Harry sat on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his shins. He began rocking a bit to try to calm himself. Slowly, his mind turned to the tea on the table nearby, but he resisted the temptation to drink any. It could readily be poisoned or drugged and he wasn't going to be stupid enough to try it. The door opened up. Harry heard someone walk in, but refused to look at who it was. From instinct, Harry tighten his arms around his shins. While he didn't know who had come in, he didn't think he would like who it was.

"Well, well," the owner's voice shrieked. "Itty, bitty baby." Harry's heart began to beat harder when he heard her voice. The last one he wanted to see was Bellatrix. Where are you, Professor? Harry thought. Harry didn't react to Bellatrix's taunt. She wanted to get a rise out of him, and he wasn't going to satisfy her.

"Look at the ikkle one," she cooed softly, as he crouched in Harry's line of view. Harry dropped his gaze and swallowed hard. "So tiny; so scared." She reached out and grabbed Harry by the chin, brining his gaze to meet hers.

"What do you want?" Harry demanded.

"Let's have some fun," Bellatrix said with an eerie smile on her face. Harry couldn't help the look of fear that was on his face. The last time someone told him that, the collar was turned on and then his head was dunked in a bin of water. He could still remember the collar's pain and the feeling of not being able to breathe.

Bellatrix saw that Potter was no longer paying attention. That infuriated her. Trying to gain his attention again, she gripped the child's jaw tighter. Her nails began to break the skin. Small droplets of blood began to pool around the indention of her fingers.

"Stop it!" Harry cried out, as he slapped her hand away from his chin and quickly rose to his feet. He glanced around for something he could use as a weapon. He sprinted over to the table and grabbed the teapot, throwing its contents on Bellatrix. She screamed as the hot water scalded her skin. Harry threw the porcelain at her for good measure, scratching her as it shattered.

"Why you little bastard," Bellatrix hissed through her pain. Harry ducked around the table so it was positioned between the two of them and he watched her intently. Bellatrix drew and raised her wand.

"What do you think you're doing, Bella?" a new voice called out.

"HE WILL PAY!" Bellatrix yelled. She waved her wand and the table that separated her from Potter flew away. She pointed her wand. "CRUCIO!"

"Bella, stop!" yelled Narcissa. "Don't!"The unforgivable curse hit its mark. Harry fell to the floor. The pain was worse than he remembered from the graveyard, but maybe that was because he had become more sensitive to it since then rather than immune.

"Release him!" Narcissa demanded. Bella did not relent. Narcissa knew that if she didn't stop, things would go from bad to worse. The screams from the boy filled the room and it would soon fill the entire building. Narcissa did the only thing she could think to do. She pulled out her wand and cast a Protego shield on Harry. The screaming quieted, but the twitching was still prominent. Bella screamed infrustration when the spell was blocked. She rushed over to her sister and stood so her nose was mere inches from Narcissa's.

"What do you think you're doing?" sneered Bellatrix.

"What I told her to do," Voldemort said, standing in the doorway. Bellatrix paled and backed up a couple steps at the sight of her master.

"I'm sorry, my lord," she apologized immediately.

"Don't - hurt - the boy," Voldemort ordered, accentuating each word. His snake eyes shifted towards where Harry lay unconscious on the floor. "He's been through enough. Don't you think I could torture him myself - would prefer to torture him myself - if I wished that?"

"Yes, of course, my lord," Bellatrix agreed hastily, assuming a contrite position.

"I have ordered Narcissa to guard him - though I can't say I imagined that that job would include stopping you from torturing him," Voldemort continued. "Clean yourself up. You're a disgrace." Bellatrix took the opportunity to flee her master's presence and was gone from the room in a moment.

"Narcissa, I believe you can handle this from here," Voldemort said. "Thank you for your diligence." He turned and left.

"Yes, my lord," Narcissa said, bowing her head. She walked over to Harry and looked at him. He's so small, she thought. With a sigh, she looked around the room to see what she could use to lay the child on because she was not sitting on the floor. There was a limit to what she would do. She levitated Harry over to the table, transfiguring it into a cot, and sat in the chair which only a few minutes ago had been used by her master when interrogating the boy. She summoned a damp cloth and laid it on Harry's forehead, dabbing his flushed cheeks occasionally. After a few moments, Harry moaned and turned, wincing.

"Just lay still," Narcissa instructed gently. Next, she summoned a vial. "Here's a painkiller." Harry studied her through squinted eyes. "If I wanted to poison you, I would have let Bella torture you instead, and she could have suffered an even greater fall-out with the Dark Lord." Harry took the vial offered him, and drank it wordlessly.

"Why?" he asked after a minute.

"Why what?" Narcissa replied.

"Why did you protect me from her?"

"Orders," Narcissa shrugged. "The Dark Lord has ordered that you be unharmed."

"Orders doesn't explain this," Harry objected, holding the vial as evidence.

"If you're masochistic enough to want to be in pain, you didn't have to take it," Narcissa shot back. Harry's eyes narrowed at her, and he swung his legs off the side of the cot, sitting up.

"You never helped Draco," Harry accused. It was Narcissa's turn to narrow her eyes at Harry. "Yes, I've gotten to speak civilly to your son," Harry continued. "Enough to consider him a friend now. So you'll help me, but not him?"

"Harry Potter, it is worse in the long run for me to interfere," Narcissa said coolly, looking down her nose at him. "If I try to stop Lucius, he will be even crueler to Draco, not to mention that my safety will be called into question."

"So you would let him keep hurting Draco just to save your skin?" Harry sneered. "He was afraid of his dad."

"I do what I do for Draco's good as well. You don't know what you're talking about," Narcissa dismissed. Then she realized something that Harry said. "What do you mean 'was'?" Harry narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean was?" she pressed.

"You don't know?"

"What is it that you know, Potter?" Narcissa said, grabbing his shirt.

"Lucius Malfoy is dead."

Draco paced nervously in the room, occasionally stopping to look out the barred window. Severus sat on the bed with his back against the headboard, his eyes closed. They hadn't come up with any plans of how to contact anyone at Hogwarts without compromising their position. They were effectively prisoners, unless they wished to venture out. It would be difficult to know when do that, Draco realized, without any word from the outside world.

"Stop pacing," Severus ordered, his jaw set.

"Sorry," Draco immediately apologized, as he leaned his shoulder against the wall and kept his silent vigil at the window. "Could we persuade Mrs. Dursley to write to Hogwarts perhaps? It's our only hope at any communication."

"Do you think she will let that happen?" Snape drawled. His eyes were still closed.

"I don't know," Draco shrugged. "But it wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?"

"Then we shall ask."

"Thanks." The smile of relief was apparent in Draco's tone. He started pacing again.

"Draco," Severus said, "if you do not cease that infernal pacing, I shall stick your bottom onto this bed. What is your problem?" Draco instantly stopped pacing in fear that Severus would make good on his threat.

"I'm worried about Harry." Severus paused for a moment.

"Ah," he said, opening his eyes. "While I appreciate your honesty, worry is unnecessary, I'm sure. He's likely still at Hogwarts under Professor McGonagall's protection. But I suppose now is as good a time as any to ask Petunia about writing to Hogwarts to make sure about that little fact." Severus pushed himself off the bed. He walked over to the door.

"We can't do magic, can we?" Draco asked quietly, just as Severus put his hand on the door.

"No," Severus agreed, equally quietly. "But let's keep that a secret as long as we can." He gave Draco a meaningful look, and then opened the door. Severus and Draco walked out of the small room. Severus put his hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Wait for me," Severus said, walking into the restroom and closing the door. Draco leaned against the door. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear resounding steps behind him. He was yanked out of his thoughts by a strong grip grabbing his collar and flinging him to the opposite wall. The force of the impact caused Draco to take a few seconds to regain his balance and his breath.

When he looked up, he saw a large man coming at him. He didn't know what he could have done to cause such rage in the man. But the man was so angry he wasn't red in the face; no, he was almost purple. Draco had to shake his head a little to clear it. It looked like the man standing in front of him looked like he was going to explode. Draco never got a chance to fully recover from the first attack when the next assault came reigning down upon him.

"Who are you? And what do you think you are doing in my house?" Vernon yelled after each swing. Draco raised his hands to protect his head. He was good at that. Vernon was about to hit Draco across the face when he felt something stick in his neck just below his left ear.

"Have you lost your mind?" Severus' voice was low but full of venom. "How dare you raise your hand to my boy?" Draco, despite his pain, was unable to suppress an ecstatic grin at the thought of Severus calling him his boy. Severus was too focused on the situation to notice. Draco, finally catching his breath, could feel his face beginning to swell from the barrage of hits which he had been unable to block. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Slowly Draco lifted his sore head and looked at his PotionsProfessor. He saw that Severus had his wand in the man's neck. By the way he had it there, it looked like it hurt. At least an inch of the end of Severus' wand was in the man's neck.

"You're one of those freaks?" Vernon's voice may not have been as venomous as it was before, but the disdain was still there.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're one of the Freak's friends. Yes?"

"If you're referring to Harry Potter," Severus growled softly, "then yes. I suggest you use his name."

"You're all freaks," Vernon muttered under his breath. Severus snapped and threw Vernon against the wall, being careful to place himself between Vernon and Draco. Draco scrambled to his feet, out of the way. Severus' wand was millimeters from Vernon's nose.

"You will not call me that," Severus hissed. "You will not call any wizard that. I will glue your mouth shut if you do. Do you understand me?"

"What is going on?" Petunia yelled, rushing up the stairs. She didn't know what she was going to see when she came upstairs. But she didn't expect to see her husband against the wall and Severus with his wand only millimeters from Vernon's face. When she looked at the boy standing behind Severus, she knew what started this whole fiasco.

"What happened?"

"Ask you husband." Severus' voice held nothing but venom and hatred.

"Why are these freaks in my house?" Vernon yelled, batting the wand away from his face. Severus tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed, the curse on his lips. He knew he was going to enjoy this. He felt a slightly sadistic smile creeping onto his features.

"Professor," Draco reached out and grabbed the back of Severus' frock coat. Severus paused and glanced down at Draco.

"What?" Severus asked. Draco didn't say anything but his look reminded Severus why they couldn't actually perform magic.

"Damn," Severus muttered. He shoved his wand away, lest he forget again. It wouldn't do for Draco to have to step in every time he almost cast a curse. Perhaps there would be a time when Draco couldn't stop him in time.

"Petunia!" Vernon snapped. "I asked you why these freaks are in my house!" Petunia glanced nervously at Severus and Draco before answering.

"They - they forced their way in and threatened to kill Dudders and me if we didn't give them a place to stay," Petunia stammered.

"What?" Vernon roared, flying at Severus. Getting tackled caught Severus by surprise. His breath was taken from him. Draco was shocked. He couldn't believe that his Professor was on his back again. Again. He got cursed again. As if that sort of humiliation at the Shack wasn't enough. Again, his professor was at his feet. Draco looked down at the two men on the floor.

Don't do magic. Don't do magic. They will find us if you do magic. That low mantra continued in Draco's head.

The rational side wanted him not to do anything, but the scared child side didn't like seeing his mentor hurt on his back again. It brought back too many bad memories. Those horrible hours in the Shack, and being subjected to lies and abuse. He had desperately wanted someone to intervene for him when he was the one lying on the floor, helpless, in Malfoy Manor. How could he stand by and not intervene?

"Stop it," Draco whispered. "Stop it. STOP IT!" Draco was full on scream at the end. In a stupendous display of accidental magic, Vernon flew off Severus and crashed into the far wall, sticking where his body met the structure. Severus looked up and saw how tense Draco was. The child's fists were clenched so tight. His breathing was labored, but his eyes were clear and bright as he glared at Vernon.

"That's not how it happened!" Draco screamed. Carefully, Severus stood up and faced Draco. Draco's glare softened as soon as Severus entered his field of vision.

"Draco," Severus' voice low and soothing, cupping Draco's face in his hands. "Dragon, you need to calm down."

"Yes, sir," Draco agreed, consciously relaxing his tense muscles. Vernon sank into a heap on the floor.

"Draco," Severus continued softly, "we can't stay here anymore now."

"I'm sorry," Draco said, hanging his head, biting his lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"I know," Severus said, cutting off what he thought would be more drivel. "We just need to go somewhere else before the Ministry catches up to us. Our position has been compromised."

"That mean you're leaving?" Vernon grunted, picking himself up from the ground. "Good riddance!"

"Yes, it does," Severus confirmed, eying Vernon down his nose disdainfully. He took a step closer to Vernon, and his voice dropped several decibels. "It also means that one more spell won't hurt anything." Silently, Severus cast his curse. He put his hand on Draco's shoulder and apparated from the Dursley residence. Draco pressed himself close to Severus. When they had materialized, he recognized the place as Spinner's End. Without a word of explanation, Severus grabbed the floo powder.

"What curse did you put on Mr. Dursley?" Draco asked. Severus ignored him and threw the floo powder into the fireplace.

"Minerva McGonagall's!" he called, and pulled Draco through with him. They stumbled into a vacant, dark room. Severus brushed some soot from his robes, and Draco coughed softly. Severus lit a nearby lantern.

"The curse will cause him to only be able to stomach one can of cold soup a day," Severus explained, finally. "If he tried to eat more than that, he'll lose the can of soup as well in an indescribable fit of nausea."

"Where do you learn these spells?" Draco asked, clearly amazed.

"I hope you never do," Severus replied darkly.