"Well here we are. The official beginning of summer vacation!" Remus guided the child out of the floo, looking around for Severus.

Seven-year-old Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around his teacher. Since he'd come of age to begin formal learning, his father had hired Remus Lupin as a private tutor. It had been his way of helping the other man out while ensuring a safe learning environment for his son. "Are you sure you can't go with us?"

Severus had planned a trip for him and Harry to an elaborate magical amusement park in Rome. Harry had been looking forward to the trip for ages but wished he could share the experience with his tutor and Sirius. The two men, however, had their own plans for the summer. Sirius had invited his best friend to spend their vacation in the Bahamas where they would 'stay for two luxurious months being pampered and scouting for women.'

His dad had rolled his eyes and told them they were dogs in every sense of the word. Harry didn't understand what he'd meant, but he knew they were bound to have more fun riding hover carts than lying on the beach.

"I'm sorry. I do want to see lots of pictures when you get back though." The older man lifted the child high in the air and swung him around once, smiling at the eruption of giggles. "Just think, this time next week you'll be tossed through the air by every spell possible."

Harry laughed and ran to his room as soon as his dad walked through the door. "Bye Uncle Remus! I'll take lots of pictures!"

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Remus hung around long enough to be paid by Severus. He'd tried to decline, stating he owed Sev that much for the supply of Wolfsbane he'd brewed for him to take. The professor laughed and pushed the moneybag back. "It's not like I'm paying for the ingredients. Argue with Albus and go enjoy your summer."

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Catastrophe struck.

The night before they were supposed to catch the portkey for Rome Severus came down with a bad case of Dragon Spots. It was normally a childhood disease that was all but wiped out with the invention of a counter spell. Unfortunately it seemed that Severus had never received the proper charm.

Covered in itchy blue spots, Snape was immediately placed in quarantine in the infirmary. Harry seemed to have no one to keep him. Poppy would be busy with her patient. Albus was leaving and all the other professors had already made plans as well.

Sirius and Remus had been gone for three days, so there seemed to be no one until Albus remembered Lily's muggle sister.

He was currently in the quarantined area, speaking with the sick man about the situation. Severus agreed to leave the child with his Aunt. "I'm glad you remembered, Albus. Lily hardly ever spoke of her family and I keep forgetting she has some relatives still living."

He immediately began coughing. Albus patted him on the back. "You just rest, Severus. I'll take care of Harry."

"Tell him I'm sorry about our plans and I love him."

Albus stood up and began to leave. "Of course. You concentrate on getting well."

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Harry stood nervously holding the headmaster's hand as Albus rang the bell at 4 Privet Drive. Oh how he wished someone from Hogwarts could watch him this summer so he could help take care of his dad!

Finally, after what seemed like ages the door opened to reveal a thin woman with a long neck and sour disposition. "Yes, may I help you?"

Albus grinned widely. "Ah, Mrs. Dursley I presume?"

The lady frowned and eyed the man suspiciously as if he were about to either attempt to sell her a vacuum cleaner or convert her to his religion. "I am Mrs. Dursley, and who might you be?"

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and…." Albus looked confused as the door was suddenly slammed in his face. He shared a glance with his young charge and knocked.

After a few minutes of ceaselessly pounding on the wood, his efforts were rewarded when the stern woman yanked the door open. "Listen, I don't know what you're doing here but I'll have none of the neighbors seeing you on my doorstep!"

Unperturbed, Dumbledore grinned once again. "Why of course!" He pushed past her into the house and tugged the seven-year-old behind him. "I'll be brief, Petunia… may I call you Petunia?"

The lady in question went from chalk-white as they came into her home to red when he asked her the question. "No you may not! How dare you enter…"

"Very well, Mrs. Dursley. I'll be brief." He sat down at the kitchen table and nodded at Harry to sit as well. Never losing his smile, he continued. "Now I'd like to introduce you to your nephew, Harry Jamison Potter. Harry, this is your Aunt Petunia."

The boy nodded and smiled shyly at her but Petunia wrinkled up her nose as if she had encountered a horrid smell.

"Now, I'm sorry to say little Harry's father has come down with an unfortunate case of Dragon Spots. It's not serious, but he will be in quarantine for a few months. I'm afraid you'll have to look after him until the danger is passed, but that's what family is for is it not?" He misread her horrified expression and began to make an attempt at placation. "Now there's nothing to worry about. Harry has already been spelled against receiving the affliction. Not to mention only wizards and witches are able to catch it, so you needn't fear anything on that regard. However, should the lad suddenly spark a fever and break out in blue spots I will leave you a parchment you can contact me through." He pulled out a blank piece of paper and laid it on the table. "I'll be at my grand-daughter's house in Greece for the summer, but it's not important. Anything you write on this parchment will show up on the one I will have with me."

Petunia kept gasping as if she were a fish caught on the bank, trying desperately to make it back into her pond.

In the meantime, Albus reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a tiny box and his wand. He unshrunk the child's trunk, ignoring the muggle's small shriek, and patted him on the head before heading to the door. "I expect you to behave yourself Harry. You're father will be by to collect you as soon as he's up and about again. Good day to you, Mrs. Dursley. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything."

The sound of the front door closing sounded very loud to Harry's ears. Turning away from the door, the two occupants warily regarded each other. Petunia stared wide-eyed at the child and covered her mouth as if trying to hold in a scream.

Just then the front door opened to reveal a large man with a mustache and no neck, followed by a boy who looked to be about Harry's age. The boy seemed to be the spitting image of what could only be his father.

The man frowned upon seeing Harry and was about to say something but before he could Petunia grabbed his arm and pulled him into the sitting room, whispering harshly and scowling in Harry's direction. The man was getting more and more red in the face as his aunt continued her tirade.

The boy came up to him then, catching his attention. "Who are you?"

"Harry. I think I'm your cousin." Harry hated the cold feeling inside when he realized he'd be spending the summer in a place he wasn't welcome. He clamped the lid on his homesickness and concentrated on the other child.

"You're not MY cousin. I don't have any cousins. You're just loony!"

Harry sighed. "Aren't they your parents?" He nodded. "Well my mum and your mum are… were sisters. That makes us cousins. What's your name?"

"Dudley." With that, he shoved Harry down. "And I'm not your cousin. My mum doesn't have any sisters so you're a liar. Why are you in my house."

Scowling much like his father would, Harry picked himself up off the floor. "I have to stay here for a little while until my dad gets better."

Dudley sneered. "Daddy won't let you stay here. There's no room. You're not allowed in my rooms or Aunt Marge's room." He pushed Harry again but thankfully he was ready and braced himself on the counter. "Guess you'll have to stay in the doghouse then! And don't think of touching any of my toys!"

The boy then scrunched up his face and ran to his parents. "Mummy, daddy, I don't want him here! He's going to try to take my toys and one of my rooms, I know it!" Both adults proceeded to glare at the wizard child.

Harry began to feel very small at the cruel expressions on his relatives' faces. Petunia bent down and started reassuring her obese son that 'No, that freakish child is most definitely not going to be touching any of your things, nor is he taking your second bedroom. Now go fix yourself a snack, Popkins, and turn on the telly.'

Placated for the moment, Dudley left his still fussing parents and threw his cousin a triumphant grin before digging through the fridge.

Harry sighed and sat down at the table. 'Oh daddy, please get better soon.'

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Severus Snape was miserable. He lay in his quarantined room, bored out of his mind. Browsing through some of the magazines and books left by fellow employees, he sighed as none of them caught his interest.

Idly scratching a rather troublesome blue spot on the end of his nose, he wondered how his son was faring with the relatives he'd never met. Sev felt a little bad that he hadn't even remembered Lily had a muggle sister before Albus mentioned it a week ago. There were so many years she and her husband had missed out on due to his carelessness. 'Ah well, I'm sure they'll make up for it nicely this summer and then I'll be sure to let him visit regularly. If I'm not mistaken, they've even got a boy his age.' He thought of how they probably were at this very moment -- plying the boy with sweets and pinching his cheeks as aunts and uncles were prone to do.

Smiling, Severus remembered his own Aunt Gertrude who used to spoil him rotten every time she came for a visit. Uncle Raymond would then reach into his pockets and pull out a shiny galleon in exchange for a hug from his only nephew. Then he would ruffle his hair and send him out into the yard to play with Sev's two cousins while Aunt Gertrude would sniffle and comment on how the kids grow up so fast.

Severus wondered if Harry was disappointed that they weren't going to be able to go to the 'Great Wizarding All-Magical Amusement Park' in Rome as he'd scheduled. He shook his head. 'I'm sure his aunt and uncle will make up for it by doing something 'muggle' with him. Harry has been ever curious about that world.'

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Harry decided he absolutely hated the muggle world. He scowled up at the bottom of the stairs from his little cot in the broom cupboard. He resisted the urge to kick the wall in annoyance. For two weeks he'd been in this cursed place where he'd been turned into the Dursleys' personal house-elf.

The first thing Uncle Vernon had done when he'd been apprised of the situation was take a pair of kitchen tongs and dispose of the magical parchment Uncle Albus had left. Aunt Petunia handed Harry a bottle of cleaner and a rag, making him scrub the table until it shone.

Uncle Vernon had then grabbed his trunk and locked it in the basement. He had protested this action vehemently until his brutish uncle backhanded him across the face. Harry, who had never had a hand raised to him EVER, stood there in shock with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Dudley laughed at him as if that was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

After being yelled at for 'disrespecting his elders', Harry had been dumped unceremoniously into the tiny cupboard under the stairs and had to go without supper. What started out as his punishment quickly became his bedroom as Petunia found an old camping cot that fit perfectly under there. He had suspicions that it was also due to the fact that Dudley had far too much fun jumping up and down on the stairs in order to make the spiders fall down on him.

None of them wanted him anywhere near his trunk, for reasons unknown, so any clothing he wore came from things his cousin had outgrown. He glared more menacingly as his stomach began to growl. They'd also gotten into their heads that he was going to cost them as little as possible, so he'd had to contend with tiny rations of food.

For a child who had grown up never wanting for anything, this was a hugely difficult situation to have to get used to. He looked down at the phoenix pendant resting against the dingy yellow T-shirt that was way too big for him. Harry thought about calling his guardian for help but decided against it. The old man had told him in the past that he would only help him in dire emergencies. No matter how depressed he was over being here, he didn't think his life was in danger.

He winced as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position. Every muscle in his body was screaming from the amount of work that he was ordered to complete. Of course, the bruises he'd received from his bully of a cousin didn't help. He especially didn't like Dudley's and his friend Piers' new game called 'Harry Hunting'. On the plus side, Dudley was too fat to climb trees and Piers was too stupid.

Harry sighed. It was going to be a long summer.

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Poppy frowned as she checked Severus' temperature. She didn't like the way it kept rising, but considering his ailment it wasn't unusual. Her patient was currently sleeping, tossing and turning with troubling dreams.

She forced him to drink his potion before rubbing an anti-itching salve on the spots. 'Poor little bugger'.

The medi-witch left the rooms and headed for her desk after walking through the germ-free barrier. There she composed a letter to the potion master's son, informing him that his dad was okay but unable to write to him because of the illness. She also stated how much she was sorry that his dad had to miss his birthday, but was sure Sev would make up for it when Harry came back.

She smiled tenderly before sealing the letter with wax and taking it to the owlery. She hated being the only one in the castle. Every step she took seemed to echo for miles, making her slightly uneasy. 'The sooner September gets here, the better.'

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Dudley was watching a show on the telly when he heard a tapping at the sitting room window. Thinking it was one of his friends, he slung open the curtain and screamed at the sight of a huge brown bird holding a letter.

Vernon thundered down the stairs, unknowingly knocking dust down onto the child in the cupboard. "WHAT? What is it?"

Dudley ran to his father. "Daddy! Th… there's a bird trying to break in the window!" He pointed a pudgy finger towards the glass where the tapping continued.

Vernon glared at the animal and the letter it bore before beginning to worry what should happen if the neighbors caught sight of this freakishness. He knew this had something to do with the boy. Scowling, he inched up the window and tried to snatch the letter without touching the bird.

The owl glared disgustingly at the human before letting go of the envelope and flying back to Hogwarts.

Despite the note being addressed to Harry, Vernon tore open the letter and briefly read over its contents. After all, he had every right to know all that went on under his roof! Smirking evilly at a new way to torture his unwelcome houseguest, Vernon threw the note into the fire before pounding on the cupboard door.

"Bad news boy… it seems that freak father of yours has taken a turn for the worse. This barmy nurse sent a note saying he probably won't make it past your birthday." He relished the sound of the panicked gasp from behind the locked door. "And don't get any ideas about staying here, either because as soon as he kicks off you're going into the first orphanage I can find!"

He stomped off with glee, satisfied that he'd made life that much more difficult for the boy. Maybe this summer wouldn't be a total waste.

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Harry began shaking. 'No it's not true. It can't be true! He's lying." His brain kept reminding him that his uncle was probably making all this up, but his heart wanted to know how the other man knew of his birthday.

Silent tears started streaming down his cheeks. He turned his face into the thin pillow and screamed in anguish.

He finally cried himself to sleep.

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Over the next month there was a terrible change in young Harry Potter. He grew more despondent, never speaking to anyone -- not that they cared. The child's body grew thinner and sicklier. Though fed less than adequate portions, Harry couldn't find it in him to eat much. Every meal he would poke around at his food while his uncle smirked at him. His birthday passed with absolutely no word from anyone. He never even noticed, as he was so consumed with worry. Sirius and Remus would have sent his gifts to Hogwarts and the rest would wait for him to return before celebrating.

One Saturday morning in mid August Harry was pulling weeds in his aunt's flowerbed. Ignoring his aching hands, the child listed slightly to the right and continued on with his work. He never heard the low 'pop' coming from somewhere behind him.

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Finally spot-free and declared non-infectious by Poppy, Severus immediately dressed and apparated to Privet Drive after a quick breakfast. He started to owl Harry yesterday to let him know he was coming but decided a surprise was in order.

As soon as he popped onto the well-kept yard of number 4 Privet Drive, he made sure no muggles caught sight of his method of travel. The only person in sight was his son. He smiled secretly and started to sneak up on the child when something made him pause. 'He's sick.' The child looked so weak, pulling weeds while favoring his right side. His skin was pasty-white and Severus Snape saw red at the purple and yellow bruise on his right cheek.

"Harry?" The child jumped at the sound of his father's voice and turned around in shock. Sev rushed over to his son and knelt down before him.

"Daddy?"

The way Harry said that one word crushed the professor's heart. It was as if he was afraid to believe his eyes. Severus reached up to gently touch the bruise coloring his cheek before nodding. "It's me, son. Sweet Merlin, Harry, what happened to you?"

Harry began sobbing like a baby and his equally distraught father immediately gathered him into his arms, stroking his hair. "It's okay, I've got you," he murmured into the soft, black hair.

A few minutes later, Severus was gently rocking his child when a woman's voice came from inside the house. "You'd better have all those weeds cleared off the lawn when you're done, you little freak, or you can forget about lunch! After that you can start on mowing the yard and Lord help you if you're not done before Vernon and Duddikins get back from the zoo!"

Sev was seething by the time Petunia finished her demands. He stood up with his son in his arms and stalked over to the front door before kicking it open. Petunia's irate reaction was nothing compared to his. By the time the slytherin was through with her, Petunia Dursley was cowering in the kitchen clinging to a frying pan.

He gently set his child on the floor and pulled his chin up so he could meet his eyes. "Where's your room? We need to get your stuff together and go back to Hogwarts."

Harry looked confusedly at his father and appeared so out of sorts that Severus began to truly worry about his child's mental state. "Harry!" Once he had gotten his attention again, Severus gently held the boy's head still. "Listen to me, baby, where do you sleep?"

The thin boy pulled away and led Severus to a cupboard door. The father clenched his jaw at the sight of the loosened padlock hanging to the side. Pulling the door open, he forced himself not to go avada the bitch in the kitchen. Guilt was tearing apart his insides like acid when he took in the tiny space filled with spiders on the wall. He squeezed his son's shoulders before stepping back and closing the door. "Where's your trunk?"

Harry pointed at the kitchen and spoke for the second time since his arrival. "They locked it in the basement. I couldn't get my clothes."

Sev ruffled his son's hair and pulled him into the kitchen. With a simple 'alohamora' the basement door flew open. "Go find your trunk. I'll be down in a moment." When Harry had disappeared, the man turned threateningly to Mrs. Dursley. "Where did he get that bruise?"

Petunia huffed. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. The boy's clumsy!"

In an instant he had his wand pointed at the housewife. "If you don't tell me who put that bruise on my son's cheek you'll soon be searching far and wide for your internal organs, now WHO HIT MY SON?"

Frightened out of her mind, the woman broke down. "Vernon… it was Vernon. The fre… boy hadn't finished his chores."

If at all possible, his expression darkened. "I see. And this Vernon is your husband?" She nodded shakily and he abruptly turned and went down the darkened steps. "Lumos." The basement lit up, revealing little Harry sitting on his trunk which was chained and padlocked. Sev shook his head in disgust and pulled his son up before banishing the chains. Severus dug through the trunk and pulled out a change of clothing for his son. He stood by while Harry changed, cringing when he saw how loose the trousers were on the child.

When they were finished, Severus angrily threw Dudley's hand-me-downs across the room and shrunk the trunk. Placing it in his pocket, he grabbed Harry's hand and they left the house.

The Knight Bus was summoned and soon they were on their way to Hogsmeade.

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At Hogwarts, the two stopped briefly at their chambers to drop off Harry's trunk then went to the infirmary. Severus had an irate Poppy Pomfrey do a full physical checkup. She then treated the child for malnourishment with a few potions before taking care of the bruises. Besides the one on his cheek, he also had bruises on his arms in the shape of finger marks. Battling guilt and depression, Severus kept Harry in his lap the whole time he was being treated.

Resting against his father's chest, Harry stared passively out the window. Finally, Poppy straightened. "Well, I think he's about done here. He'll need to take the nutrient potions for another week or so. I won't be happy until he gets back up to the weight he was before."

Severus nodded and stroked Harry's hair. "Okay. I want a detailed list of all your findings to put on file at the ministry. I'll need it by tomorrow at the latest." He stood up and set his despondent child on the floor.

Poppy was writing something down on a piece of parchment. "Okay I'll have it ready by breakfast. You'll contact Sirius?"

"He and Lupin won't be back until next week. I don't want to wait that long." He glanced down. "No, I think Weasley can help me out. Will you be able to watch him tomorrow?"

Severus was graced with a raised eyebrow. "Need you even ask?"

He chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. "I need not." He accepted the list. "I think I have all of these nutrient supplements in stock. If not, I'm sure I can manage to throw something together. Come on son. Thank you again Poppy."

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When they got home, Severus immediately ordered food from the kitchens. After eating their fill, Harry was changed and put to bed. The Potions Master settled down on the couch thinking about all that had happened this day. It had never entered his mind that anyone remotely related to his Lily could be anything less than loving.

He hated himself for allowing Albus to place him with those monsters. He was worried more than he could say about how this would affect Harry in the long run.

Sev was staring off in space for another hour before his son woke up screaming for him. He rushed into the room and calmed him down as best he could.

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As the weeks went by, Harry began to open up more and was able to talk about all the cruelties he had faced. He spoke of his uncle hitting him and telling him his father was going to die.

Not wanting to subject the child to the horrors of the ministry trial brought up against the muggles, Severus received permission to have Harry's testimony read by the medi-witch along with her own reports of his injuries.

Sirius had to be physically restrained during the entire proceedings to keep from murdering the Dursleys. The final outcome pleased everyone greatly except for the defendants. Vernon Dursley was sentenced to fifty years in Azkaban for child abuse. Petunia received the same. She had to be placed under a partial body bind as her child was taken away from her and sent to Vernon's sister Marge.

That night Severus threw a belated birthday party for Harry, inviting all their friends and professors. School would start in a few days bringing an abrupt end to summer vacation, but for now they were content to be in each other's presence.

The nightmares, however, would never completely fade away.