A/N: I…wow. I was overwhelmed by the response to this story. Thank you so much for the kind reviews!

Warnings/Disclaimer: (1.) I own none of this story. The characters are borrowed from J.K. Rowling. (2.) I have no beta. Apologies in advance. (3.)Lastly, this story deals with the following: implied child abuse/neglect, self harm, and autism. I do not even remotely claim to be an expert in the field, only having had the privilege to work with many of these wonderful children.

Summary: AU, Pre-Hogwarts: Everyone knew that Harry Potter would never be normal, even by wizarding standards. But, when word reaches Dumbledore that the Boy-Who-Lived has been diagnosed with Autism, normal is put to the test. An eventual Snape/Harry family story.

The View From Here by MarkyMarquee

Chapter 2

Mrs. Brown, Headmaster of the Red Point Elementary School, led her three visitors back down the hall towards her office. They seemed to be an odd group, these teachers from the Potter alma mater, but well meaning. When their headmaster- Albus Dumbledore?- had called her to explain that Harry had been down for admission at his parent's school since he was born, she scheduled this visit right away.

Once they arrived at her office, Mrs. Brown pulled a large file from the cabinet by the window, and sat at her desk. "I'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions about Mr. Potter. I'm sure that seeing him must have been quite a shock," she said.

After a moment, McGonagall spoke, "Is that…is what we saw….normal behavior?"

"For himself, or for all children with Autism?" Mrs. Brown asked.

"Both," was McGonagall's reply.

"Well, that's a tricky question to answer. No two children with Autism are exactly alike. I could describe to you five children in our school, and you would receive five different pictures of Autism. However, in Harry's case, that behavior is typical. He appears to have an extreme noise sensitivity, which causes him to react in self-injurious ways. He also does not wait well, and can become violent if his routine is disrupted or changed in any way," Mrs. Brown said, glancing down at the folder in front of her, "This week alone, he has bit himself three times, banged his head into the wall or desk seven times, and attacked teachers or other students twice. He also has a few non-violent behaviors to contend with as well."

Dumbledore visibly winced, "Such as…?"

"Mostly OCD rituals which, if interrupted, will lead to a violent tantrum. He will also, however, destroy property on occasion- ripping up books, flipping his desk and chair, etc."

"Ahh."

Then, Snape spoke, "How is he doing academically?"

Mrs. Brown smiled, "He does well. He is a wiz at math- able to do calculations with large numbers in his head. We are trying to teach him to read, but teaching non-verbal children to read can be very difficult-"

"Non-verbal?" McGonagall looked alarmed.

"Harry is non-verbal, yes. He doesn't speak. He does, however, sign a little and make good use of a communication board to get his needs and wants met."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, "Any other academic skills?"

"Well, let's see. He can write his own name. He has a lot of good foundation skills- he can identify colors and shapes from an array, he is independent in getting dressed and using the bathroom, he can work independently for up to 15 minutes. He is pretty high functioning, he can just be difficult behaviorally. It is my understanding that the Dursleys are looking to put him in a group home when he turns ten."

That caused Snape to raise his eyebrows, "How are the Dursleys handling him at home?"

Mrs. Brown sighed, "I am…not entirely sure. Petunia, his Aunt, is always so brusque when she comes in for meetings. I never see his Uncle at all. But from what she has told me, Harry can be quite a terror at home. He targets his cousin a lot, apparently."

At that, Dumbledore stood. "Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Brown. We will be in touch."

Mrs. Brown stood as well, and reached across her desk to shake their hands, "Thank you for coming to see him."

~*~*~*oOo *~*~*~

"There is no way we will be able to handle him in the school, Albus. No way at all. What if he bites someone? Or attacks a teacher?" McGonagall looked distraught, as she paced in Dumbledore's office after returning to Hogwarts.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, "But what will we do with him? People will be expecting him to start school here in a few years. And boys often begin to have bursts of accidental magic around his age. He would need to be contained."

"So then, what are you proposing?" asked Pomfrey.

"I am proposing that we strip him of his magic. He will be too powerful to leave unchecked and untrained. And, perhaps, it will make his life easier. Severus, could you please brew the potion?"

~*~*~*oOo *~*~*~

…Five…Six…Seven…Eight. Eight stirs of the pasta. It was done now. He knew this because he'd set the timer for eight minutes, and it had just gone off. He reached down into the cupboard and grabbed the colander, and then placed it in the sink. Carefully, he lifted the steaming pot off the stove, and carried it to the sink. He poured the contents into the colander and set the pot down on the counter. He picked up the handles of the colander, and began to shake the pasta lightly.

One…Two…Three…Four…F-*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

The colander dropped into the sink as Harry began to flap his hands wildly. The door opened and he could hear voices, hushed and quick, in the hallway. He ran to his cupboard, and closed the door behind him.

"Good evening, Mrs. Dursley. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and this is my colleague, Severus Snape-"

"YOU!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, Petunia, me. I see that you appear to still be in command of your facilities."

She glared in return. "Thank goodness you've come. I've had it with that boy. He's nothing but trouble since he landed on our doorstep. We didn't want him- he's a freak, and he belongs with your kind. But now he's turned into even more of an abomination than Lily was!" Petunia snipped as she led her three guests from the hall to the couches in the living room. She sat primly on a pastel pink loveseat covered in lurid purple flowers. She did not ask her guest to get comfortable.

"We are unable to take him with us, Mrs. Dursley. As you are the Potter family's only next of kin, I am afraid that you are really the only choice of guardian we have. I trust, however, that the funds being given to you for the boy's care are more than sufficient." Dumbledore leaned forward, steepling the tips of his fingers together, "We have come to the conclusion, based on a visit to young Harry's school, that he will not be able to attend Hogwarts due to his…disability. It is within our power to give him a potion that will render him magic-less. As his guardian, Petunia, would you be willing to strip him of his powers?"

Petunia looked like she had hit the lottery, "So he would stop doing freaky things? We would stop getting visits from people like you?"

"In our world, it would be as though he had never existed."

"Then yes. Do it. And then go away. He's in the cupboard under the stairs. He likes to hide there." She stood up, and then marched out of the room."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and sighed, "Severus?"

"Yes?"

"You brought the potion?"

"Yes."

"I can't…I can't bear…"

Severus stood up and walked out of the room alone to find the boy.

He stopped in front of the cupboard. It was small, dingy, and had a simple sliding lock on the outside. Currently, the lock was undone. He crouched, and gently, slowly, pulled the door open. He paused, as he looked at the boy inside, comforting himself by drawing shapes in the air with one finger as though it were a colored marker. Light shown throughout the room-purple figure eights, green squares, red stars, and blue triangles. His face looked so peaceful and relaxed, and one thing became abundantly clear: He, Severus Snape, could not strip this boy of his magic.