It was almost 2 a.m., and not everyone was asleep in the large castle known as Hogwarts. The many vast, empty corridors and classrooms were silent and dark, since all of the individuals awake at this hour were all waiting impatiently in the infirmary. Dumbledore, Snape, and of course, Madam Pomfrey  were all sitting in a small, private room located in the back of the infirmary, right next to Pomfrey's office. The room wasn't very big...it really didn't need to be since it only contained one bed, a nightstand, and a few wooden chairs

Not much conversation occurred as these three waited; they all had some expectation on what to expect when Harry finally arrived, which should be within the next 10 minutes by their calculations. The small nightstand's top was covered in a wide array of various bottles containing pain relievers, healing potions and salves, and other such concoctions that might be able to improve Harry's condition.

The mood of the room was definitely subdued. As the time passed, restlessness seemed to drive Poppy Pomfrey to pull down the thick, white blankets on the bed so that it would be ready for when Harry arrived. One corner of the room was left open to allow enough space so that, when the portkey activated, Harry would not arrive in a space where he might stumble into furniture or anything else; they all knew Harry would find the portkey to be quite a bumpy ride given his condition

A few more minutes passed in solemn passivity until a faint white shimmer gave a second of warning before Harry appeared abruptly into the center of the open space created for his arrival in the corner of the room. The three adults leaped to their feet and started in his direction, but they all stilled in shock a second later as the sight before them finally registered in their brains. Harry lay screaming and thrashing around upon the floor, clawing at his head and arms, leaving long bleeding wounds in their path.

Pomfrey was the first to get over her shock, "For Merlin's sake, Severus! Help me restrain him!"

Snape dropped to the floor by Harry's writhing body and yanked the boy's hands down to the floor, where he proceeded to keep a firm grip on him as Pomfrey snatched a small bottle from among all the other potions on the nightstand. The shimmering liquid in the bottle was a light purple in color, and as Pomfrey pulled the cork seal from the top, Snape could smell the unmistakable scent of the concoction. He knew it to be one of the stronger muscle relaxer potions available, one of the side effects being heavy sedation.

As Pomfrey lowered herself to the stone floor, she reached out and gripped Harry's jaw in her hand. Keeping the child's head as still as she could, she poured the potion into Harry's open and screaming mouth.  She clamped a hand over his mouth to force him to swallow and he began to buck his body and toss his head from side to side in a weak attempt to dislodge the hand from his face. Seconds later, the potion was swallowed and Pomfrey released her patient as he coughed and spluttered from the vile taste

It only took about 5 minutes to see the potion begin to take affect. Slowly, Harry ceased his screaming until his breath evened out more and only the occasional whimper was heard. The thrashing limbs finally stilled and Snape was able to release the mangled arms that he had been holding

When Harry had finally stilled enough to be moved safely, Snape scooped the battered child into his arms and carried him over to the bed. Harry's head lolled from side to side, his eyes half open, with only the small moan or whimper escaping his mouth as any proof that the child was still alive

Dumbledore sadly waited in Pomfrey's office as Snape and she spent the following three hours treating Harry's injuries. As they went about their work, the two had to constantly bat away Harry's hands as he made weak, clumsy swiping motions through the air in his confusion and pain. They healed his many broken bones, bruises, cuts, abrasions, and infections before finally attaching another bag of the nutrient potion to the feeding tube that was still in place.

By the time they were done, most of the injuries were on the mend, and most of the bottles of potions that had been on the nightstand, lay empty and scattered across it and the floor. Harry seemed to have gotten a little color back in his pale face and the small, pitiful sounds he had been making when they first started had diminished

The last wounds that needed tending had been purposely left as last due to the unpleasant nature of the injury. Poppy enlisted Snape's help in this final task, despite his obvious discomfort with it. "Severus, help me turn him on his side, facing you. Then I want you to pull his knees toward his chest and hold him in that position as I heal him. It will be uncomfortable and he may fight you despite being sedated, so hold him tight."

Snape gave a curt nod of his head and followed the instructions. Harry was only vaguely aware of his surroundings as Snape moved him into position. When they were ready to begin, Pomfrey laid the covers across the boy's body in such a way as to prevent them falling in the way as she worked in an effort to lessen the shivering of his cold, naked body

Snape watched as Pomfrey sat the potions and salves she would need close by. He quickly turned his head, unable to watch the actual healing take place. Instead, he focused his gaze upon the face of the broken child before him. Their eyes locked onto each other's and Snape had to wonder to himself if the unfocused, glassy look he was receiving was just from the potion the boy had taken, because if not, than it did not bode well for any involved

As Pomfrey began healing the last of the injuries the reaction was almost immediate. Regardless of the sedating qualities of the potions he consumed, Harry's eyes shot fully open and he lurched forward on the bed as he attempted to escape the cause of his discomfort. Snape held him firmly as more salve was applied and Harry began fighting his new captor. As Pomfrey continued her grim work, Harry once again started to whimper and moan in pain and fear; a few times, he even cried out. It was a heart-wrenching animalistic wail of despair that seemed to settle right into Snape's very bones

A few minutes later, the work was done and Harry began to settle again. Snape began to dress Harry in some pajamas while Pomfrey headed to her office to update the headmaster on his favorite pupil's condition

Snape dimmed the lights, arranged Harry more comfortably on the bed, and covered the raven-haired youth with the blankets before pulling up one of the wooden chairs. He plopped his tired body down and trained his eyes on Harry's almost motionless form before sighing deeply and shutting his eyes for a mere one hour rest prior to getting up and preparing himself for another frustrating day of teaching

The following day passed very slowly for Snape, and it wasn't until lunchtime that he finally got a chance to go to the infirmary to check on Harry. Though, if anyone asked, he was only going to check if Pomfrey would need her potions stores restocked.

As Snape walked into the infirmary that afternoon, he could hear screaming as he drew nearer the private room in the back. He quickened his pace, and as he stepped through the door, he could see Pomfrey attaching restraints to Harry's wrists

"What's happened, Poppy?"

"When he finally roused from the sedatives, he began clawing at himself. He's yanked out the feeding tube and he tried to leave the bed, but I got here just in time to prevent it. Can you stay with him a moment while I get a few things?"  She quickly left the room, not even waiting to get a reply

When she returned, Pomfrey was clutching a new feeding tube and another bag of the nutrient potion. She reinserted the tube quickly and attached the bag to it, knowing that the boy's weight was dangerously low and he would most likely need a feeding tube for at least another week before he would be well enough to start on solids again

Several days passed in similar fashion for Snape and Pomfrey. They both had altered their schedule as best they could so that Harry would only very rarely be left unattended. Over the course of those few days, the true extent of physical and psychological damage that occurred during Harry's imprisonment and torture made itself known. He had extensive nerve damage from the many times he was made to suffer the Cruciatus curse which made all of his movements clumsy and uncoordinated. The starvation that occurred caused a loss of muscle mass and weakness. But what was far worse, was the damage to the boy's mind.

Snape had performed Legilimancy in an effort to find some clue to the boy's confusing behavior, but the quickly flashing images of death, blood, torture, and pain forced him to end the spell mere moments after it began. Although the child was kept restrained for his own safety, there had to be an Order member stationed in the room at all times in case one of his thrashing fits started. The Order members who took shifts in the hospital wing were all taught which potion to force down the boy's throat when the thrashing became too wild; Harry had already re-broken one of his wrists during the first fit he had the day after he was rescued.

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More than a week went by and, as of yet, none of the students in the school were aware that their Golden Boy had been found; the entire situation was being kept secret out of concern for Harry's safety since, if he was ever found by the wrong people, he would be defenseless. There was currently a meeting being held several floors above, in the Headmaster's office, concerning Harry's health and what actions must be taken regarding it

"The boy can't keep going like he is, Albus," Snape made his opinion known. "I do not think there is any way to heal his mind from the tortures he endured, not if you're expecting him to return to the way he was before any of this happened. We may need to consider placing him in St. Mungos."

Shock and outrage at Snape's statement caused several heated arguments to start, but Dumbledore remained quiet, staring at those present until it all quieted back down

"What have you to say in this matter, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you feel as Severus does about Harry's chances of recovery?"

Everyone was silent, waiting for the medi-witches assessment. "Actually, Albus, I must agree. It has been over a week now since he arrived and we're still unable to get through to him. The trauma and abuse he sustained while in the Death Eater's hands have scarred his mind beyond repair."

Dumbledore stared at his desktop and thought for a few minutes, the others in attendance to this meeting watching him in the hopes that he would refute the information that they were just given, but he merely sighed and furrowed his brow as if having made a herd decision that he was not happy about. A few of those who noticed this, shot silent, pointed  looks to each other from across the room,  knowing they would not like to hear what Dumbledore was about to say

"Have either of you considered performing a full mind fade?"

The room was silent except for Snape and Pomfrey since they were the only others in the room who even knew what Dumbledore was speaking about

"Headmaster, surely you can't be serious?" Snape began, shocked into sudden speech. "How can he be expected to fight the Dark Lord after we do something that extreme? He won't know who the Dark Lord is, he won't know what Hogwarts is, he bloody well won't even know who he is!"

"Severus," Dumbledore began, "Does he know any of those things now?"

This statement pushed the room into silence while those watching the conversation looked on in confusion as to what was being discussed

"What exactly are you proposing, Albus?" Molly Weasley blurted out, seemingly asking the question that was on everyone's mind. But instead of the Headmaster answering, it was Madam Pomfrey who replied

"He is referring to a very complicated spell that completely erases everything in a person's mind. It is considered by some to be dark magic, since it leaves the victim as helpless as a newborn babe, having no idea about the world around them or even of whom they are as a person...and it's irreversible."

"How exactly will that help Harry?!" Molly shrieked. This time however, it was Snape who answered

"It will allow Potter a fresh start. He would wake up after the spell is cast and have no memory of his previous life or any of the tortures he endured. As the Headmaster pointed out, Potter is hardly responsive to anything we've done to help him as of yet. We can't keep the boy as he is, restrained to the bed and screaming all day. Perhaps it would be better to do the spell. He could always be re-taught the things he needs to know; granted it would take a very long time, but I don't see any alternative."

"I agree," Pomfrey announced, "Besides, with the amount of nerve damage he sustained, he will have to relearn much of it anyways. In the state he is in now, Harry is unable to walk, talk properly, or even feed himself. It will take months of nerve regenerating potions to heal him enough to where he would not need constant supervision. If we go ahead with this spell, he would be starting over both mentally and physically like a newborn. We would have to find a more permanent caregiver. He won't be able to remain in the infirmary forever."

Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, but we have time to figure that out as we go." Dumbledore then looked at the faces of those watching him. "Do you all concur with this plan of action?"

Most answered with either a nod of the head or a reserved "yes" except for Molly. "Are you sure there is no other way?" She asked, her eyes glassy from unshed tears

"I'm afraid it is the only viable option at this point, Molly. However, I know how much you care for Harry and I think it would be beneficial for him if you had a hand in his recovery afterwards."

This statement did much to improve Mrs.Weasley's outlook on the whole situation, so she just nodded her head in consent as tears made tracks down her cheeks.

It was decided that the spell would be cast the following afternoon, which allowed them a little time to make the needed preparations