"It must be pretty bad if he stayed the night in the infirmary." Daphne said to Draco, Tracey and Theo the next morning as they sat in the corner of the Slytherin common room. They were the only ones who knew about Harry's condition.

Theo nodded. "The bruises looked pretty bad."

"He was so thin." Tracey murmured. "He also looked feverish."

Draco was quiet for a moment. He had hated Potter since he rejected his friendship the first day of Hogwarts. If he was honest with himself, he was jealous of him. Potter was so fawned over at school he had figured his family doted on him too. Draco had never been hit by his parents. His father could be cold and aloof and would lecture soundly if he thought Draco had brought shame to the Malfoy name in anyway but he had never hit him. His mother, though people thought the opposite, was much more warm in her affection for her son. While Draco feared disappointing his parents, he had never had cause to fear them. He knew many students in Slytherin and likely in other houses were not so lucky. But the boy hero? It seemed so unlikely. He wondered if Potter had fainted on the train because of his injuries. Draco felt an unfamiliar emotion. Guilt.

Daphne was also lost in thought. She had known something was off she just wished she had figured it out sooner. She had been through it herself although not to the degree Harry had. I hope he is okay, she thought worriedly.

"Breakfast is going to start soon." Theo said. "Maybe he'll be there?"

"I hope so." Daphne said as she followed her friends out of the tower.

HPHPHPHP

"How are you feeling today Mr. Potter?" Snape asked as he entered the infirmary. He had decided to wait awhile before telling Potter that he was his new guardian. The boy was going through enough as it was and needed time to learn to trust him. Not that I have made that easy, Snape thought with a sigh. None of this was going to be easy.

"I'm fine." Harry said automatically, wanting to leave the infirmary. Merlin, he hated the infirmary. He was so embarrassed that Snape knew the truth. That probably the whole school knew by now.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I'll ask again and I do not want that programmed response. How are you feeling?"

Harry stared at him with a bemused expression. "I feel better. No pain, actually. It's been awhile since I haven't felt any-"He shook his head. "I'm better sir."

Snape stared at him for a moment and again realized that this wasn't just Potter, James son but a child. A child who apparently was used to being in pain. "Breakfast finished a little bit ago. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I always starve my patients." Poppy came in and looked at Snape exasperatedly. She ran her wand over Harry and nodded in approval. "Your internal injuries have completely healed. All your bruises and scars have as well."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "My scars are gone?" His hand automatically reached behind him to his back.

"The scar removal cream I make is particularly advanced. The only thing it wouldn't work on would be unique curse scars." Snape told him, his dark eyes briefly looking at Harry's forehead. He tried to not look affected by the way Potter's eyes had lit up at the news that the physical scars of his abuse were gone. If only the internal scars of abuse were as easy to heal.

"Thank you sir." Harry said sincerely.

Snape was briefly taken off guard and simply nodded in return.

"Your fever is now gone. You will need to continue the nutrition potion however, every morning at breakfast until I or Professor Snape say otherwise." Poppy continued.

Harry nodded resignedly. "Yes Ma'am."

"You are free to leave Mr. Potter." Poppy said. "I do recommend that you rest all day."

"Thank you." Harry said in relief. He wondered if he could go to the Gryffindor tower to visit his friends.

"Head back to the common room Potter. Your housemates have been wondering where you have been." Snape ordered.

Harry gave a start at calling Slytherins his housemates. "Does everyone know?" His tone indicated that he assumed they did.

Snape shook his head. "When asked, I merely said you weren't feeling well. The only ones who know are Malfoy, Nott, Davis and Greengrass and all they know is what they saw." Snape hesitated. "I did inform the headmaster, as is protocol."

Harry shrugged. "He knew already didn't he? In the scheme of things, having some bruises doesn't matter."

Before Snape could reply to everything wrong with what the boy had said, Harry walked out of the infirmary.

HPHPHPHP

Harry reluctantly gave the password to the Slytherin common room wishing it was Gryffindor instead. "Callidus." He muttered and the wall formed a door which opened. He stepped in and was aware of looks being given his way.

"There you are." Pansy Parkinson said in a snotty voice. "Already separating yourself from us? Is Potty to good to be a Slytherin?"

"He's not a Slytherin." Blaise Zabini laughed. "It's a joke that he is here."

Harry looked at Blaise evenly. "That we agree on." He turned to make his way to his dorm when he was stopped by Daphne Greengrass.

"Are you all right?" Her blue eyes were looking him over in concern.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I'm fine. I mean, better." He looked at her in confusion still having a hard time grasping that Slytherins were being nice to him. "You weren't actually worried were you? I kind of thought you guys would have told what you saw."

"Apparently you don't know us as well as you think you do Mr. Potter." Daphne countered. "Slytherins look after their own. And whether you like it or not, you are currently a Slytherin. I thought I explained this to you already."

"But everyone here hates me!" Harry protested. "For two years I have been taunted by Slytherins. And since I'm known for getting rid of Voldemort- "

Daphne flinched.

"Are you afraid of his name?" Harry asked in surprise.

Daphne nodded reluctantly. "I'm afraid he will come back someday."

"You are? I thought you would want him back. I mean, I figured all your parents were his followers and…I guess I thought-" Harry stammered, feeling foolish.

"That all Slytherins are evil?" Daphne finished. "No Potter. Not every student in this house wants to be a death eater. Some of us act a certain way in front of others because, well, we are expected to be the bad ones." She shrugged. "Even most of the Professors treat us differently."

Harry frowned. Honestly, he had not paid much attention to how Slytherins were treated by the teachers.

Daphne nodded. "I do have to wonder how they will treat you." Her face softened. "Have you had breakfast?"

Harry nodded. "Apparently I need to gain weight." He said with a grin.

"You do. You're a stick." Daphne informed him, though her tone was light and teasing.

"Ah Greengrass, showing your rude side." Draco drawled as he and Theo came to stand next to them.

Daphne stuck her tongue out. "Shut it."

"You look normal again." Theo stated. Draco cuffed him on the back of the head and Daphne glared at him.

"Oh sorry, I guess that came out rude." Theo said sheepishly.

Harry couldn't help but laugh. He was still a bit wary as to why they were being actually nice to him though.

"I just mean that you show no signs of…being hurt." Theo explained with an apologetic look.

"It's amazing what potions can do. Almost like magic." Harry quipped.

Draco and Theo snorted while Daphne and Tracey rolled their eyes.

"Hmm maybe you should eat again. Daphne's right you do look like a stick." Draco said, eyeing him critically. Potter's clothes hung on him like a tent.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not hungry." And what do you care? He finished in his head.

"So do your friends know?" Draco asked bluntly.

This time Theo cuffed Draco on the back of the head.

"Really Draco, you are lucky we put up with you because," Daphne frowned. "Wait, why do we put up with him?" She asked Theo and Tracey.

Tracey shrugged. "No idea."

"His Mum sends him really good treats to share." Theo answered.

"I thank you for your kind words." Draco made a face. He looked at Harry a little hesitantly. "I just wondered if they knew since you three are so close. And if they did why didn't they…" Why didn't they tell someone? His mind finished.

Harry bit his lip. "They don't know." He admitted. The Slytherins looked shocked. "They know a little but not the worst of it. I didn't want to burden them." His eyes widened. "You won't tell them will you?"

"We aren't going to tell anyone. You're a Slytherin now Potter and we look out for our own." Theo said firmly.

Daphne was curious as to why Harry didn't want his best friends to know and opened her mouth to ask when she was interrupted.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Two younger girls joined the little group smiling brightly.

Harry's emerald eyes widened in alarm.

"We were just telling Potter that we are glad that he is feeling better." Daphne said smoothly. "He had a touch of the flu last night."

"Oh, I hate the flu." One of the girls, who looked like Daphne, nodded. "Glad you are feeling better Potter."

"Thanks." Harry managed to say. They're being too nice! His mind screamed.

"This is my little sister Astoria. She is in her first year." Daphne introduced. "And this is Tabitha Bainbridge, also in her first year."

Harry smiled kindly at them. "It's nice to meet you. Are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?"

Astoria nodded eagerly. She had blonde hair and blue eyes like her sister, yet her hair was a darker blonde and her eyes more of a pale blue. "I love it, it is so exciting! Although yesterday I had History of Magic and I almost fell asleep!"

Harry laughed. "Hate to tell you but that class doesn't get any better. It's a good place to catch up on homework though."

"I'm still so happy to be here. I hated having to wait to start Hogwarts. I wanted to come when Daffy did." Astoria beamed. She clearly looked up to her big sister.

"Tori!" Daphne hissed at her little sister, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I told you not to call me that here!"

Astoria blushed. "Oops, sorry Daff-Daphne."

Tracey and Theo were snickering while Draco and Harry had burst into laughter.

"Oh that's rich!" Draco gasped.

"I better never hear any of you say that name!" Daphne threatened. She glared at Draco who was laughing the loudest. "Understand me Dray?"

Draco returned her glare. "Don't call me that! Fine, I won't say anything."

Harry was quite amused and looked at Daphne. "Dray?" He mouthed.

Daphne grinned and nodded.

"Thanks for the laugh Astoria." Draco said with a smirk.

Harry noticed Astoria blush.

"Hey Potter, Professor Snape wants to see you in his office." Graham Montague called to him.

Harry made a face. "Great." He muttered. He looked at the group of people around him. "See you guys later."

"Harry." Daphne followed Harry to the door. "I know you have issues with Professor Snape, but in this situation trust him. Believe me, he wants to help."

"How do you know?" Harry asked his voice tense. Daphne just looked at him, her dark blue eyes a little sad. "Oh." Harry said as understanding hit him. He felt like an idiot. "Thank you Daphne." He gave her a mischievous grin. "Or should I say Daffy?"

Daphne scowled yet her eyes were amused. "Watch it Potter."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as he headed out of the common room.

HPHPHPHP

"Come in Mr. Potter." Snape gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

"You wanted to see me Professor?" Harry asked his tone wary.

"I take it you are still feeling well?" Snape asked, leaning back in his chair.

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

"I know it has only been a day but are you finding it hard to settle in with Slytherin?" Snape asked, curious to how the child was fitting in. He wasn't naïve to think all his Slytherins would take the lecture he gave about accepting Potter into their house to heart but he was sure some of his students would. Despite what other's thought, he had some really good kids in his house.

"Better than I thought I would." Harry admitted. "I think I may have made some friends. Maybe."

Snape nodded, looking pleased. "I thought we should discuss more of what led to your injuries." Snape said evenly. He had never in years would have thought he would be having this conversation with Potter. "As well as injuries you had in your childhood." He tapped the parchment that detailed Potter's health history.

"We don't have to." Harry quickly said. "It doesn't matter."

"Actually it does." Snape countered. "What has happened to you matters a lot Mr. Potter. You indicated that the Headmaster knew about your relative's abuse. He knew your aunt and uncle weren't…caring for you the way he had hoped. But he did not know how bad it was."

"Or maybe he didn't want to know." Harry shrugged. He really didn't want talk about this.

Snape didn't say anything. The truth was he was still upset with Albus. The Headmaster should have made sure that Harry's muggle relatives were treating him properly. That was the problem with many muggle-born children unfortunately. Their parents or guardians grew to be afraid of their accidental magic and tried to beat it out of them or simply abandoned them. Snape knew Petunia had been jealous of Lily and her magic but when Albus had said she had taken in Potter he assumed that meant Petunia would revel in taking care of the boy hero of the Wizarding world. He remembered how Lily had told him that Petunia wanted to attend Hogwarts. He had assumed Petunia would view raising Potter as her chance to be a part of the world she had longed to be in as a child and therefore would have spoiled him. I should have checked as well, he thought regretfully.

"I would like to know. You are not the first student who has had these issues." Snape told him. "It's important to talk about it Mr. Potter."

Harry leaned back in his seat and sighed. "I really don't see how it would help. They hate me and made sure I knew it. That's all."

"That's all? They starved you and hurt for years. They caused cuts and burns and bruises. They caused internal bleeding. It also says here you had a broken arm when you were seven years old." Snape held up the parchment.

"Kids fall and break bones all the time." Harry said, his voice rising a bit.

Snape narrowed his dark eyes at him. He expected the defensive attitude. It was hard to control how he usually spoke to Potter however. It was a habit for him to snap at him. "Tell me about it." He said, working to keep his voice calm.

Harry stood up. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Tell me about the broken arm, the truth, and I won't ask anything else about it for the rest of the weekend." Snape bargained.

Harry sat down slowly, remembering what Daphne had said about trusting Snape. He would try but it was hard to imagine Snape being someone he could trust. Trusting any adults was a rare thing for him. "I was running away from my cousin and his gang and I ended up on the school roof. The teachers thought I climbed up there but the truth was I didn't know how I ended up there. My Aunt and Uncle knew and were furious. My Uncle-"He closed his eyes as the memories swam in his mind.

"Go on." Snape said softly.

"He yelled, called me a freak. He slapped me and I started crying." Harry's face turned red with embarrassment. "He got mad that I was crying and he grabbed my arm, shaking me and then threw me against the wall. Hard. There was a loud snap and my arm was really hurting. He then threw me into my cupboard and locked me in." Harry's eyes were slightly glazed as he was lost in the memory.

Snape longed to have two minutes alone with Mr. Dursley. Actually, one minute would be plenty. "Your cupboard?" He asked softly.

Harry nodded, still lost in thought. "Yeah, it was my room until-"Harry frowned. "Wait, you said all I had to tell you about was my arm."

"Oh, that's right I did." Snape said smoothly. "Thank you for your honesty Mr. Potter. Before you go there is one thing I would like to make sure you understand."

Harry had already stood up, anxious to leave. "What is that Professor?"

"Your relatives were wrong in how they treated you. You didn't deserve it. No child deserves it." Snape looked at him piercingly. "They are despicable for hurting you the way they did."

Harry simply stared at him.

Snape turned his attention to the papers on his desk. "You may go now Mr. Potter." He still didn't feel it was time to tell Potter about his change of guardian. Besides, he still had to get the Dursley's to sign the right papers. He was personally looking forward to that visit.

Harry hurried to the door but then stopped short and turned around. "Thank you sir." He disappeared out the door.

Snape stared at the shut door for a moment. It was not much but it was a start.