It was two days ago that James had stumbled into Snape’s kitchen, and now he was still unconcious in the hospital. Snape hadn’t left his side, only to change into different clothes (they needed his bloodied clothes as evidence). His classes had been canceled for an undetermined time, and Snape didn’t care about it at all. He only wanted for James to wake up, and to see if he was alright.

The doctor’s weren’t sure if he had brain damage or not. They were pretty sure that James was going to have major trauma though. How could he not?

Snape was berating himself though. He could have used magic to help James, he could have taken him to St. Mungo’s, but no, he had his wand upstairs, panicked, and had called the police and the nurse even before it registered that he could do magic. And now it may cost James even more. At least the Dursleys were being dealt with.

Vernon Dursley and his wife had confessed within a few hours. Even if they wouldn’t have confessed, the police would still have won the case. There was just too much evidence against the couple for Vernon and Petunia to claim innocence (they did try though). The trial would be held in a week's time, Albus had some good contacts in the Muggle world and had pushed the case forward. There was so much evidence, it couldn’t go wrong. What Severus had kept from Albus (although he was sure the man knew about it) were the papers he had filed. He was going to do everything he could to adopt the boy and give him a good home.

Right now, he was talking to James, having heard something about unconscious people still being able to hear you.

“Please wake up, James. There’s so much I still need to tell you, so much to explain. Besides, you’re safe now, you’re lying in the hospital, and I’m waiting for you to wake up. The Dursleys are being held by the police, they can’t harm you anymore. Please wake up.”

A hand twitched. Snape grabbed it. “Come on, James, you can do this! Please wake up!” Eyelids fluttered. A soft groan was heard.

“That’s it, just listen to me and wake up, James. It’s okay, they’re not going to hurt you anymore.” James opened his eyes slowly and looked at Severus. He smiled softly.

James looked around in obvious confusion. “You’re in the local hospital, James, as I’ve just said. You’re quite safe here. I won’t leave if you don't want me to.”

James blinked his eyes a few times. It seemed he couldn’t get his arms up to sign with. “It’s alright, James. I’ll ask you questions and you only have to blink twice for yes, and three times for no, how does that sound?”

James blinked twice. “I assume that is the signal for 'alright' then.” Severus softly stroked James head. He noticed James kept looking at his hand wearily, but he quickly leaned into the touch.

“I suppose I should call in the doctors, to say you’ve woken up, but I’d rather sit here for a bit longer. Still, it’s important that the doctors have a look at you.” Severus bent to pick something up, and pressed the button that was used to call the nurse with.

Soon a nurse walked into the room, saw James awake, nodded to him and Severus and left to get a doctor.

When the nurse returned it was with a doctor, a police-officer, and Nurse White from the school.

James gripped Severus hand in fright, and tried to shrink back. “Shh, calm down, James, they’re not going to hurt you. It’ll be alright. I will stay right next to you.”

James just turned his head towards Severus and tried to hide. The police-officer and Nurse White decided to stay in the back of the room for now, seeing the reaction James had given to all of their presences.

The doctor checked James’s heartbeat, his mouth, throat, ribs, lungs, and used an instrument to see if James felt everything. It appeared everything was in order, for the doctor was smiling when he had finished.

“Well, James, it seems as if you have made quite a recovery. We had been worried for brain damage, but it appears you came out alright, relatively speaking of course. Your right arm is broken, and your left is sprained. Your ribs have taken quite some blows, and will be tender for at least a month. Unfortunately there will be scarring. The words that were carved into your skin, as well as scars from some stabwounds will remain. Perhaps in some time you can have plastic surgery for it, but not now. Those wounds are still very tender, so don’t move around too much.

"We’ve also treated the beltmarks on your back, they will heal nicely. The superficial burns will fade in some time, but there are three third-degree burns that will require plastic surgery as well. This will be done as soon as possible. There is however one thing we can’t really heal. And that is your right knee. It was too damaged, and even though we’ve been able to clean it up nicely, you are probably going to need a new kneecap. This will require another operation, which we will do next week. I am very sorry to have to tell you all this while you’ve just woken up, but I believe it’s best when we don’t keep such things from you.”

James nodded. Tears were silently running down his face. Severus gently wiped them off. “Thank you, doctor,” he said. The doctor gave James some more painkillers, told the police-officer he would be allowed to stay for 10 minutes maximum and left the room again.

Nurse White also came toward the bed, and took James's other hand.

“Hello James, I’m Officer Belton, and would like to ask you some questions about your life with the Dursleys. I understand you cannot speak and also cannot sign right now, so you can blink twice for yes, and three times for no. Do you understand this?”

James blinked twice.

Belton gave a small smile. “Very well then. As far as we found out you have lived with the Dursleys ever since you were just over a year old, is that correct?” James blinked twice.

“And have they always kept you in the shed?”

James became pale, but blinked three times. This was obviously not what the police-officer had expected. “So you didn’t always live in the shed?”

James blinked twice. “Did they keep you in the house at first?” James blinked in the affirmative. “In a normal bedroom?” James blinked in the negative. The police-oficer was at a loss. He wanted to ask where they had kept James, but James wouldn’t be able to answer that question. “Alright, when you’re able to communicate in an easier way, I’ll come back to ask that again. Did they feed you regularly?” Three blinks. “Were you forced to do a lot of work for them?” Two blinks.

And so on and on the questions went, until the ten minutes were over. James had become quite pale at some of the questions, and had revealed even more of the horrid environment in which he had been living. For one thing Severus was extremely gratefull. When James was asked if he was ever touched in an unappropriate way, he had quite clearly stated ‘NO’ with three hard blinks. At least they hadn’t sexually abused the child, but Severus would still love to kill the Dursleys. He did have some pleasure though. The neat and ‘normal’ family was in all the newspapers, and the bad case of abuse was repeated on the radio and television as well. The Dursleys would never be able to appear in public again without being lynched by a very angry crowd.

When Belton finally left, Severus couldn’t contain a yawn. James looked at him in amusement as did Nurse White (Rebecca, as she had reminded Severus several times already). “Perhaps it is a good idea if you go to have a shower, eat a bit and get some sleep, Severus, before you manage to get sick.”

James softly smiled at him as well. Stopping himself from rolling his eyes, Severus decided to obey, he was hungry and sleepy after all. And so he slept until the next morning.

*

A week later, James had improved enough to be able to sign, and Officer Belton had come back with a colleague that actually knew sign-language. James then told them he had at first been put in the cupboard under the stairs, that he had started doing chores as soon as he could walk properly, and that even Dudley had been allowed to punish him. They couldn't do anything about Dudley hurting Harry because he was a young child, and it was considered bullying.

The trial was at the end of the week and after hearing all the evidence and defense (which wasn’t much) the judge quickly reached a decision.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were charged with child abuse, child neglect, malnutrition/starvation, and attempted murder and torture. Albus Dumledore had hired the best of lawyers for James’s defense, and the evidence was so overwhelming the Dursleys were put away for 25 years each. Dudley was sent to his Aunt Marge. The Dursleys would never have that normal life they had always craved for.

James had burst into tears and had sobbed Severus’s whole shirt wet, before falling asleep. The only thing Severus had to worry about for now were the papers he had filled to adopt James - or rather to adopt Harry James Potter, and make him Harry James Potter-Snape.

He couldn’t wait.