Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters, much as I wish I did.

Warnings: This is a plot bunny that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. It is not a nice fic, especially at the beginning. Trigger warnings for rape, severe emotional distress, underage relationships... This will eventually be a SS/HP fic, so there will be slash, and there will be D/s relationships. Anyways, you've been warned.

Chapter 1

Severus Snape had just sat down in front of his fireplace at Spinner's End, looking forward to a glass of Firewhiskey and a good book. It was the middle of July, the summer holiday was half gone, but this was the first moment he'd had to appreciate some peace and quiet. Between Death Eater meetings, raids, Order meetings, and brewing for both sides, his summer had been far from relaxing. And he didn't expect the rest of the summer to be any better.

He settled into his wingback chair with a sigh, cracking open his book. But before he'd finished the first page, a silver phoenix Patronus burst into the room, hovering in front of him.

"Severus!" The phoenix called in Dumbledore's voice. "We need you in the hospital wing. We've found him!"

Message delivered, the Patronus faded into mist. Severus stared, frozen in disbelief. They'd found him? After five years of searching, they'd found him?

Realising he was still gaping at the empty air where the phoenix had been, Severus leapt to his feet, summoning his emergency potions kit. Poppy kept the hospital wing well stocked, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. Grabbing a handful of Floo powder, he threw it into his fireplace, calling out, "Hogwarts, Hospital Wing!" and stepping through.

There was a mass of people, Order members from the looks of it, milling around the front room. He could hear Poppy barking orders and had to snap out a few unpleasantries himself before the crowd parted to let him through. He spotted Dumbledore standing by a bed at the back of the wing, but everything else was obscured by a curtain.

Dumbledore glanced away from the bed as Severus approached, worry plain on his face. "Severus, good, Poppy says there's a curse, a very dark spell. We haven't been able to identify it…" His voice trailed off as his eyes slid back to the bed. Severus steeled himself as he took another step forward, reaching out a hand and pulling the curtain back.

The boy was obviously unconscious, lying still as death in the centre of the hospital bed. His pale skin contrasted harshly with the jet black hair that fanned across the pillow. He was covered in scrapes, bruises, and lacerations, and Poppy was hovering over him with salves and dittany. The once white sheets were stained with blood, too much blood. But his eyes were quickly drawn to the ugly blackened wound on the boy's chest, just below his right collarbone. He could feel the dark magic seeping off of him, like a taint in the very air. Severus grimaced, stepping quickly to the bedside.

"How long?" He asked, tracing his wand in a complicated pattern above the boy's chest.

"Mundungus found him less than an hour ago, but we don't know how long ago he was attacked," Poppy replied.

Severus gave a quick nod and continued to work, pulling the magic out of the wound. A black tar-like substance began to seep out, rolling down his side to pool on the sheets. Slowly, the black began to turn red, flowing more freely.

"Blood replenishers?" Severus asked, eyes never leaving his work.

"I've given him two already."

"He'll need another when I'm done, and every three hours for the next two days." Blood had begun to poor out of the now visible laceration, but Severus continued to draw it out until, finally, the last of the black stains were gone. Severus lowered his wand as Poppy spelled the blood replenisher into the boy's system. He ran a final scan, making sure he hadn't missed any traces of the curse, and let out a small sigh when the boy's blood came back clean. He nodded to Poppy, and she closed the now clean gash on his chest. It would leave a scar. A quick glance down the boy's body made Severus cringe. Not his first scar, perhaps not even his worst.

With that thought, Severus reached a hand up to brush the sweat soaked hair off the boy's forehead. No, definitely not his first scar. Because there it was, the unmistakable lightning bolt, the scar left by the failed killing curse.