Harry awoke to the dim light of a room no bigger than the cupboard under the stairs and his arms tied behind his back. Surprisingly, his glasses were still on his face. He examined the room and saw that there were no doors and no windows. He had no idea where the light was coming from. He shivered slightly. He was still wearing his Muggle jeans and t-shirt. Robes would have been warmer, he decided as he scrunched into a corner.

Harry heard footsteps outside his tiny prison and a hole in the wall opposite him appeared. Harry had to close his eyes tightly against the bright light from outside the room. He felt someone’s handed wrap around his arms and drag him out of the room. He blinked his eyes several times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

He was in a stone hallway that was lit by torches every few feet. Two death Eaters grabbed his arms and began pulling him along. They took him into another room, one that he recognized from his dreams. It was circular and the walls were made of stone, with a large throne in the center. Seated on the throne was Voldemort himself.

“Ah, the guest of honor has arrived,” said Voldemort happily. “Let’s have some fun while we wait for the other to get here.”

What others? Anything to do with Voldemort was definitely not going to be fun. The two Death Eaters pushed him to his knees in front of Voldemort, who smiled and raised his wand.

~Snape’s POV~

Snape and Lupin stood patiently outside of Flourish and Blotts, waiting for Harry to come out. He peered in the window, trying to see where Harry was. He watched Harry head towards the back of the shop and walk behind a tall bookcase. He was probably looking for something else to read, though Snape believed that it wasn’t necessary. The Snape family library was quite extensive and anything Harry wanted to look up would probably be in there.

Ten minutes passed with no sign of Harry emerging from behind the bookcase. He began to get worried and headed for the door to go find Harry when his Mark began to burn. He clutched it and turned to Lupin.

“I’ve got to go. Go look for Harry. Something doesn’t feel right,” said Snape before Apparating to the Dark Lord’s latest hideout.

He strode down the surprisingly bright hallway and into the main chamber. What he saw almost made him gasp with surprise. Harry was on the ground screaming, under the Cruciatus curse. Snape quickly put up his Occlumency shields and took his place in the circle of Death Eaters. Several more trickled in and then everyone bowed as one pledging their eternal allegiance to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord took the curse off Harry and stood up.

“Today, we have a special treat. My Bellatrix caught the blasted Potter boy and brought him to me. Another of my faithful, Wormtail, brought me another most delightful surprise. Stand him up,” he said to two Death Eaters who were standing near Harry. They grabbed Harry and pulled him to his feet. Snape was pleased to see the fire back in Harry’s bright green eyes as he glared at the Dark Lord.

“No, Mr. Potter, I’m sure you’ll be quite pleased to see the other surprise,” said the Dark Lord. “And behind door number one…”

The Dark Lord pointed his wand at a door that had appeared in the stone wall. Yet another horrifying surprise met Snape. Vernon Dursley stepped out from behind the now-open door. Harry’s face paled when he saw who was behind the door.

He tried in vain to pull way from his captors and get away from Vernon. Several Death Eaters laughed at Harry’s terrified behavior. Snape wanted to hex them into the next century.

“I see you’re enjoying the surprise, Mr. Potter,” said the Dark Lord.

“Go to hell, you sadistic bastard,” said Harry defiantly. Snape wanted to yell, ‘you idiot!’ Harry couldn’t have done anything more stupid. He was curious though, why the Dark Lord had Harry’s uncle. Vernon seemed to be under a Silencing Charm, as his lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. “You see, Mr. Potter, your uncle has been a valuable resource in my quest to get rid of you. We had a nice little chat earlier today. You know what I found out?” said the Dark Lord. He stepped closer to Harry, who Snape could see was starting to shake slightly. It was probably from the prolonged contact with the Death Eaters. Snape wanted to get Harry out of there, but he knew he couldn’t do anything to compromise his position; otherwise, they would both be killed. Harry didn’t say anything, but he probably knew exactly what his uncle had told the Dark Lord.

“I found out exactly why the Golden Gryffindor is safe from out of Hogwarts defenses. His precious Mudblood mother and her blood magic.” said the Dark Lord. Uh-oh, there went all of Dumbledore’s work to keep Harry safe.

“Do you want to know what else I fond out?” asked the Dark Lord. What else was there to tell? The only reason Harry had been at the Dursleys was for the blood protection. What else did Vernon Dursley know?

“But the blood protection only keeps me and my faithful servants out, it doesn’t protect from anyone else.” said the Dark Lord. Snape realized with a sinking feeling that Vernon had to have told how he beat Harry.

“Tell me, Harry. Did you enjoy the time you spent with your relatives this year?” Harry looked like he would collapse if the Death Eaters had not been holding him up. The fire had disappeared from his eyes and was replaced by sheer terror. What kind of sick plan did the Dark Lord have now? Scare Harry to death?

~Harry’s POV~

“Tell me, Harry. Did you enjoy the time you spent with your relatives this year?” asked Voldemort. Harry’s stomach turned to ice.

He was sure he would have fallen to the floor had it not been for the Death Eaters holding his arms. What kind of sick game was Voldemort playing now? Why didn’t he just kill him and get it over with already?

“Take him back now. Do what you wish with him, just keep his mind and sanity intact.” said Voldemort. Harry felt sick as he was dragged to a room that was slightly larger that the one he had been kept in previously. He was shoved forward and landed on his left shoulder, twisting it back.

~Snape’s POV~

Snape paced back and forth in his office, wondering what the hell he was going to do. After Harry had been taken away, the Dark Lord had requested that he bring him various potions used for torture. He had Apparated back to the Manor to try to find a solution to his problem.

“Severus, calm down,” said Lupin from across the room.

“I am calm!” he snapped. “Sorry, I’m just really worried about Harry. I can only imagine what they’re doing to him and now that bastard wants me to bring more means of torturing him. I just wish we could get a hold of Dumbledore,” said Snape. He sank into a chair across from Lupin. “Dumbledore and his stupid ideas,” he muttered darkly.

“Did he tell anyone where he was going?” asked Snape.

“All we were told was that he was going on a mission,” said Lupin. Dammit, this was not helping. “Then we’re going to have to come up with a plan on our own.” said Snape. “He has an Anti-Disoperation jinx on the main room. The rest of the building does not, as far as I know. I don’t think that Portkeys are blocked in the main room, so that could work. What do you think?”

“Yeah…a Portkey would probably be best since you wouldn’t be able to Apparate out with Harry. It will have to be set to activate as soon as it touches Harry. I can do that,” said Lupin.

“Good, you make the Portkey and I’ll go get the potions,” said Snape. He went down to his lab and picked up a wooden box with racks in it. He then went over to a locked door and pulled out his wand. Tapping it, he muttered the long string of Latin that was the password.

The door opened and he stepped inside to collect the potions that the Dark Lord would want. He exited the room about ten minutes later with the box full of potions that he hoped would not be used. He also had several antidotes to the potions stashed in his robes. He was hoping that they weren’t going to be necessary.

He headed back up to his office and found Lupin still seated in his chair. When he entered, Lupin stood up and held out something shiny. He took it and saw that it was a plain silver ring.

“The Portkey?” he questioned.

“Yes, small and inconspicuous.” said Lupin. Snape slipped the ring onto his first finger, where it adjusted itself to fit perfectly.

“Now we wait for me to be Summoned,” said Snape. They sat down to wait, Snape twisting the ring around his finger and staring into the flickering orange flames of the fire. About a half hour of silence later, his Mark began to burn. Snape picked up the box and prepared to Disapparate.

“Good luck,” said Lupin. Snape nodded and Disapparated. He appeared in the hallway before the main room. He opened the door to find that almost everyone was there already. He bowed low to the Dark Lord and retreated to his place in the circle.

“Severus, I see you have the potions I requested. Bring them here.”

“Yes, My Lord,” said Snape. He stepped out of the circle and handed the box to the Dark Lord.

“Bring him in,” said the Dark Lord to the two Death Eaters stationed by his side. They hurried out of the room and returned several minutes later dragging Harry between them. He looked to be about semi-conscious.

They dropped him to the floor in front of the Dark Lord and returned to their places beside him. Snape almost gasped at the sight of his son. He wondered how they could hurt him so much in the few hours that he had been gone. How he was supposed to get Harry out of there without being caught himself, he didn’t know. All he could do was wait for a chance to get Harry out of there safely. The Dark lord pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry.

“Ennervate,” he said. Harry stirred slightly, but did not get up. “Pitiful,” muttered the Dark Lord.

“Hold him up,” said the Dark Lord angrily.

The two Death Eaters moved again and held Harry up by his forearms. Harry hung limply in their arms with his head leaning strangely to the side. Oh hell, though Snape. Despite the Dark Lord’s spell, he had to wonder if Harry was really conscious.

Snape watched fearfully as the Dark Lord took the lid off the box of potions and selected a vial without looking down. Snape’s insides lurched as he recognized the potion that he had created so long ago. The liquid Cruciatus.

He knew all too well the effects of it, having taken it several times to test it. The all-out pain lasted about a minute, but random, intense shocks of pain would last up to an hour. They were the worst part of the potion, thought Snape.

The potion was forced down Harry’s throat and the two Death Eaters dropped him again when his body began convulsing. Snape knew the sheer agony of the pain, yet Harry uttered no sound. Was his mind gone? Snape was beginning to think so.

After several minutes, the Death Eaters picked up the still-shaking boy and waited for the Dark lord to select another potion. Surprisingly, his hand slipped inside his robes and withdrew a tiny glass bottle of something turquoise.

“Can’t have the guest of honor passing out on us, can we?” remarked the Dark Lord. Now he recognized the potion. It was designed to keep the drinker awake for hours. It was the creation of Lucius Malfoy, who tended to torture his victims into unconsciousness. He had gotten bored of that and had created the potion. However, he did not remember Lucius’ creation being quite that bright blue. Perhaps it had been adjusted slightly.

Snape jolted out of his thoughts in time to see another potion being poured down Harry’s throat. The two Death Eaters holding Harry kept holding him this time. What had they given him? The Death Eaters held Harry tightly. His limbs shook more than ever, but he did not scream. Foolish Gryffindor pride. It was only going to get Harry tortured worse. An hour later, Snape was desperately trying to think of a plan to get Harry out of there.

“Severus, why aren’t these potions working?” asked the Dark Lord angrily. A plan suddenly came to him.

“I don’t know, My Lord. Perhaps he has a resilience to these potions. I do have something else that could be tried, though. It is much stronger than those,” said Snape pulling a vial of murky-brown potion out of his robes.

“If you would allow me to, my Lord?” asked Snape. The Dark Lord motioned for him to go ahead. Snape uncorked the vial and held it in his right hand, preparing to touch the ring to Harry’s arm with his left. As he poured the potion into Harry’s mouth, he reached up with his left hand and pressed it to Harry’s neck.

He felt the tug at his naval that signified the activation of the Portkey and heard the Dark Lord yell, “No, stop him!” Seconds passed and Snape found himself and Harry in Harry’s room. Lupin was sitting in a chair beside Harry’s desk, looking worried. When he saw them, he jumped out of his chair.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“They tortured him while I was gone. The Dark Lord gave him over half of the potions I brought.” said Snape softly. He knelt beside Harry and saw Lupin do the same.

“Harry, can you hear me?” Harry stared up at them with glassy eyes.

“Lupin, go and Floo Madam Pomfrey,” said Snape. He was surprised at how calm he sounded. Lupin immediately stood and headed for the door. As soon as he was gone, Snape pulled Harry towards him, feeling tears threatening to slide down his face. He couldn’t believe he had allowed the Dark Lord to do that to his son. His son, for Merlin’s sake! Now he might never get a chance to tell Harry how much he cared about him.

Harry whimpered slightly in his semi-conscious state. Snape was sure he had an antidote to Lucius’ potion somewhere and decided to get it once Lupin returned. He would do anything to ease Harry’s pain. Lupin returned shortly with Madam Pomfrey, who was carrying a bag of potions.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he stood and headed for the door. He went to his lab and quickly found the antidote in his dangerous potions room as well as antidotes to some of the potions that Harry had consumed. He hurried back upstairs to find Harry on his bed and Madam Pomfrey checking over his injuries.

“…..don’t understand why he just doesn’t pass out. Most of his injuries look quite painful.” Snape stepped inside and held up the antidote to Lucius’ potion.

“This, in part, is why.” Seeing their confused faces, he decided to elaborate.

“Lucius Malfoy created the potion. It was designed to keep the drinker conscious for hours. This is the antidote to that potion.” he strode over to the bed and gave Harry the potion. Harry’s eyes slowly slipped closed, sending him into a merciful sleep.

“That’s definitely better,” said Madam Pomfrey and got to work. Snape handed her the antidotes he had collected and retreated to Harry’s desk and sat down in the chair Lupin had been in previously. Lupin came over to stand beside him.

“He’ll be okay,” said Lupin reassuringly.

“I hope so,” said Snape. Lupin conjured another chair and sat down beside him. They sat in silence for a while until Madam Pomfrey walked over to them.

“He should be okay, though frankly, I’m amazed that he lasted so long with the injuries he sustained. Let him sleep as long as possible so his body can work on healing the injuries I couldn’t. He can have Dreamless Sleep potion every three days. No more than that, though I’m sure you know that already, Professor Snape. Don’t hesitate to Floo me if necessary. Now, can one of you show me back to the Floo?” Snape immediately stood up, glad for something to do other than brood about Harry’s condition.

Madam Pomfrey said, “Hogwarts hospital wing,” and disappeared in a flash of green flames. Snape grabbed some parchment and a quill and ink and headed back to Harry’s room to write a letter to Dumbledore.

Dear Headmaster,

In our recent trip to Diagon Alley, Harry was captured by Death Eaters. I have successfully rescued him, though compromising my mission. Lupin said that you were currently on a mission, and therefore we executed a rescue without you. Feel free to contact me at the Manor is necessary.

Severus Snape

He found his owl, Raven, and sent him off with the letter to Dumbledore. He then situated himself in Harry’s room where he could keep an eye on him. Several hours later, when the moon was slowly dropping back below the horizon, Harry began to stir.

He immediately jumped out of his chair and over to Harry’s side. Harry’s face was flushed slightly as he forced his eyes open. His eyes were just as glassy and dull as before, which made Snape’s heart sink, and then he heard one word that told him Harry still had his mind.

“Sirius,” said Harry hoarsely before slipping back into unconsciousness. Harry had thought he was Sirius. This would have normally angered Snape, but that one simple word had reassured him that Harry would eventually be all right.

“He remembers,” he said softly as he returned to his seat.

“Remembers what?” asked Lupin, walking in carrying two steaming mugs.

“He woke up, just for a second, and called me Sirius,” said Snape.

“He blames himself, you know,” said Lupin.

“What?” asked Snape, confused.

“He blames himself for Sirius’ death,” said Lupin.

“Why would he blame himself?” asked Snape.

“He has a lot of reasons. One of them is about you. He forgot that you were an Order member. That’s why he snuck into Umbridge’s office. He wanted to check on Sirius and Umbridge’s fire was the safest way to contact Sirius. Then, the whole scene in Umbridge’s office where you pretended not to believe him just made him want to save Sirius more. Then, add Umbridge and the Ministry not believing him about Voldemort, Sirius coming to save him from Voldemort. Enough reasons yet?” said Lupin. Lupin was definitely angry with him for not seeing Harry’s guilt before.

“So that’s why he…...”

“Yeah. Someone’s going to have to talk to him, because I don’t blame him for Sirius’ death. Sirius did what he had to do to keep Harry safe. That’s not Harry’s fault,” said Lupin.

Snape knew exactly what Lupin had meant by someone. Lupin wanted him to talk to his son, try and get Harry out of the depression he was in. It was going to be extremely hard to hard to help Harry after the hell he had been put through.

“I’ll talk to him when he’d better,” said Snape.

“Good,” said Lupin. He handed Snape one of the steaming mugs. “Thought you could use some caffeine.” said Lupin. Snape took a sip of the drink and found that it was coffee, not tea like he’d been expecting. “You do realize that it’s going to take a while for him to trust you?” said Lupin.

“Did you actually think that I did not realize that?” snapped Snape. Did Lupin think he was stupid?

The boy hadn’t trusted him in the first place. He was going to be even worse now, thinking that Snape was trying to kill him, supplying the Dark Lord with potions. He was going to have a hell of a time with hurry. Him and his death wish…

Snape took a sip of coffee, mainly to stop thinking about Harry’s suicide attempt. He wouldn’t be able to not think about is for long, though. They were all going to have to have to face Harry’s issues, and soon. The sooner, the better.

Snape was startled out of his thoughts by Harry screaming. Didn’t Pomfrey give him Dreamless Sleep potion; he wondered as he set the coffee down and jumped out of his chair.

“Harry,” he said, shaking the boy slightly to pull him out of his nightmare. He only pulled himself away from Snape and continued to scream. Snape put his forehead on Harry’s head in an attempt to calm him down and gasped in shock. Harry was burning up. Bloody hell.

He conjured up a cloth and a basin of cold water, then dipped the cloth into the water and laid it on Harry’s forehead. Harry jerked awake and opened his eyes halfway. He lifted his hands and tried to push Snape’s hands away from his head, but Snape held the cloth firmly to his head.

“He has a fever. Keep his head cool while I go and fetch some potions.” Lupin took over keeping the cloth on Harry’s head and Snape handed to his potions lab. He quickly picked up some potions and headed back upstairs. He stopped briefly at a hall closet to grab some blankets. Harry no doubt would be freezing with a temperature so high.

He entered the room to find Lupin still holding the cloth and Harry protesting weakly. He set the potions on his chair and carefully laid the blankets over Harry, who he could see was now shivering.

“….don’t’ hurt me…stop…let go…..” What little he could hear of what Harry was saying disturbed him greatly.

He grabbed a vial of green Fever Reducing potion and attempted to give it to Harry, who stopped trying to pry Lupin’s hands off of him and covered his mouth with his arms. Lupin immediately abandoned the cloth and grabbed Harry’s arms, pulling them away from his face.

Harry began attempting to get away and said, “Let me go, let me go, let me go…” over and over again. Snape took advantage of the distraction to pour the potion in Harry’s mouth. Harry began coughing and Lupin pushed him up to help him breathe.

“Calm down Harry. You’re safe now,” said Snape gently. Harry seemed to have heard him because his breathing slowed down and his green eyes lost their wild look. In addition, it looked like the potion was starting to work, since Harry was shivering less.

Snape moved to get off the bed, how had he gotten there anyways? But Harry grabbed his arm and whispered,” Don’t go. They’re going to come back and kill you.”

“Who, Harry?” asked Snape, confused. “Death Eaters. They’re planning to kill you,” said Harry. He must have had one of his visions from the Dark Lord. That’s why the potion hadn’t worked.

“You’re back home. It’s safe here,” said Snape calmly. He knew that no Death Eaters knew the location of histheirhouse and even if they did, the Manor was spelled specifically against the entrance of any of them.

“Hogwarts?” asked Harry. What was that supposed to mean? He decided to ask Harry about that when Harry was more coherent.

“No, our house,” said Snape. Harry looked puzzled.

“Our house?” he asked.

“Yes, we’ll discuss that when you’re better, though.” said Snape and gently pried Harry’s hands off of him. Harry’s fight against them seemed to have exhausted him now that he was calmed down.

“Don’t leave,” he mumbled as his eyelids drooped shut.

“That was rather strange,” commented Lupin as Snape carefully got off of Harry’s bed so as to not wake him up again.

“What, that Harry thinks Hogwarts is his home?” asked Snape.

“No, well, yes, but not that,” said Lupin. “Severus Snape, a father, who would have ever expected that?” He was smiling at Snape. “You did a good job with him.” Snape felt his face heat slightly. He had been doing what he had to do to get Harry calmed down.

When he voiced these thoughts to Lupin, he just smiled more and said, “Sure you did.” Snape ignored him and picked up the potions he had brought up for Harry.

He had several more vials of Fever Reducer, several potions for pain, as well as some healing salves, though not quite as strong as the one he’d used on Harry’s wrist. Harry would probably need them later. He must have gotten sick from being in the damp while in captivity. He carefully set them on the table where Harry’s glasses normally were, sorted neatly according to type.

Speaking of the glasses, he suspected that Harry wasn’t going to be needing a new pair, as his birthday was ever closer and is appeared as though his vision was already improving. Clever Lily, to make sure that the charm made him completely reflect James, horrible vision and all. He wondered vaguely what they were going to do when it was time for them to return to Hogwarts. He would have to think on that matter later, when he could find out what Harry wanted to do.

Several hours later, Snape summoned Twinkle to have her bring them lunch. He had her prepare some soup for Harry in case he woke up, which he didn’t. About mid-afternoon, it was time to give Harry another dose of the Fever Reducing potion.

Snape woke Lupin, who had fallen asleep after lunch, in case he needed Harry to be held down again. Before they attempted to wake Harry up again, Snape felt Harry’s head and found that he as much cooler than he had been earlier that morning, but he was still quite warm.

Shaking Harry slightly and saying his name had no affect whatsoever on Harry, so Snape, remembering how Harry had woken up earlier from the sock of the cold water, he conjured more water and re-wet the cloth from earlier. He wrung it out and carefully laid it over Harry’s head. Once again, Harry was startled out of deep sleep, but did not panic this time. He blinked his eyes sleepily as he looked up at Snape.

“It’s time for your next dose of Fever Reducing potion,” said Snape, holding the vial of green liquid where Harry could see it. Harry’s eyes widened.

“It’s for your fever, okay?” said Snape. Harry still looked afraid, but nodded in acquiescence. Probably because the first dose hadn’t done anything horrible to him, thought Snape. Well, except for tasting like rotten eggs.

Harry closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth obediently, allowing Snape to pour the potion into his mouth. He swallowed it and pushed himself up.

“Bathroom,” he said hoarsely. Snape allowed Harry to get off the bed by himself, but quickly grabbed his arm when Harry swayed on his feet. Harry instantly pulled away from him and walked unsteadily to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him.

~Harry’s POV~

He stumbled to the bathroom, eager to get away from the two adults who kept forcing their presence on him. He felt sick to his stomach, made worse by that foul concoction Snape had given him that had tasted like rotten eggs.

He sat on the floor and leaned his head against the cool tile of the bathroom all. The coolness felt good to his aching head. His scar still burned unpleasantly from his latest vision. The Death Eaters were planning to kill Snape the first chance they got.

Harry shivered slightly and adjusted his position on the floor. He felt something sharp pierce his skin from the back of his jeans. He still had that piece of glass? He rubbed his arm where the white scars criss-crossed his arms and shivered violently. He could still hear the jeering voices of the Death Eaters when they had seen the scars.

They had been more than willing to help him along, though they couldn’t kill him themselves. That job had to be left to Voldemort. Voldemort hadn’t wanted to make his death quick or easy. The torture he could do without, but death, yeah, that’s what he wanted.

He dug the glass out of his pocket and clutched it tightly. He was going to lose yet another person that cared about him. There was so much pain, and a fifteen-year-old could only handle so much.

Snape was acting as if he cared about him, as though he could be a decent father. Was he going to leave him, like his mum and James? And Sirius, he though mournfully. Alternatively, was he going to turn on him like the Dursleys? Neither prospect sounded good to Harry.

I just want to get out of all this, he thought as he dragged the glass against his skin, leaving a trail of warm, sticky blood. Then he stopped and closed his fingers tightly around the glass. However, what about the time he could spend with Snape, his real father? Didn’t he cherish his only memories of his mum and James? Tears slid down his face and he whimpered softly.

~Snape’s POV~

About five minutes after Harry’s entrance into the bathroom, he heard whimpering. He exchanged concerned looks with Lupin and headed to the bathroom.

Maybe Harry had simply caught sight of his injuries in the mirror? He certainly hoped that that was the case. He knocked on the door, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

“Harry, I’m coming in,” said Snape he pushed the door open and gasped in shock. Harry was seated on the floor, leaning against a wall with a shard of glass clutched in his hand and tears streaming down his face. Snape knelt beside him and grabbed his arms, pulling them apart. He saw that Harry had already created a gash on his right wrist, which was dripping blood.

“No, Harry,” said Snape.

“Let me go,” said Harry, pulling away from Snape.

“I can’t do that,” said Snape, holding tighter. Behind him he heard Lupin approaching. “Give me the glass, Harry,” said Snape. Hadn’t he taken all of it before? Harry whimpered and closed his fist tighter.

“Harry, I want to help you, but you have to give it to me,” said Snape. Harry uncurled his fingers and let the glass fall to the floor. Snape saw Lupin come over and pick it up out of the corner of his eye.

Harry’s hand remained open and Snape could see a slightly triangular shape where he’d closed his hand around the glass.

“Good, Harry. Now stand up so we can get those cuts healed.”

He stood up, pulling Harry with him and led him back to his room. He seated Harry on his bed and picked up one of the vials of healing salve. He carefully poured it onto Harry’s left hand and the cut on his right wrist. He conjured bandages and wrapped them around the cuts, then sat beside Harry on the bed.

“Why Harry?” asked Snape. Harry said nothing.

“Why did you hurt yourself?” he asked again, a little more forcefully than he’d intended. Harry scooted away from him. Shit, he needed Harry to trust him so he could help him.

“Harry, I’m not going to hurt you,” said Snape, edging closer to Harry. “Now, please tell me why you were hurting yourself.” said Snape.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Harry sighed and said,” The Dursleys.”

Snape was rather surprised at his confession. “Why would they be the reason you did it just now?” asked Snape.

“Uncle Vernon is dead. I saw that too, in a nightmare. My aunt and cousin were killed too,” said Harry. Snape was about to ask what that had to do with anything when Harry continued. “It’s my fault they’re dead. The same as it’s my fault Sirius is dead. And Cedric. And my mum and James.” “None of those deaths were your fault,” said Snape. “Yes they were. Sirius came to rescue me, after I’d been so stupid as to believe that scum Kreacher. I told Cedric to take the Cup with me. Voldemort killed my mum because she was protecting me. The Dursleys were killed just because they were related to me.” He gave a hollow laugh. “It is my fault.”

“Harry, you have to understand that it was not you fault that any of them were killed. Sirius had to help you, he was your godfather. He would have been a horrible godfather not to come help you. The Dark Lord killed everyone else because he likes to kill people. It doesn’t matter who you are. Magic or Muggle, it makes no difference,” said Snape. Harry still looked doubtful.

“I don’t think it’s your fault and neither does Lupin,” said Snape.

“Really?” asked Harry. Lupin came over and kneeled beside the bed.

“We don’t blame you,” said Lupin, placing his hands on Harry’s knees. Harry jumped and fell backwards.

As he righted himself, he mumbled, “I’m sorry.” He kept his eyes planted on the ground. Snape resisted the urge to lift Harry’s head and look in his eyes.

“Sorry about what?” asked Snape.

“I’m being stupid. It doesn’t matter, not anymore,” said Harry softly. This definitely wasn’t nothing. It doesn’t matter anymore. What did that mean?

“You’re afraid to be touched. In my opinion, that is something.” said Snape. It doesn’t matter anymore. Something that he didn’t have to worry about anymore. What the hell could that be? An idea suddenly dawned on him.

“Does this have to do with the Death Eaters?” he asked.

“Sort of,” said Harry. Three hours alone with Death Eaters couldn’t have scared him that much, could they? Harry had stood his own quite well against them before. Hell, he wasn’t even really afraid of the Dark Lord. After all, he’d stood up against the Dark Lord six times now and survived.

Something else, then. It must be connected to Harry’s kidnapping, but wasn’t Death Eaters or the Dark Lord. Who else had been at the meeting? Oh…Vernon Dursley.

“Your uncle?” asked Snape. Harry reluctantly nodded, his eyes still on the ground.

“What did your uncle do?” asked Snape. Harry shook his head. Okay, so he was back to refusing to talk. Diversionary tactic time.

“Why do you call Hogwarts home?” he asked, certain that the question would catch Harry off guard.

“I never considered Privet Drive home. It was never home to me. Hogwarts is where I belong, not with the Dursleys who think that all wizards are freaks,” said Harry.

Couldn’t say he saw that one coming. They’d called Harry a freak? He almost wished the Dursleys were still alive so he could get his hands on them.

“What did the Dursleys do to you?” asked Snape. Harry shook his head, again refusing to speak. Snape decided to give up on getting Harry to talk for a while, since it was getting late.

He stood up and said, “We will talk about this more in the morning.” Lupin stood up too and they left the room, closing the door behind them. Snape pulled out his wand and put several warding spells on Harry’s room.

“What did you do?” asked Lupin.

“I’m keeping him from hurting himself again,” said Snape as he pocketed his wand.

“Can you fix that mirror right now?” asked Snape.

“Yes, I just have to collect the rest of the pieces,” said Lupin.

“Is it possible to make another one?” asked Snape.

“Yes, I need either a piece of glass or a mirror, preferable in a square shape,” said Lupin.

“I believe I have some glass in my Potions lab. I’ll go get it right now. said Snape. He headed down to the basement with Lupin following.

~Harry’s POV~

Harry remained seated on the bed, not bothering to get up and turn on the lights, which had shut off when Snape and Remus had left. He glanced down at the bandages wrapped around his arm in the sem-darkness. For once, he didn’t have that overwhelming urge to kill himself that he’d had for so long.

He had a father now, a family. He was still afraid that Snape might turn on him like the Dursleys, but he had to wait it out, to try and see if they could be a family. However, for now, Harry was saved.