Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. He and all the characters belong to J.K. Rowling

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box for beta'ing my story.

A/N: Here is Chapter 5. Enjoy!! :)

Chapter 5

Harry was curled up in a ball on the floor, trying to block the blows that Vernon is giving him. His arms were over his head. His knees were tucked up against his chest. The stings on his back hurting more and more. He could feel the blood soaking the back of his shirt as he lay on the floor, praying that his uncle would stop soon. Harry did not know how much more he could take.

Poppy walked over to the side of Harry's bed and pulled the blanket away from Harry.

Harry felt his shirt rise up. He peaked up and saw his uncle standing over him trying to pull his shirt over his head. As much as he knew he wasn't suppose to, Harry reached up and grabbed Vernon's shirt, pleading.

Severus was at Harry's side trying to hold him down to the bed. Harry gripped the front of Severus' frock coat, trying to make himself into a small ball cowering against Severus.

“I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia. I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon,” Harry pleaded, tears streaming down his face. He knew he should not have grabbed his uncle but he just couldn't take getting beat on bare skin. He knew he would probably get worse once he let his uncle go, but he just couldn't take anymore. His back just hurt too much.

Looking at his aunt, who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen while his uncle was standing over him, trying to see if she would grant him a reprieve from the beating or at least not let him get beat on bare skin.

The coldness of her eyes were just like his uncle's. There was going to be no reprieve for Harry this day and he knew it. And gripping his uncle shirt, he knew that whatever his uncle was going to do he was about to get it worse. But he continued to plead and beg for a reprieve.

Instinctively, Severus wrapped his arms around the shaking boy. Severus just held the shaking boy in his arms and just rocked him trying to calm him down.

When Harry thought all was lost, the smell of a familiar potions filled his nose. Surprisingly, it began to calm him down. Harry looked up and he still saw his uncle and aunt standing over him, but for some reason he wasn't scared anymore. He couldn't understand why. He just knew that one minute he was very much afraid of the next blow to come and then he had an overwhelming sense of peace. He couldn't understand why this particular smell would bring him so much calm but he knew he had to hold on to it. He knew he could never let it go for if he did then his uncle would begin to hurt him again.

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Harry finally calmed down enough that he stop shaking in Severus' arms. His breathing evened out as well. Severus thought he could eradicate himself from the clutches of this small boy, but was he ever wrong. Many tries of trying to remove the Potter brat away from his person resulted in either Harry whimpering in his sleep or gripping Severus tighter. Which the latter has caused him considerable pain that he didn't want to endure again. As much as Severus didn't want to admit it, Harry was not going to let him go until he was good and ready.

Poppy, who was still standing by Potter's bed, now had a teary smile on her face. Harry's pleas had completely broke her heart, but seeing Harry clinging onto Severus for dear life just warmed her heart that Harry could find peace in something or someone. Not that she was going to let Severus know what she was thinking.

“Well,” Poppy said clearing her throat. “Would you just hold Harry so that I can spell his medicine in his stomach?”

Severus glared at the looks Poppy was giving him, and like his mother, she was immune to Severus' glares. She just smiled at him. Severus adjusted himself in the bed with Harry, since he wasn't going to let him go, so that Poppy could administer the medicine. When Minerva walked into the Infirmary, that was how she found Severus. He was sitting at the head of the bed, eyes closed. Though he seemed that he was asleep, Minerva knew that he was far from it. Actually she knew that he was quite agitated, but she couldn't help the warm feeling of seeing both her protected wards on the bed.

“How long are you going to stand there and stare at us,” a baritone voice broke Minerva out of her thoughts.

“I thought you were asleep,” Minerva slightly teased. “I know that you had a tiring day.”

“Yes, stand there and make jokes,” Severus drawled, not liking being made fun of. “Just come get your whelp cub off of me.”

“How on earth did you get into Harry's clutches, anyway,” Minerva said, walking to the side of the bed were Harry was laying, with a slight cheer in her voice. His bad shouldered arm was tucked in between Severus and Harry. His good arm was draped over Severus' chest. His hand clutching Severus' frock coat.

“I fail to see the humor in this,” Severus growled, quietly. “Kindly remove this child that is hell bent on impersonating a primate.”

Minerva softly chuckled as she leaned over and began prying Harry's hand from her son's coat. Very carefully she maneuvered Harry's hands until they released their grip. Once she had the boy's hand in hers, she couldn't help but look at his hand. Her small smile that she just had completely gone from her face as she looked at the hand that was no bigger than her own. She lightly caressed the two fixed fingers that had to be re-set.

How could someone just blatantly harm this sweet boy, she thought. Severus looked up at his mother and he didn't even have to legitimize her to know what was going through her mind. He knew that she was upset about learning about Potter's home life. To be at all honest with himself, he was quite shocked of the findings of Potter's treatment while he was away from school.

Very slowly, Minerva placed Harry's hand on his own side and moved out of the way so that Severus could get off the bed. She walked away from the bed rubbing her sore hands and wrists. It had been a long time since she ached like this. Severus saw her rubbing her hands and knew that she was having those old stress pains again, and he walked over to her.

“You owe me tea,” Severus said walking pass her towards the doors of the Infirmary. “Your chambers. I'll be there in a little bit.”

With that he walked out of Infirmary. She looked at her son and noticed that his usual exit was a little different. She turned and looked at Harry, and couldn't help but truly love her son. There laying on the bed next to Harry was a black teddy bear. She knew that Severus had to have done it, so that Harry could feel something beside him.

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Minerva walked into her chambers, sat down in her high back chair. It was her most comfortable chair, although others did not understand why she would have a high, straight back chair to always sit in. It looked uneasy and unwelcoming for someone to sit in, but she found that it gives her back much support. Once she got settled, Minerva called Tami, her personal house elf, to bring up tea for two. She was in the process of pouring the tea when the floo flared and Severus stepped through the hearth. He nodded at her and took his seat across from her. She handed him his cup of tea, and for a few moments neither one said anything. They both just listened to the silence of her chambers. Minerva put her tea cup down on her small coffee table. When she straighten back up, she was rubbing her hands.

“I see your hands are bothering you again,” Severus stated over his tea cup.

“It's alright,” Minerva dismissed, rubbing her hands unconsciously.

“I'll make you the potion tomorrow,” Severus said putting down his cup. “The last time you waited until it got too bad, you were not able to hold a quill.”

Minerva smiled at him, but the look in her eyes told a different story. She was deep in thought. Severus looked at her with concern.

“Still thinking about Arabella and Albus?,” Severus asked while pouring two more cups of tea.

“Hm,” Minerva was brought out of her thoughts by a tea cup floating over her lap. She looked at the cup and then to her son who was already drinking his tea.

“Arabella and Albus,” Severus stated again. “Are you still thinking on them?”

“No,” Minerva said slightly shaking her head. “Harry. What has he really been through? He's lived with those horrible Muggles for almost fourteen years. What all did they do to him?”

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After Minerva left Albus' office, he was deep in thought. He would have never thought that Minerva would be so fiercely adamant about Arabella Figg. So he told her to watch the house. Why was that such a huge concern? He knew what he had to do; talk to Harry. Get Harry's side of things.

Albus got up from his chair. He was about to take the wards down from around his chambers and office, but quickly changed his mind. He had a feeling that there would be another outburst in his office by one tabby cat. Walking over to the fire place and grabbing some powder, Albus was about to go to the Infirmary, but quickly thought against going by floo. He knew that Minerva and Poppy would be there and the last thing he wanted to deal with were those two witches. Not together. Replacing the powder in the pot, Albus walked out of his office and took the long trek to the Infirmary.

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Harry buried his face into something soft and that was the first thing that clued him that something wasn't right. He was not in pain. He was laying on something soft, so he knew that he wasn't in his room. He was beginning to worry if he was dead, and maybe this was what it's truly liked to be Kissed. Maybe he would see his parents and Cedric. Tears began to burn the back of his throat when he began to think about what a disappointment he was to his parents. They died to protect him and Harry did nothing to protect himself from those dementors.

He buried his face into the soft plushness of the bear he didn't know he was holding. The smell of potions filled his nose and he began to calm his breathing again. His tears dried up. Maybe, just maybe, all will be alright.

Albus walked into the Infirmary. He was actually happy to see that Severus and Minerva weren't there. He's already dealt with Minerva the last thing he wanted was to deal with Severus. He walked over towards Harry's bed and sat down on the edge of his bed.

“Harry,” Albus said putting his hand on his back.

Harry's eyes popped opened in such surprise. He looked at the Professor sitting on the bed. His brow creased together. Why was Professor Dumbledore here?

“Professor,” Harry asked. “What are you doing here?” Harry looked around and still did not recognize where he was. “Where are we?,” he finally asked.

A small smile crept across Albus' face. “You're in the Infirmary, Harry.”

“Hogwarts?,” Harry was stunned. Never would he thought that he would be at Hogwarts before school started. He sat up completely and looked around the Infirmary and his bed. It seemed so different being there in the summer months.

“Harry,” Albus said bringing Harry out of his thoughts. “What is the last thing you remember?”

Harry looked back at the Headmaster and was unaware that he was clutching the black bear that was sitting beside him.

“Harry.”

“I remembered sitting on the swing,” Harry started. “Then I was running. I ran as fast as I could. Then every thing got cold.” Harry was holding the bear absentmindedly to his chest. He started shaking a little.

Poppy always had alarms around each bed in the infirmary. It was always just in case she was in her office and one of her patients needed her. Well, while sitting in her office, one of her alarms were sounding. She quickly got up from her desk and hurried into the main area to check on Potter. She stopped in her tracks. Albus was sitting on the side of Harry's bed and Harry was awake, finally, clutching a black bear. She, who prided herself in walking quietly around people, was very happy that neither wizard noticed her presence, so she stayed in the background and listened in.

After telling his Professor what he remembered, Harry was sitting waiting to hear what Albus would say. Not being able to stand the silence, Harry blurted out, “Can I stay here the rest of the summer?”

Poppy, still in the background, understood why Harry would ask that. From what she overheard, Harry still did not mention any of the abuse to Albus, and it wasn't likely that he would. But the next statement is what really shocked her.

“Harry,” Albus' voice was very soothing and calm. “I know it has not been easy where you live.” Harry took a deep breath through his nose and tried to calm his panic breathing because he knew, like the back of his hand, what the response was going to be. “But you do understand that you must go back. You can not stay here,” Albus smiled warmly at Harry, but that was anything but what he felt; warming. He felt cold. He didn't want to go back.

“Yes, Professor,” Harry's shoulders sagged.

Just as quietly as Poppy came in, she left back towards her office. Once there, she closed and locked her door. She walked over to her fireplace in her, pinched a small amount of floo in the power, and tossed it the fire.

When a head finally appeared, she regaled them of what was happening in her Infirmary.

“Step back,” the voice said from the fire.

The medi-witch got up from her kneeling position and back up just as the man wearing all black stepped through.

TBC

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Mandancie :)

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