The moment Severus awoke that morning; he was already in a foul mood. Rather than tending to his various potions or getting his affairs ready to return to Spinner End for the summer, he was forced, and forced was the correct term according to his thinking, to travel all the way to Surrey and watch the bane of his existence. He considered it a small compensation that the Headmaster had told him that he would not have to arrive at Arabella Figg's residence till the mid-afternoon. He was grateful to be allowed at least a peaceful morning before he had to sight his eyes upon Potter.

To his dismay, the time to depart had arrived. Dumbledore had suggested that he floo to Arabella's by the connection between his office and her home rather then apparate directly into the middle of Privet Drive and be seen by any passing muggles. As he left his chambers reluctantly trekked his way up to the headmaster's office, Snape thought of every possible legal form of punishment he could inflict upon Harry when the new school year began.

"Severus, good afternoon," Albus chimed as he stood up behind his desk. Snape arched his eyebrow at the sight of the aged wizard's robes. Today he was wearing deep plum robes trimmed with green cuffs and edging that also sported a vine-like pattern.

‘The man looks like a walking eggplant.'

"I wouldn't exactly call it a good afternoon considering you are forcing me to do this against my will," Snape said with distain."My dear boy," Dumbledore replied with a simple smile, "it's not as if I have placed you under the Imperious Curse. And while I know this task is one you personally would prefer not to undertake for me, it is one that must be done." Snape looked away from the headmaster for moment. Deep down he knew the headmaster was right but it still irked him that he had to be the one to do it. "Now then," Dumbledore began as Snape returned his gaze to him, "you remember what I told you."

"Of course I do," Snape retorted with a roll of his eyes, "I will floo to Arabella's and from there, I will walk to Number 4 where I will waste my time observing the brat being cratered to and fawned over by his relatives. I am to simply observe the boy and not let my presence be known to anyone in the household. And then depart to return back here."

Dumbledore stared over his half moon spectacles at the crossed armed potions master. "I do wish you would see that Harry isn't boy you think him to be. While he has his father's talent for flying on a broom and his appearance, that's all he has. Everything else from his eye to his compassion for forgiveness and caring is Lilly."

The black eyes harden at the name. The last thing he wanted was to have those feelings brought-up again.

"Save me your sermon Albus," Snape spat, "for whatever reason, your brilliant mind cannot seem to comprehend that my feelings toward Potter will not change. No matter what you say."

The white hair wizard breathed a deep sigh which caused him to look everyday of his great aged. Albus walked over to the fireplace without another word. Withdrawing his wand, Dumbledore pointed it to the empty hearth and flames appeared. Reaching into a small goblet on the mantelpiece, he took a handful of the sparkling green powder and tossed it into the flames. After the flames  turned bright green, the ancient wizard turned back to the younger one.

"Do give Arabella my regards Severus."

As Snape passed him, Albus heard him grumble he would in a low tone which caused him to smile again as Snape stepped into the emerald flames. Snape saw the bright twinkle return to the blue eyes as he called out his destination.

"Arabella Figg's," he said and was swept away.

----------

Arabella was walking into her sitting room when she saw the flames in her fireplace come alive in emerald flames. She placed the small tea tray on the coffee table just as Snape stepped onto the carpet, sending the large calico cat that had been resting on it to scurry off.

"Hello Severus," Arabell said as the potions master straightened his black robes.

"Arabella," Snape said with nod of his head to frizzled hair women.

"Can I interest you in a cup of tea? It'll help warm you."

As she began to pour the tea, Snape's fist instincts was to deny the offer but then he noticed how cold it was in the room even though it was summer. It was like there was a horde of Dementors lurking about. Looking out the front room window, he saw that it was raining outside. And having a cup of tea would also help prolong him from having to see Potter a little longer as well.

"Thank you Arabella. That would be greatly appreciated," he replied as he took the offered cup.

Arabell smiled at the wizard and went over to a chair that had a shaggy grey cat with rather large ears and long tail sleeping on it and nudged it awake. "Time for you to wake up Mr. Tibbles so that Professor Snape can sit there."

Once the cat woke and stretched, it jumped off the chair and wandered off into the house. Snape saw that it had several characteristics of a Kneazle as he sat down.

"Would you care for any sugar or cream?"

"No thank you. Just milk if you please."

Taking the small pitcher from the elderly squib's hand, the potions master added a helping of milk to his drink and returned it back to his hostess. Taking a drink, Snape felt the warmness of the liquid to warm him. As he drank his tea, Mrs. Figg went about making herself a cup of tea.

"It's about bloody time Dumbledore sent someone to check on that child For years I've been telling him to send someone to go to that house and see what those muggles where doing to that boy." Arabella said as she took a seat on the couch. Snape could hear the blunt distain in the women's voice.

"Oh?" Snape asked, "And why would that be? Afraid that Potter was being suffocated by all the attention his relatives were giving him?"

"Attention?" the Squid asked in a shocked tone, "what attention? Harry's never been given any sort of positive attention by his aunt or uncle for as long as I have been here whatsoever. I would even go as far to say that they've been neglecting Harry since the first day Dumbledore gave him to them."

When she saw the confused face on the man, Arabella decided to tell him all that she knew.

"I've always had a bad feeling about that family. More concerned with their appearances and showing off to the rest of the neighbors," she huffed as she took another drink, "Always trying to get one up on their neighbors they are. Bluntly showing off anytime Vernon receive a promotion at work. If his company happens to give him a brand new car, they're outside and at talking about how expensive it is and how Vernon is so important to the company at the top of his lungs to the entire neighborhood. Vernon always tries to present himself as being above everyone else. Petunia is no better. Always looking over the garden fence or through her window, spying on everybody she can lay her eyes on. Trying to see what everyone else's business is, so can learn all the latest rumors she can. She has no trouble at all about spreading and telling gossip. Not to mention, no trouble telling someone what they should be doing or what she thinks of them to their face if need be. And as for that son of theirs, Dudley, the boy is completely spoiled and believes that he is above the consequences of his actions and able to get away with saying and doing anything. The boy is nothing but a spoiled bully."

As Mrs. Figg took a moment to pause and take another sip of her tea, Snape pondered on what she had said. He became intrigued with what the squib had to say about the caregiver's of the savior of the wizarding world. This was the first time he had ever heard someone talk about Potter's relatives. From the description, the family almost sounded like a muggle version of the Malfoys. Always showing off their wealth and their prestige to the entire wizarding world. From what he remembered of Petunia from their childhood, it sounded like nothing had changed.

"I've always had a bad feeling when it came to Harry and that family," Mrs. Figg said in an unpleased tone, "I remember when that son of theirs was born, Petunia would walk up and down the street with him, telling every single person that she passed about how perfect and wonderful he was. But I tell you Severus, that boy did nothing but yell and scream his lungs out. Always begging for sweets. It had been a week since I knew Dumbledore had left Harry with his aunt and uncle but neither one made any acknowledgement that there was another child in that house. Whenever I saw her outside, it was just her and her son. Finally, I went over there under the excuses of offering to babysit Dudley so she and Vernon could have a night out for themselves. Before this, Petunia was always willing to let me or anyone else who came to the door in just so that she show off Dudley. But she wouldn't let me in that day nor did she seem to want to talk. She didn't even open the door all the way to talk to me. It was opened just enough for her to poke her head though. Just as she was about to close the door, I heard a scream come from inside and from the sound, I knew it wasn't Dudley. When I confronted her about it, Petunia finally admitted that Harry was there."

"And how exactly does this relate with the way they treat their nephew? No doubt they've done nothing but spoil Potter from the moment since the Headmaster put the boy in their care."

But Arabella merely shook her head. "From the moment that child was old enough; they had him out in the yard doing work. They would have him out there from morning to night. He never seemed to have any time to play and when he wasn't being force to work, he was being bullied by his cousin and his little gang of hoodlums. Neither Petunia nor Vernon seemed to take an interest in his well being. Several times I had to step in and basically force Petunia to take Harry to see the doctor if the situation warranted it. I had to do that when I saw Harry was having trouble with his eyesight. I watched Harry when ever his relatives went out on a holiday or trip because I'm sure they've never wanted him to come along with them. I also believed that they've punished Harry for any little thing they could. That was one of the excuses for not taking Harry with them on outings."

Snape tried to roll his eyes but he found he could not. But he still could not believe that Potter had ever been punished at home.  "What kind of punishment do you believe they handed down on Potter?"

Arabella said nothing. Looking at her, Snape saw a look that was a mixture of worry and what looked like guilt appear on Arabella's face. He knew that whatever the women believed that it was something painful. Finally, after several silence filled minuets, the squib looked at the wizard with a sad expression.

"I...I think they...I think they would either...beat or...starve Harry."

Snape felt the cup drop from his hand and heard it fall onto the floor. He could not believe that he just heard someone accuse the Boy Who Lived of being a victim of physical abuse. As he went to pick it up and clean away the spilled tea with his wand, Mrs. Figg continued.

"I've never seen any direct proof of course. If I had, I would have reported it to the authorities but I did report my suspicions to Dumbledore. I told him about how awfully thin Harry looked at time, how he wouldn't allow people to touch him or how he would get jumpy of someone spoke to him in a loud voice or when they merely touched him. I never did see any types of bruises on him but just the way Harry acted at times made me think his uncle was beating him. Dumbledore listened to my concerns but he never came or sent someone to check on Harry. He would just reinstate how his relatives' home was the safest place for him because of the wards."

Bolting out of his chair, the Head of Slytherin stalked over to the front room window and stared out into the drey raining scene outside. His mind was racing with what he had heard. He could not wrap his mind around the idea. Harry Potter, abused by his own relatives? There was just no way it could be true. Abused children were almost always sorted into Slytherin. He could not recall a single abused Gryffindor in his entire teaching career at Hogwarts. Not once did he ever recall Potter exhibiting any of the classic signs of abuse either.  It was just too wild to believe.

 "And how did they explain how Potter now living with them to you and the rest of their neighbors?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"After my visit that day, she and Vernon started telling how her sister and husband had died in a car crash and that's how Harry how he that scare of his. Dumbledore's response was that it was their choice as to what to tell Harry about the cause of his parent's death or that he was a wizard  till he was old enough and reminded me that I couldn't tell the child anything."

Snape was completely dumbfounded. "A car crash?"he said in a shocked filled voice, "they said that Lilly had died in a car crash?  Potter didn't even know the truth about how his parents died? He didn't know of Lilly's sacrifice or that he was a wizard?"

"No. Like I said, I was forbidden to tell him anything by Dumbledore. It hurt me so much not to be able to tell him anything."

Turning around, he saw Arabell was sitting with her face in her hands. From the slight shaking of her shoulders, Severus inferred that the information she had told him had brought her to tears. Taking a small handkerchief from his pocket, he walked over and offered it to Arabella who took it with a small smile. After she had wiped her tears away and calmed down, she looked up at the potions masters.

"I know there's something wrong in that house Severus but I just can't prove it. Please, can you do something?

From both her tone and pleading eyes, Snape knew that Arabell's plea was real and not the fabricated delusions of an elderly woman. And while he looted and detested Potter, he knew that it was his duty to help any suspected abused student under his care.

"I will see what I can do. If you are right about Potter, then I will go to the headmaster. Is the boy home now?"

"Yes. Petunia went out to do some shopping and left him home alone and Vernon is still at work."

"And his cousin?"

"Went over to one of his friends."

Snape nodded his head. "Then all that remains is for me to find a way into the house without making my presence know."

"I think your way is right there," Arabella said standing up and walking over to the window. Looking back out, he saw two figures walking up the street. One of them was a thin women and the other was a rather large boy. "There's Petunia and her son now. You can get in with them."

"And how exactly do you think I'm going-" Snape started before being cut off by the annoyed looking squib.

"You're a wizard. Use magic obviously," Arabella said as she pulled Snape to the door.

Waving his wand over himself, Snape placed a disillusion charm on himself and stepped out the door which Arabella opened. "Be careful," Arabella said when she felt Severus go past her and closed the door after him.

----------

"Umbrao," Snape said  casting an umbrella charm to protect himself from the rain. With his protection in place, Severus took off to follow the aunt and cousin of the Boy Who Lived.

Snape put some distance between himself and the two muggles so that they would not get the feeling they were being followed. As he followed, his mind was still going over what he had been told by Mrs. Figg.

There was just no way Potter was being abused. As Head of Slytherin, Snape knew all too well about abused children. About their personalities and how their simple body language spoke about their upbringings. Even before a child was placed under the sorting hat, Snape could practically single them out. He could see the signs of years of abuse in their faces. Their eyes had an empty look to them. They often tended to be by themselves and rarely tried to make friends. If someone surprised or spoke too loudly to them, they would jump or freeze up. But one of the main characteristics that Snape saw was that they would take any form of punishment handed to them and never tried to talk their way out of it.

Potter was none of that. Whenever he gave the boy a rightly deserved detention, Potter fought against it. Always protesting and proclaiming his innocence. Severus was well aware the boy was always vocally complaining about him and his detentions to Dumbledore and McGonagall. He had never seen Potter agitated or jumpy in any situation or when he was approached by someone. And of course, Potter had Weasley and Granger. Those three were hardly without one another. Surely if either Granger or Weasley ever had the slightest notion that their friend was being abused, they would have said something to someone. The same could be said to the entire Weasley family. Without a doubt, Molly Weasley would go straight to Dumbledore and demand that Potter be removed.

Severus noticed Petunia and her son had arrived at Number 4. Looking around, it amazed Severus how muggles could live in these types of neighborhoods. Every house looked identical its neighbor. It reminded then man of an upper class version of the neighborhood that he grew-up in. As he neared them, he heard Petunia talking to her son.

"Now Diddles, when we get inside, I want you to go watch your TV in your room."

Severus smirked. Petunia still had the shrill-like voice she had as a child.

"Why can't I watch the downstairs one?"  the boy groaned, "I don't wanna go all the way upstairs," he added as he watched his mother maneuvered the two large grocery bags she was holding to open the front door while her son just stood there and did not offer to take the bags.

Snape sneered at the boy. From the looks of him, he could do with a little bit of exercises. The fact that he did not offer his mother any support told Snape that Arabella was right about him. He was quick to get inside before the door Petunia shut the door.

"I'm going to get him," Petunia said as she hung up her coat, "down here to clean before your father comes home. I don't want you around him in case he tries to do something to you."

"Yes Mum," the boy answered before he threw his jacket on the floor and nosily stomped his way up the stairs.

Petunia made her way to the kitchen with the bags of groceries and returned a moment later. Making her way past Snape, Petunia hurried up the stairs and Snape took the opportunity to look over the room.

The first thing the Potions Master noticed was how straight and clean the room appeared. Everything had a place. On the mantelpiece, were several ceramic figurines that were equally spaced from one another. The various picture frames on the walls were straight and aliened with each other. Even the magazines that were on the coffee table were stacked perfectly on top of each other. Sniffing the air, Snape caught the faint lingering scent of lemon cleaning spray about the room. There was hardly a speck of dust visible to the human eye.

The sound of footsteps coming back down the stairs caught Severus' attention. When Harry came to the foot of the stairs and into Severus' view, the man was completely taken back by the boy's appearance. A simple observation told Snape that boy had not had a full night's sleep. The boy looked completely disheveled, much like Lupin after his transformation. He could see the dark rings under the boy's eyes and the exhausted look on his face. There was a slight paleness to his skin and the messy black hair looked even more unruly. As Harry walked towards the kitchen, Severus saw how slow he was moving as if the boy was forcing his legs to move, and followed him. But it was his thin looking frame that truly caught Snape's concern. When Potter had left Hogwarts only a couple of weeks ago, Potter had a good amount of weight on him, even after the events of the graveyard. But now, he looked like he had lost all of that weight in the days since leaving school.

‘It couldn't be,' Snape thought to himself as he entered the kitchen.

He watched as Harry went about unpacking the grocery bags his aunt had left on the table. After he had unpacked the bags, Harry went and returned the shopping bags under the kitchen sink and then started to put the food away. In the middle of placing a bag of carrots and a head of lettuce in the drawer of the refrigerator, Petunia walked and went about making herself a cup of tea and then left without a word to her nephew. Snape saw that this action did not cause a reaction from Harry who simply went about his task. One the boy was done, he walked back out to the sitting room with Snape right behind him.

----------

"I'm all done Aunt Petunia," Snape heard Harry tell his aunt who had been sitting on the couch reading a magazine.

"The cupboard is unlocked. Vacuum and dust in here while I fix supper," his aunt ordered in a flat response with no thank you or any other type of gratitude. Snape wondered how this woman could have been related to the warm and loving girl he had fall in love with all those years ago.

"Is that all?" he heard Harry ask Petunia.

"That and straighten things up. I would have you wash the windows but since it's raining, there's no point for you just to wash the inside and not the outside. Besides, the last thing we need is you sick. Or even worse, you trailing in mud on the clean carpet."

Severus could not help but gawk at the women as she walked back into the kitchen. How could the room gat any cleaner? And was she serious about having Potter clean the outside of the windows even had it not been raining? Turning his attention back to Potter, he saw him standing at the closed cupboard door. He had not noticed it till now. Potter seemed to hesitate before he finally opened the door and pulled out a vacuum and a large old rag.

‘Why did he hesitate like that?'

As the boy went about his cleaning, Severus noticed a stark contrast to the Potter he knew from Hogwarts and the boy he saw before him. At Hogwarts, Potter would always challenge whatever task he had devised as his punishment for his poor choice of actions but here, Potter simply accepted the task with no comment. As he continued to watch, Severus saw that Potter seemed to have a natural skill when it came to cleaning and it made Severus think back to the many times he had detention with the Boy Who lived Whenever he had Potter for a detention and had him either clean caldrons, the class storeroom, or various potion bottles and vials, the boy hardly ever seemed upset about it. In fact, he could recall the first detention he had with Potter. For that detention, he had him clean the week's supply of used caldrons and Potter almost seemed pleased with the task. By the end of his detention, Potter had not only cleaned all the caldrons but many of them had looked like they had never been used before. Severus also remembered that he saw no finger prints on them at all.

Harry suddenly whipped around from in front of the fireplace with his wand at the ready, drawing the elder wizard out of his thoughts. Harry's wand was pointed directly at his chest and Snape knew that had he been standing only a few more inches closer, the wand would be jabbing directly at his heart. The Potions Master saw the emerald eyes darting around the room franticly and he realized that Harry had somehow sensed his presence in the room. After several tense seconds Harry returned his wand back to his pocket and returned to his dusting. Severus drew back and stood by the staircase and continued to watch.

When Harry had finished cleaning the already spotless sitting room and was returning the cleaning supplies to the cupboard under the stairs, Severus heard Petunia's son coming down the stairs. As the large boy pass his cousin, Severus' eyes widen as he saw Dudley gleefully push his cousin into the small space. Harry had managed to keep himself from falling by reaching out with his arms to grab hold anything he could to steady himself. The action must have hurt when he saw a look of pain run across Harry's face.

Just as Harry was closing the door, the front door opened and Severus saw Petunia's husband walk. He was a very large beefy man with a thick bushy mustache and purple and sour expression. After he had placed his umbrella in the rack, hung his coat up, and took hold of the briefcase he had put down, the Potions Master saw the man's eyes narrow when they fall upon his nephew.

"Trying to sneak out your ruddy schoolbooks are we boy?"

"No Uncle Vernon," Potter replied in a docile tone, "I was just putting away the vacuum is all."

The comment made by Mr. Dursley struck Severus like a sharp stinging hex. ‘What did he mean by sneaking out? Surely Potter would keep all his text books in his school trunk.? And  why wouldn't  he keep his trunk in his room?'

Just then, Petunia came in through the hall from the kitchen and made a beeline to her husband. "Welcome home dear," Petunia said as Severus watched her place a kiss her husband's cheeks.

"Hello Pet," Vernon replied with the same action.

"How was the office today?"

"Terrible. No one there knows how to do their job," Vernon complained as he sat down. "I swear, nobody at that place has any work ethic whatsoever."

"There there dear. Why don't you relax and I'll fix you a drink," Petunia said lovingly. "And you," she said as she turned her attention to Harry, "go and set the table. After that set out the side-dishes."

"Yes Aunt Petunia."

Severus stared at Potter as he went towards the kitchen in awe. At Hogwarts, he had known Potter to be defiant and unwilling to follow even the simplest of rules. Yet Potter obeyed his relatives' commands with ease. Looking back towards the sitting room, he saw that Petunia had already poured her husband a scotch and from the way he downed the drink in a single gulp, he could tell Vernon Dursley was no stranger to alcohol. Deciding to see how Potter was doing he headed into the kitchen. Harry had already set the table and was now setting the food out while his cousin merely sat at the counter watching TV and eating an ice cream sandwich.

‘Does this boy ever get up to do anything?"

Petunia and Vernon entered just as their nephew finished. Again, Severus saw the two pay their nephew no attention but showed warm affection to their son as Vernon sat down and Petunia got the finished chicken out off the oven. Potter was not allowed to fill his own plate but that his cousin was allowed to pill his plate with as much as he liked. At first, the meal was quiet. Then Petunia started to tell her husband about her day shopping.

"And what did my little Dudlykins do all day?" Petunia asked to her son.

"Played video games at Pierce's," Dudley answered with his mouth full of food.

"Well I'm sure when the weather improves you can go outside and get some nice exercise."

‘As if the boy has ever done a single ounce of exercise,' the professor thought to himself as he watched Dudley stuff his face, ‘he looks like a bloated flubberwrom while his cousin looks like a Thersal.

 "Mum, can I have some money for tomorrow? I want to go to the cinema with Pierce and the rest of my friends," he heard the boy ask.

"Of course you can dear," Petunia replied with affection.

It did not escape Severus' attention that no one spoke to Harry. They acted as if they were the only three people at the table. Looking over at the boy, he saw that the usually fawned over Boy Who Lived had his head down and was doing his best not to be noticed. After the meal had finished, the former Death Eater saw the responsibility of cleaning-up the table fall to Potter while his relatives had desert without him. When he had finished with the dishes, the Dursley had already retired to the sitting room. As the Dursleys preoccupied themselves, Potter took residence in an empty chair on the far side of the room. Severus stood and just stared at the family for several minutes and allowed himself to take in everything he had so far witness. When it appeared that the family was engrossed in their separate activities, Severus decided to have a look up stairs.

----------

Taking great care not to make noise, Severus silently made his way up the stairs to the second floor. Along the way, Severus' eyes fell upon more pictures along the wall. As like the ones downstairs, all of them were void of Potter. Instead, they showed Dudley Dursley at various stages of his life and him with his parents. Upon reaching the second floor, he head down to find the boy's room. Again he found more pictures of the Dursley family minus their nephew. One picture caught Severus' attention because it featured Vernon Dursley with a woman who looked just like him but without a mustache. The first two doors he opened revealed the bathroom and a rather mess room with cloths strung about the floor and furniture. Looking around he saw another TV with a videogame play-station and shelves filled with other Muggle toys. At first he felt he had found Potter's room but then he saw that there was no school trunk or any sing that a young wizard lived in this room. Then he saw a banner on the wall that said Smeltings on it.

‘Must be his cousin's.'

The next door he opened revealed the master bedroom. That left only two doors. The first one he went to open showed a rather simple room that looked like no one had slept there for some time. When he turned his attention to the last door, the sight of it made him stop in his tracks. This door sported several locks on the outside. At the bottom was a small cat-flap door. Mustering his courage, the Potions Master reached for the knob.

‘There is no way this is Potter's room,' he tried to tell to himself as he opened the door.

But once he crossed the threshold, Severus felt as if he had been hit by the confudus charm when he saw the Gryffindor banner and the hand painted picture of a snow owl pinned on the wall and the large empty bird cage on the small desk.

‘This is his room.'

Severus was completely stunned. How could this be bedroom of the beloved and sainted savior of the Wizarding World?  Looking around, he noticed how small the room was, smaller than the other three. It was half the size of the room that belonged to the boy's cousin. Unlike the other rooms, the floor in this room was uncarpeted and bare. The furniture was rather shabby looking and the shelves were filled with broken toys and books. As he crossed over to the desk, he stepped on a loose floor board that moved lightly under his weight. Getting down on his knee, he removed the board and saw that Potter had placed his Charms textbook, two Defense Against the Dark Arts books, several sheets of parchment and several pieces of Honeyduke's Chocolate under the floor. Returning the board, Severus went back to looking around the room.

His eyes fall upon the desk and the few things scattered about the top. His eyebrow arched up in astonishment when his gaze fell saw the potions text book and the pieces of parchment next to it. Of all things, the man was not expecting the boy to be doing his school work so soon early in the break, let alone his potion assignment. The assignment was an essay on the potions they were going to be tested on for their upcoming O.W.L.S. They were to examine two potions and then explain their brewing process and properties.

Just as the black eyes started to scan over the seemly hastily written words, they caught sight of a small framed wizard photo on the small nightstand. he went over to examine it and when he held it up, Severus' breath caught in his throat. The picture was of Lilly and James as they danced about the falling leaves during their final year at Hogwarts.  Familiar feelings of pain and heartache griped Severus as he watched the look of joy play over Lilly's face. Thoughts of what might had been played through the man's mind. Sitting himself down, he continued to look at the photo while he thought on what he had seen of  Potter's home life. For some time, Severus just sat, his mind filled with conflicting thoughts.

----------

 When he finally looked over to Potter's small clock, he saw that it was close to nine-thirty. Deciding it was time leave, he began to formulate a plan as he left the small room.

‘I just can't walk out the door. I need then to open it for me.'

When he got to the bottom of the stairs, Severus pointed his wand at the door and a loud bang was heard.

"Who could that be at this bloody times of night," he heard Vernon grumbled, "go see who it is boy."

"Yes Uncle Vernon."

"And it better not be any of those redheaded freaks again. Or any other of those freaks you know."

As Severus watched Harry walk to the door and open it a crack at first and peered outside with his hand in his pocket, he saw the boy's uncle appear in the hallway.

 "Well boy? Who is it?"

"There's no one there."

"What ? Get out of my way you."

As he saw Vernon shoved his nephew out of his way, causing Harry to fall down to the floor and hit his head against the bottom stair, Severus had to fight the strong urging to pull out his wand and curse the man. After Vernon stepped out onto the porch, Severus took the opportunity to slip past him.

"This better not be any of your wrenched doing," he heard Vernon tell his nephew.

"It's not Uncle Vernon. I swear."

"I better not. Now get up to your room. I've had enough of looking at you for tonight." Vernon all but yelled as he closed and locked the door.

Severus did not leave Number 4 immediately. Instead, he continued to stand outside the seemingly normal suburban home.  Any doubts and beliefs he had about Potter's home life were now gone. Everything he had seen and heard in that house had revealed a side to life of the Wizarding World's savior that he obviously kept hidden from everyone else. As he turned his back on the house and started down the street to return to Hogwarts, the words and actions of Vernon and Petunia Dursley echoed in his mind. Once he reached the corner street light, he removed the disillusion charm.

‘This was not what I was expecting,' he said in a disappointed tone to himself. ‘Not at all.'

Looking back to Number Four, Severus could not help but feel sympathy for Harry. With that,  Severus dissipated on the spot and apperated at the gates of Hogwarts and started his way to the castle.