Snape, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape, Fic Fests > #18 Summer 2015 Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Loving, Snape is Stern
Genres: Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe, Kidnapped!Harry
Takes Place: 6th summer
Warnings: Out of Character, Rape
Prompts: Draco is the Only Witness
Challenges: Draco is the Only Witness
Series: None
Chapters: 23 Completed: Yes Word count: 52237 Read: 99006 Published: 21 Jun 2015 Updated: 20 Feb 2020
Chapter 10 by mandancie

Poppy gathered everything from St. Mungo's and the Infirmary at Hogwarts. She floo'ed home first. She knew that Severus' fireplace had wards set upon it, so she knew she would have to contact him first before coming over. Walking towards the fireplace again, Poppy thought about the way Harry looked when she saw him the day before. He was not the same boy she saw when they helped Minerva to the Infirmary just days before the end of the semester. Her heart ached for the boy. Whatever he had been through was so traumatizing that his magic was lashing out.

Taking a deep breath, Poppy roused herself from her musing and threw a pinch of powder in the fire.

“Severus,” she called out.

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Harry was still laying on the pillows that Severus had placed behind him so that he could feed himself. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. Severus was sitting on the edge of the couch next to Harry, when the fire turned green.

“Severus.”

Harry jumped a little from the voice. Severus patted Harry's arm to comfort him and then stood up and walked over to the fireplace.

“Yes, Poppy.”

“I have everything.”

“Come through.” Severus stood by the fire and waiting for Poppy to make her way through. He held out his hand for her as she came.

“Has he eaten?” Poppy asked. Her voice was soft and low.

Severus nodded. With his hand on her arm, Severus escorted Poppy over to the sofa where Harry was.

“Harry,” Severus said. “Madam Pomfrey is here. Would you allow her to fully check you?”

Harry knew that Madam Pomfrey was coming, and that she was going to check him out, but the idea of anyone knowing what all happened while he was with that bastard was just too much. His breathing started to become erratic and shallow. Severus sat down next to Harry and placed his hand on the child's chest.

“Calm down, Harry,” Severus soothed. He could feel the child's magic around him. “I will not leave you. You will be safe. I promise. But you need to calm down.”

Harry's eyes opened and looked at his professor. Tears pooling in his eyes. Raising his arms just a little, Harry wanted to grip Snape's arm and hold on, but the weakness in his hands, he couldn't.

Poppy sat down on the coffee table next to the sofa.

“Harry,” Poppy said. “I know you're scared. And you have every right to be. It's alright. But I must make sure that I can heal whatever he did to you. I must check you. Please, Harry.”

Harry looked over at the Matron, biting his bottom lip.

“I'm sorry,” Harry sighed, tears streaming down the side of his head towards the pillow. “You won't tell anybody?”

“Nothing that you don't want me to,” Poppy promised.

“You won't leave me?” Harry asked, looking at Severus.

“I'll be right here.”

Harry nodded.

“You remembered what I said earlier? You have to allow Poppy to touch you,” Severus said. “Will you trust her?”

Harry, trying to calm down, closed his eyes and nodded.

“Harry,” Poppy said in a soft, soothing manner. “I will let you know everything that I will do, so that there will be no surprises. Okay?”

Harry nodded, again.

“Okay, Harry.” Poppy put the items that she had on the table beside her. “I want to take a look at your wrists. Will you let me look at them?”

Harry closed his eyes again and nodded. He extended his arm out one at a time so that Poppy could get a better look at them. She lightly brushed her fingertips over the chafed, abused skin. While holding the small fragile wrist in her one hand, she went in her bag and pulled out some cream and began applying its contents on the child's wrist. While she worked on the one wrist, Severus took some cream out and began on the other one.

Poppy noticed that Harry didn't flinch when Severus began, but then again, Severus was the only one that could get close to Harry without the child's magic pulling him away.

After they were finished applying the cream, Poppy knew she would have to do the most uncomfortable and embarrassing part. She would have to check him for soft tissue tears and infections.

“Okay, Harry,” Poppy praised. “You are doing good. Now, we are going to have to get to the hard part. I'm going to have to check you.”

“Huh,” Harry said, trying to sit up, but Severus had his hand on his chest keeping him laying down.

“Harry,” Severus soothed.

“Harry,” Poppy said in the same soothing manner. “You were raped, repeatedly. I need to check you to make sure he heal properly.”

“Can't you just cast a diagnosis and see?” Harry voice was panicked.

“Harry,” Poppy soothingly said. “The way your magic is I cannot just cast a diagnostic charm on you. I have to physically see what was done. The only thing the diagnostic charm will tell me is what I already know; you were raped. I'm so sorry, Harry. It's the only way.”

Harry cried. For two weeks, he was exposed and brutalized in the worse way. The last thing he wanted was to have to be put in the position to be exposed again. He knew deep down that Madame Pomfrey would never hurt him. He knew that Professor Snape would never hurt him, but for them to see him truly vulnerable was just too much. Harry just cried.

Poppy, trying to hold back her own tears, got up and went to the end of the sofa where Harry's feet were. Severus stayed where he was. He focused his attention on Harry and let Poppy do her work.

Releasing the charm over the blankets, Poppy lifted the top cover and folded it up towards Harry's waist. Harry started trembling.

“Okay Harry.” Poppy's voice was thick with emotion. “I will try to make this as quick as I can.” She patted Harry's ankle.

Severus just leaned down a little and combed his fingers through Harry's hair in a soothing motion, trying to calm him down.

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Arthur hadn't been able to sleep much less rest since he and Severus picked up Harry from that dilapidated house. So much was nagging in the back of his mind. Arthur thought about the way Severus acted when they met with the man who was holding Harry. Severus was good. Really good. Almost scary, how he could persuade the man to trust him so readily. Then he thought about the man. How could he do something so despicable? Arthur couldn't fathom the mindset of that man. And that man truly believed what he was doing wasn't wrong. Just thinking about that man made bile rise up in the back of Arthur's throat.

Walking through the house, Arthur stopped at the twins' room and peeked inside. He looked at his sons. They were peacefully asleep in their beds. His twins, the two terrors that made it possible that he never had a dull day. A sad smile graced the elder Weasley's lips as he looked at his twins and then closed the door. He made his way up to the top floor, where his youngest son was sleeping.

Arthur cracked the door and saw that Ron was under the duvet.

“Dad,” came a whispered voice from inside the room.

“Ron,” Arthur whispered. “You're suppose to be asleep.”

“Can't sleep,” Ron said, sitting up in the bed. “Worried about Harry. Did you find him?”

Arthur came inside the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Yes, we found Harry.”

Ron's eyes brightened at the thought that his best mate was found.

“When can I see him? Is he here?” Ron was fully awake now. He was about to get out of the bed, but Arthur put his hand up stopping Ron where he laid.

“Harry is safe, but he needs to heal first before he can have visitors,” Arthur explained.

“But Harry's my best mate,” Ron rationalized. “I should be there with him.”

“Son, trust me,” Arthur stopped Ron's rant. “Harry needs to heal and recuperate before he can see anyone. Now, I want you to try and get some sleep.”

Arthur put his hand on Ron's shoulders and gently, but firmly, laid Ron back down on the bed and did something he hadn't done since before Ron first went to Hogwarts. He tucked his son in.

“Dad, is Harry okay?” Ron asked.

“He will be, but he needs to rest and heal before we can see him. Trust me, son.”

“Good night, dad.”

“Good night, son.”

Arthur got up and walked out of the room.

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Harry was back under the covers. It was up to his chin again. Severus had put the warm flannel back over the child's eyes, but there was still tear tracks noticeable on his face. Severus leaned down and whispered into Harry's ear before getting up. Poppy had already left the room, leaving them alone.

Severus walked into the kitchen and found the matron sitting at the table with her head buried in her cupped hands. Her shoulder were slightly shaking from sobbing. Severus didn't say anything. He just walked over to the stove and put the kettle on. While the water was boiling, he walked over to the table and put his hand on her shoulder.

After a few seconds of her trying to collect herself, she lowered her hands and looked up at Severus. Severus sat down next to her.

“I'm sorry,” Poppy said.

“Don't apologize. There is nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“Poor Harry,” Poppy said, shaking her head, trying to stop more tears from spilling.

“Is there anything that I need to continue now?” Severus asked.

Poppy shook her head.

“I didn't want to put Harry through having to go through that again, so there is a charm on the antibiotics so that it is timed released. It would only have to be administered once. It was so traumatic for Harry to go through that.” She shook her head remembering the cries and screams from the child. “I didn't want to put Harry through that again. As for the sutures for the tears, they are a special kind. Once the swelling goes down and the tears heal, the sutures will dissolve.”

Severus nodded, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The last thing he wanted was to have to put Harry through that again. Hearing the child's whimpering and sobbing was just a little too much for the Potions master to take.

The whistle from the kettle brought both of them out of their thoughts. Severus got up and poured two cups of tea.

“Professor.”

It wasn't a loud call, but in the quiet of the house it could be heard. Severus put the kettle down and rushed out of the kitchen, Poppy right behind him.

“What's wrong with me?” Harry cried. “What's wrong with me?”

“Harry,” Severus soothed as he sat down on the edge of the sofa. “Calm down. I'm right here.”

“Why?” Harry asked, sobbing. “Professor, what's wrong with me?”

Severus pulled Harry towards his chest and wrapped his arms around the child. Poppy stood in the doorway watching, her hand over her mouth, and the tears that she so desperately wanted not to fall began spilling as she listened to the despondent cries of a small child that should not have gone through what he did.

TBC

The End.


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