Chapter 1
Harry was just finishing the washing-up as he heard the doorbell ring, and was out of the door before his uncle even had a chance to grunt 'boy!'. Because he could hear his uncle behind him, Harry opened the door with his eyes on the floor, and shuffled meekly backwards to allow the visitor to pass. 'Who the hell are you?' Snapped his uncle, upon sighting the black haired man on his doorstep 'Do I know you?' 'No you do not Mr.Dursley.' Harries eyes snapped up, recognising that voice in an instant. Alarmed at the idea that he was about to speak, his uncle grabbed Harry swiftly by the neck and pulled him hard away from the door 'Keep quiet. Go and get on with your chores.' Harry winched as his uncle's hand made contact. Seeing him hesitate his uncle barked 'Now!' Glaring at the boy 'Yes, sir.' Mumbled Harry swiftly.
Snape meanwhile was eyeing this with some confusion, which turned to annoyance as he was ignored. 'Might I come in, I need to talk with you?' 'Yes, yes follow me.' Snape was led to the lounge, where he reluctantly took a seat. 'I have come to talk to you about Potter.' 'What d'you mean what's he done now? Boy, get in hear!' 'Yes Uncle Vernon?' 'What have you been up to? Get to your room, I'll be up to deal with you later.' 'But.' 'Move!' Snape heard the threat in that word, and read the fear in Harry's eyes as the boy looked towards him. 'Yes, sir.'
Snape could not miss the pleading in his voice, and swiftly moved on. 'The boy had done nothing wrong, I am...' 'Humph, that'll be the day. Him just breathing is doing something wrong, the amount of time I spend disciplining the boy.' ' I am here to ask if I could take him off your hands for the rest of the summer.' Snape could tell that an internal struggle was taking place. 'Very well, however you will have to wait awhile, I have something to discus with him.' 'Of course. Please go ahead.' The beefy man nodded at him and walked swiftly out of the room. Snape could hear him going up the stairs. He was slightly worried about what he had seen and heard, it seemed that Potter was afraid of his uncle, but why? Suddenly he frowned remembering the pain on Potters face when his uncle had grabbed him in the hallway. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of people coming down he stairs. Harry was very white, and seemed to be struggling with his trunk. Snape opened the front door, and quickly bade Harry out down the trunk. After a quick thank you to Harry's uncle, he turned away and walked down the street with Harry struggling to keep up. Once out of sight He stopped, and held out his wand. The Knight Bus screeched to a stop a second later. Hurry up boy!' he snapped at Harry who was still struggling with this trunk. 'Come on, come on.' He gave Harry a little push to encourage him, and was shocked when Harry shied away from his touch, hissing in pain. His eyes narrowed. 'Snape Manor.'
The rest of the journey was in silence apart from Snape urging Harry to remove his jumper, to which Harry summarily refused. On arrival at what Harry presumed to be Snape's home, he was ordered to leave his trunk in the entrance hall, and follow Snape up several flights of stairs to a bedroom. 'This will be yours for the next week. The dining room is the first left from the front door. I suggest that you change and come down for some lunch.' 'Yes, sir.' As Snape turned to leave he stopped. 'On second thoughts, Potter, could you please remove your shirt.' 'No. I mean, why?' Harry answered just a little to quickly. 'Let me change that to an order. Remove your shirt.' 'No.' The boy was shaking and it was obvious that he had something to hide. 'Potter, while you are under my roof you are also my responsibility. Remove your shirt.' Slowly and reluctantly Harry slipped out of first his jumper then his shirt. As he stood with his chest bare, it Snape could clearly see the bruising around his ribs. His frown deepened. 'Turn around.' Snape snapped. Harry did not move. 'Please, turn around.' He repeated more slowly. Harry reluctantly did so, and Snape had a clear look at Harry's back. It was crisscrossed with welts, some very recent, and it was with a sickening lurch that Snape realised some of these had probably been applied during the 'discussion' his uncle had had with the boy earlier. On closer inspection he could also see multicoloured bruises; evidently this had been going on for some time. Anger burned cold in his mind. 'Did your uncle do this?' No reply. 'Harry you have to answer, I have to know. Did your uncle do this?' A nod. 'Lie face down on the bed. I'll be back in a minute.' When he returned he was carrying a basin of water, a cloth, and a vial of ointment. He sat down on the edge on the bed next to Harry, and heard his hiss as he moved over to make room. 'I'm afraid that this is going to hurt a bit.' Harry just nodded, so Snape dampened the cloth, and started to dab at the open welts on his back. 'Did this happen while I was waiting for you today?' 'Yes.' He replied, and then gasped in pain as I reached on of the worst of his wounds. 'Why?' 'For looking up at you when I wasn't being spoken too, and for not obeying instantly.' Snape felt incredibly guilty, not having realised that his appearance had cost the boy a beating. 'Does he normally react that harshly?' 'It's normally worse, he was worried you would hear.' The hate was evident in Harry's voice, and he trembled under Snape's touch. 'What would normally happen?' Snape was struggling to keep his voice calm. 'Today he gave me ten. Normally it would be at least eighteen.' The shock was evident on Snape's face. He had also suffered under corporal punishment, at the hands of his strict father. Even so he could only remember once receiving a punishment that harsh, and that was what Potter knew as normal? Snape was rapidly drawing the conclusion that the Dursleys deserved to be in prison. By now he had finished cleaning Harry's back, and put the cloth aside. As he moved the basin he noticed that the water now carried a distinct red tinge: blood. He unstoppered the vial, and poured a dripping line across Harry's shoulders. Harry gasped at the coldness, and Snape stiffened. 'Are you alright?' 'Yes.' Harry nodded. Continuing, Snape began to gently rug the liquid into his wounds drop-by-drop, aware that his every touch would be sending bolts of pain up the Harry's back. 'This should help stop infection building. You will need to stay still for a while to allow your body to absorb the potion.' Snape rose from the bed. 'I will meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes for lunch. I trust you are hungry?' 'Yes, sir.' Snape turned to leave, lifting the basin from the table. 'Thank- you, sir' 'You're welcome, Potter.'
Harry was just finishing the washing-up as he heard the doorbell ring, and was out of the door before his uncle even had a chance to grunt 'boy!'. Because he could hear his uncle behind him, Harry opened the door with his eyes on the floor, and shuffled meekly backwards to allow the visitor to pass. 'Who the hell are you?' Snapped his uncle, upon sighting the black haired man on his doorstep 'Do I know you?' 'No you do not Mr.Dursley.' Harries eyes snapped up, recognising that voice in an instant. Alarmed at the idea that he was about to speak, his uncle grabbed Harry swiftly by the neck and pulled him hard away from the door 'Keep quiet. Go and get on with your chores.' Harry winched as his uncle's hand made contact. Seeing him hesitate his uncle barked 'Now!' Glaring at the boy 'Yes, sir.' Mumbled Harry swiftly.
Snape meanwhile was eyeing this with some confusion, which turned to annoyance as he was ignored. 'Might I come in, I need to talk with you?' 'Yes, yes follow me.' Snape was led to the lounge, where he reluctantly took a seat. 'I have come to talk to you about Potter.' 'What d'you mean what's he done now? Boy, get in hear!' 'Yes Uncle Vernon?' 'What have you been up to? Get to your room, I'll be up to deal with you later.' 'But.' 'Move!' Snape heard the threat in that word, and read the fear in Harry's eyes as the boy looked towards him. 'Yes, sir.'
Snape could not miss the pleading in his voice, and swiftly moved on. 'The boy had done nothing wrong, I am...' 'Humph, that'll be the day. Him just breathing is doing something wrong, the amount of time I spend disciplining the boy.' ' I am here to ask if I could take him off your hands for the rest of the summer.' Snape could tell that an internal struggle was taking place. 'Very well, however you will have to wait awhile, I have something to discus with him.' 'Of course. Please go ahead.' The beefy man nodded at him and walked swiftly out of the room. Snape could hear him going up the stairs. He was slightly worried about what he had seen and heard, it seemed that Potter was afraid of his uncle, but why? Suddenly he frowned remembering the pain on Potters face when his uncle had grabbed him in the hallway. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of people coming down he stairs. Harry was very white, and seemed to be struggling with his trunk. Snape opened the front door, and quickly bade Harry out down the trunk. After a quick thank you to Harry's uncle, he turned away and walked down the street with Harry struggling to keep up. Once out of sight He stopped, and held out his wand. The Knight Bus screeched to a stop a second later. Hurry up boy!' he snapped at Harry who was still struggling with this trunk. 'Come on, come on.' He gave Harry a little push to encourage him, and was shocked when Harry shied away from his touch, hissing in pain. His eyes narrowed. 'Snape Manor.'
The rest of the journey was in silence apart from Snape urging Harry to remove his jumper, to which Harry summarily refused. On arrival at what Harry presumed to be Snape's home, he was ordered to leave his trunk in the entrance hall, and follow Snape up several flights of stairs to a bedroom. 'This will be yours for the next week. The dining room is the first left from the front door. I suggest that you change and come down for some lunch.' 'Yes, sir.' As Snape turned to leave he stopped. 'On second thoughts, Potter, could you please remove your shirt.' 'No. I mean, why?' Harry answered just a little to quickly. 'Let me change that to an order. Remove your shirt.' 'No.' The boy was shaking and it was obvious that he had something to hide. 'Potter, while you are under my roof you are also my responsibility. Remove your shirt.' Slowly and reluctantly Harry slipped out of first his jumper then his shirt. As he stood with his chest bare, it Snape could clearly see the bruising around his ribs. His frown deepened. 'Turn around.' Snape snapped. Harry did not move. 'Please, turn around.' He repeated more slowly. Harry reluctantly did so, and Snape had a clear look at Harry's back. It was crisscrossed with welts, some very recent, and it was with a sickening lurch that Snape realised some of these had probably been applied during the 'discussion' his uncle had had with the boy earlier. On closer inspection he could also see multicoloured bruises; evidently this had been going on for some time. Anger burned cold in his mind. 'Did your uncle do this?' No reply. 'Harry you have to answer, I have to know. Did your uncle do this?' A nod. 'Lie face down on the bed. I'll be back in a minute.' When he returned he was carrying a basin of water, a cloth, and a vial of ointment. He sat down on the edge on the bed next to Harry, and heard his hiss as he moved over to make room. 'I'm afraid that this is going to hurt a bit.' Harry just nodded, so Snape dampened the cloth, and started to dab at the open welts on his back. 'Did this happen while I was waiting for you today?' 'Yes.' He replied, and then gasped in pain as I reached on of the worst of his wounds. 'Why?' 'For looking up at you when I wasn't being spoken too, and for not obeying instantly.' Snape felt incredibly guilty, not having realised that his appearance had cost the boy a beating. 'Does he normally react that harshly?' 'It's normally worse, he was worried you would hear.' The hate was evident in Harry's voice, and he trembled under Snape's touch. 'What would normally happen?' Snape was struggling to keep his voice calm. 'Today he gave me ten. Normally it would be at least eighteen.' The shock was evident on Snape's face. He had also suffered under corporal punishment, at the hands of his strict father. Even so he could only remember once receiving a punishment that harsh, and that was what Potter knew as normal? Snape was rapidly drawing the conclusion that the Dursleys deserved to be in prison. By now he had finished cleaning Harry's back, and put the cloth aside. As he moved the basin he noticed that the water now carried a distinct red tinge: blood. He unstoppered the vial, and poured a dripping line across Harry's shoulders. Harry gasped at the coldness, and Snape stiffened. 'Are you alright?' 'Yes.' Harry nodded. Continuing, Snape began to gently rug the liquid into his wounds drop-by-drop, aware that his every touch would be sending bolts of pain up the Harry's back. 'This should help stop infection building. You will need to stay still for a while to allow your body to absorb the potion.' Snape rose from the bed. 'I will meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes for lunch. I trust you are hungry?' 'Yes, sir.' Snape turned to leave, lifting the basin from the table. 'Thank- you, sir' 'You're welcome, Potter.'