Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box

A/N: Here is Chapter 2. I hope that you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 2

“Expecto Patronum!”

A silvery doe rushed the two dementors and gave chase. Within seconds Harry had gone from being pinned to the side of the underpass, to falling unceremoniously on the ground, unconscious. Once the dementors were gone the silvery doe slowly walked over to the small boy laying on the ground. The translucent form pressed its muzzle on the small boys face before disappearing in the air.

Severus rushed to Harry's side. He rapidly took off his cloak and wrapped around the much too small child, for his liking, and picked Harry up to his chest and headed to the only sensible place that he knew he could get quickly.

_____0000_________0000_________0000_______0000_________0000________0000______000___

Mrs. Figg was a recluse of sorts. She stayed to her own house most of the time. To the outside world, she only had one true thing she loved in her life; her cats. The children in the neighborhood dubbed her 'The Cat Lady.' Most people just stayed away from her. They all thought she was just a senile old lady that loved cats.

For this reason, Petunia loved to send Harry to her when they would go on day trips or holiday, when they didn't want 'the freak' to accompany them. Petunia knew that Harry hated going there. She loved the looks that Harry would get on his face when she would tell him to make his way over towards her house. She felt the looks on Harry's face were completely priceless.

Petunia felt as though if anybody should be saddled with her dead sister's son it should be the Crazy Cat woman of Privet Drive.

This particular day, Mrs. Figg was in her lounge working on her crocheting when there was a pounding on the door. Slowly, not knowing who would be at her door of all places, she came to the front of the foyer and looked out the side window next to the door. What she saw took her by great surprise. A tall dark man with a bundle in his arms stood at her door. As menacing as he looked, if she didn't know Severus from the Order meetings and from her best friend, Minerva, she wouldn't ever have a notion to open the door.

As quickly as her hands could move, she opened the door and stood aside so that Severus could come in. The last thing Mrs. Figg wanted was to have people think that she entertained strange men at all hours of the night. Even the thought of that made her silently chuckle at the notion. She quickly let go of the idea to close the door and follow Severus into her living room where she saw he was laying his bundle on the couch.

“Severus,” Arabella said. “What's the meaning of this?”

Severus didn't answer her he just continued to remove his robe from the small boy. When she saw what, correction who, he was carrying she knew there had to have been trouble.

“What happened?” she said walking over to her couch and helping Severus free Harry from the cloak.

“He was attacked by two dementors,” Severus stated finally getting the last bid of cloak away from Harry.

He then pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell over Harry's body. Within seconds a small parchment came into view listing all of Harry ailments. Arabella standing behind Severus looking at the parchment over his shoulder gasped as her hand cover her mouth. Severus paled more reading everything that was on that parchment. It had only been three weeks into the summer holiday. How could Harry acquired so many problems in that short period of time.

“Are you connected to the Floo Network?” Severus' voice was quiet. Because of her close proximity, she might not have heard him.

She nodded her head still unable to speak. Tears pooling up in her eyes. Severus getting irritated. He turned and looked at her and asked again. This time he saw her nod and went to the fireplace and began to lite it. Once lit he grabbed some floo powder off the mantel and threw it into the fire. Once it turned green, Severus bent down in front of it.

“Minerva,” he yelled before standing straight again. Within seconds of her name being called, Minerva's head showed through the fire.

“Severus,” she said. “What's wrong?”

“Come through,” Severus demanded. “Now.”

“Severus, what's going on? How's Harry?”

“Mother, please,” Severus said. “Come through.”

Once she heard the plea come from her son, Minerva's head vanished from the fire and within seconds she walked through the fire. Stepping out of the hearth she saw Arabella sitting in her chair by the window with tears streaming down her face.

Seeing this, Minerva knew something was really wrong.

“Severus,” Minerva walked over to Severus, who was back kneeling by couch. “What's going on?”

Severus handed his adopted mother the small parchment and she began reading.

Harry James Potter

Age 14

Birthday July 31, 1980

Diagnosis

NEW WOUNDS (Skeletal)

Broken nose

Dislocated Shoulder (left side)

Cracked ribs

3 Broken Fingers (left hand)

2 Broken Fingers (right hand)

OLDER WOUNDS (Skeletal)

Improper healed right arm (broken at age 7)

Improper healed left forearm (broken at age 9)

Improper healed left foot (broken at age 9)

NEW WOUNDS (Tissue)

Slight fluid in right lung

Bruising to left lung (from cracked ribs)

Contusions

NEURILOGIAL

Slight nerve damage (right side) exposure to Cruciatus

Diagnostic Exam done by

Severus Tobias Snape McGonagall

Potions Master and Certified Asst. Healer

at

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Minerva could not believe what she was seeing. The same look was on Severus' face. Three weeks. Three Bloody Weeks. She dropped her hand to her side letting the parchment fall to the floor.

“Severus, explain this,” she said. Her own mind couldn't wrap around why the coin didn't alert them sooner than three weeks into summer holiday.

“I...I don't know.” Severus stammered. “He was being attacked by two dementors when I got to him.”

Severus' eyes never left the small boy who looked too much like his father for his liking, but couldn't stop. After reading that diagnosis, he knew all his preconceived notions about The Boy Who Lived were all just wrong. “He was just about to be Kissed when I got to the underpass where he was. They had to get to him by surprise. His wand was out, but I don't think he was able to even attempt to use it. I cast them out and gathered up Har....Potter and brought him here.”

Minerva put her hand on Severus' shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. She knew her son was struggling with his emotions. For so long Severus had it in his head that Harry would be nothing more than a doppelganger of his father. The one thing he didn't realize was that he wasn't just James' son, he was Lily's as well. Now realizing that Harry may not have had the spoiled life that Severus always thought, he truly looked at the boy and saw not James, but Harry. A boy, who Severus didn't say was giving up on his life. If Severus didn't know better, Harry did have out his wand, but him not using it and then to Severus it looked like Harry was giving in to what the dementors were doing. He was welcoming the Kiss. And this bother Severus more than anything.

Minerva walked over to Arabella, who's been her friend for years. The only person outside of Albus that knew that Severus was her adopted son. Minerva transfigured the footstool in front of Arabella into a chair so she could sit and ask her friend some questions.

“Arabella,” Minerva soothed. “Why didn't you tell me this was going on?”

“I...I didn't know,” Arabella sobbed.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T KNOW!” Severus yelled turning to face the women in the corner.

“Severus,” Minerva admonished at her son. “Calm down.”

“You had one job,” Severus tone had not changed. “One job only. You were suppose to WATCH THE BOY!”

“SEVERUS TOBIAS! You will stop this right now,” Minerva stood up and faced her son who was now standing in front of the couch facing the two women.

Severus, looking chastised and annoyed, turned back to Potter who was still unconscious on the couch. He sat back down on the edge of the couch and looked back down at the sleeping boy.

“Severus,” his mother's voice was much calmer than before. “I know that you are upset by what we have just learned. But you must learn to control your temper when it comes to anything Lily-related. It will be alright. We will handle this.” Severus looked at the two women and then turned his attention back to Harry. “But first we have to get to the bottom of this.”

Severus didn't respond other than a small nod. Minerva sat back down and faced Arabella.

“Now Arabella,” Minerva's voice was trying to stay calm. “You want to tell me why you didn't let me know what was happening to Harry.”

TBC

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