It had been a long day. Severus and Poppy were sitting in the kitchen. Neither one spoke. They were both lost in their own thoughts. Poppy had just shed her last tears. It had been a very emotional morning. Harry was currently in a room. Severus had carried Harry up to his room and placed him in his bed. After Harry's breakdown, Severus didn't want Harry to stay on the sofa any longer.

Severus thought back to the child's cries. The guilt that Severus was feeling was almost palpable. All it would have taken was a floo call. Just one call to see. No. He still believed the worse of Harry and now Harry was scarred, maybe beyond repair.

“What's wrong with me?” Harry cried.

“Shh,” Severus soothed as he held the child in his arms. “There is nothing wrong with you.”

Harry just nodded against Severus' chest.

“My magic,” Harry sobbed, clutching Severus' robes as if his life depended on it.

“What about your magic?” Severus asked.

“It didn't protect me,” Harry said, pulling away from Severus but not letting him go. “I didn't want it. I hated it.”

“Of course you hated it,” Severus agreed. “No one is blaming you, Harry. That man hurt you.”

“But my magic didn't protect me from him. I couldn't stop him,” Harry pushed Severus away, but in his weakened state, he only was able to slightly shove Severus as he fell against the pillows again.

“I'm supposed to be this 'great wizard',” Harry screamed. “And I couldn't even stop him!”

“Harry,” Poppy voice shook as she walked over to the sofa. “There are just somethings that magic can't stop. Our magic is a strange thing. No one knows why a person's magic does one thing and not another.”

“I should have been able to stop him!” Harry yelled. “The things he did to me. The things he made me do. I didn't want to do it. I hated it.”

“I know you did, Harry,” Poppy said, sitting on the coffee table, where she sat when she checked Harry over. “Believe me, Harry, I know you hated it.”

“How would you know?” Harry lashed out at the Matron. His anger overriding his emotions.“How would you know how I feel? How would you know anything?”

“I know that your magic did protect you. Just not in the way you think. I know that your magic just like anyone's magic did what it was going to do. I don't know why but I just know that your magic did protect you.”

“How?” Harry challenged.

Severus looked between the boy on the sofa and the Matron. Hearing the fight that Harry had now gave him a little hope that maybe Harry could get passed this.

“You couldn't fight,” Poppy said. “Your hands were tied. You were malnourished. You were even a little dehydrated. You were weakened. Your magic did protect you, Harry. Your magic protected you internally. For the abuse that you suffered, you actually should have more damages. You don't.”

Harry's brow furrowed.

“What do you mean?” Harry's voice calmed down.

“From what I found, and what your diagnostic parchment says, you were raped, repeatedly. You have swelling. You have tears and I have sutured the tears and given you antibiotics to prevent infections. But for what you went through if your magic didn't do what it did, there would be more damage. Believe me.”

Harry's anger seemed to deflate after that. Tears just streamed down his face.

“Harry,” Poppy said, reaching out for the child's hand. “You will get pass this.”

Harry squeezed Poppy's hand as his other hand came to rest over his eyes, as his shoulders shook with sobs.

“I won't,” Harry sobbed.

“You will, Harry. You want to know how I know?”

Harry moved his hand from his redden, dull emerald eyes and looked over at Poppy. Severus had one hand on Harry's chest soothingly rubbing it, as his other had gripped Poppy's hand in his own.

“Because I got passed it,” Poppy said, quietly. A small gasp could be heard coming from the child. “And you are much stronger than I was. It will take some time, but you will get passed this.”

After Poppy's revelation, Severus then carried Harry up to his room and now the Matron and the Potions master sat quietly at the kitchen table, lost in thought.

“Thank you, Poppy,” Severus said, breaking the silence in the room.

“For what?” Poppy asked, lowering her tea cup.

“You helped Harry. You showed him that he's not the only one.”

A small smile graced the Matron's face as she slightly nodded.

____0000________0000______0000______0000_____0000

Arthur, after informing Molly where he would be going, left the house and headed for the Ministry. He really didn't have to be at work today, but there was something, or rather someone, he needed to see. The one thing that always nagged at the back of the elder Weasley's mind was the fact that Malfoy sold Harry.

Arthur knew that the Malfoys were cold hearted, but he would never had imagined that they would stoop so low as to sell a person into slavery.

Arthur walked into Kingsley's office.

“Morning, Arthur,” Kingsley said, looking up when his door opened. “What are you doing here?”

“I want to see him,” Arthur answered, sitting down across from the Auror.

“Him who?” Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

“I know he's here. Severus already told me. I want to see him.” Arthur's voice was calm and cold. Very different than how he usually sounded.

“You know I can't allow you...” Kingsley started, but stopped when Arthur slammed his wand on the desk then sat back in the chair.

“I want to see him.”

Shaklebolt looked down at the wand and then back up at his friend. He knew by the way Arthur was sitting and talking that the man was angry.

“Alright,” Kingsley conceded. “I'll take you to him, but I'm staying with you.”

“Fine,” Arthur said standing up.

Kingsley reached out and grabbed the discarded wand and handed it back to Arthur.

“You'll need this. There is a dampening around Draco's cell. The magic in your wand will get you to apparate when we are done.”

Arthur nodded and the two wizards headed towards the cells that were in the lower parts of the Ministry.

When they got to the floor of the cells, Arthur could feel the dampening in his magic. He gripped his wand tighter in his hand. Screams could be heard once the doors opened up.

“LET ME OUT OF HERE! I AM DRACO MALFOY! YOU CANNOT HOLD ME FOR NO REASON! I WANT MY GODFATHER! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO TAKE ME FROM MY GODFATHER!”

“Stop all that yelling,” Kingsley said, stepping in front of Draco's cell.

“I will have your job for this, I promise you,” Draco threatened.

“Really,” Kingsley raised his brow at the boy. “I would love to see how you would do that from Azkaban.”

Draco sneered. “I want my godfather.” He demanded.

“Well, we don't always get what we want,” Kingsley said, coolly.

Arthur walked closer towards the cell. Looking at the teen, Arthur really couldn't fathom why Draco would do such a heinous thing as to sell another human being.

“What are you looking at?” Draco sneered at Arthur.

“I'm just wondering what gave you the right,” Arthur said, slightly tilting his head.

“I am Draco Malfoy. I have the right to do whatever I want.”

Arthur shook his head.

“You sold a boy into slavery.”

Draco looked at the two men and for a split second a smirk showed on the teens face before turning into a scowl.

“And you don't even care,” Arthur continued.

“Why should I?” Draco sneered. “Because it was Potter.”

Arthur's eyes narrowed.

“Potter got what he deserved. I hope he's far off somewhere getting exactly what he deserves.”

“Harry is safe.”

The prideful sneer that was on Draco's face quickly fell.

“What do you mean he's safe?” Draco asked.

Arthur looked at Draco a moment longer then turned and left without saying another word. Kingsley was about to turn and leave when a hand reached through the bars of the cell and gripped Kingsley's arm.

“What does he mean he's safe?”

Kingsley turned and looked back at the teen.

“Severus and Arthur rescued Harry. He's safe.” Kingsley yanked his arm out of the teens grasp and left the teen.

Draco watched the two wizards leave. For the first time true fear was shown on the teen's face.

___0000______0000_____000_______000____000

Poppy had left. Severus walked upstairs to his room to check on Harry. When he opened the door, he saw that Harry was just laying on the bed. His eyes were open, starring blankly at the ceiling.

“Harry,” Severus quietly called out.

“Sir,” Harry's voice was low and monotone.

“Is there anything I can get for you?” Severus asked, walking over to the bed.

Harry just shook his head.

“Harry.”

“Sir,” Harry turned to look at the Professor. “How did you find me?”

Severus sat down on the edge of the bed. Since the bed was much bigger than the one Harry was on in that dilapidated house, Harry didn't feel the bed dip that much from Severus' weight.

“Like I told you before, we tracked down the man that had you.”

“But how did you know?”

“Draco confessed under duress of his crimes.”

“Malfoy?” Harry was really confused now. “What does Malfoy have to do with what happened to me?”

“Oh, Harry,” Severus said. “Draco was the reason you were kidnapped.”

Harry's jaw slacked in surprised. He was stunned silent. Malfoy was the reason. He was the reason that bastard got him. He was the reason he was raped. It was all Malfoy's fault. With his eyes shut tight and his fists pressed as hard as he could to his eyes, Harry let out a gut-wrenching scream.

TBC