An insistent knocking caused Dumbledore to look up from the paperwork that he was studying at his desk. "Come in."

Snape strode in and took a seat in a chair in front of the Headmaster's desk. He was slightly uncomfortable with the information that he was going to have to deliver.

"Ah, Severus. What can I do for you?" asked Dumbledore with a smile on his face.

Snape shifted in his chair before beginning to speak. "I uncovered some unfortunate information while I was on duty guarding Potter."

At the mention of Harry's name, Dumbledore sat up straighter and strengthened his focus on the conversation. Snape smirked briefly at the sudden change in the elder wizard, but he quickly became more serious upon remembering the news that he had to share.

"Is Harry alright? Is something wrong with the wards?" Dumbledore worriedly inquired.

"Potter's family has been physically abusing him, Albus."

Upon hearing those words, the Headmaster gasped and wearily closed his eyes. He had known that Harry's life at the Dursley's house had been difficult growing up, but he had not realized the true extent of what Harry had gone through.

After swallowing the lump in his throat, Dumbeldore asked, "Where is he? How is he?"

Snape felt awkward witnessing the strong emotion coming from the Headmaster. He knew that Albus loved the boy and would probably feel somewhat guilty for what had happened to Potter.

"I was at the Dursley's house watching Potter as he came outside to prune the bushes. I noticed that he was grimacing, and he was limping with every step. He denied the abuse when I confronted him; however, I still brought him back here to Hogwarts. I just got back from dropping him off in the Hospital Wing. Poppy has given him some potions, and he is currently asleep."

"Did Poppy say if…" Dumbledore said before his words got stuck in his throat and he had to take a sip of water. "Was this the first time that this has occurred? Have the Durselys been physically abusing him all of these years and we just didn't realize it?"

The Headmaster looked aghast as the different possibilities circled through his mind. Dumbledore did not want to believe that Harry had been silently suffering through fourteen years of physical abuse, but he knew that Harry was sometimes reluctant to tell adults about his problems. He hoped that Harry would begin to trust adults more; however, if he had been suffering for all these years without any help, Harry would probably not be apt to trust anyone very easily.

Snape waited until Dumbledore had refocused his attention to the conversation. He could tell that the Headmaster had been distracted for a few moments. "She did not mention anything about past abuse, but she was rather upset at the time by what she did find. You may want to ask her later for more details about her findings. Poppy did say, though, that he had bruised ribs and a sprained ankle."

Dumbledore sighed loudly and leaned heavily back into his chair. Tiredly running a hand over his face, he looked older than he normally did.

"What are we going to do with the boy?" Snape finally questioned after giving the Headmaster some time to compose himself.

Dumbledore briefly hesitated before answering. "I'm not sure yet. I'll need some time tonight and tomorrow to think about it. When Harry wakes up tomorrow, I'll need to have a serious talk with him. I may want you to be there…"

Interrupting Dumbledore, Snape said, "Why would you want me there? I have done my duty by bringing the boy to you. The two of us do not get along. I don't see how I could be of any help. I admit that Potter isn't spoiled like I thought that he was, but I still don't like him."

"Please, Severus. You have had adequate experience dealing with abused children from your House. I would like you to at least attempt to have a civil conversation with Harry at some point in time, even if I'm not there."

Snape gave a reluctant sigh of acceptance. "As you wish, Albus."

Dumbledore gave a sad smile before responding. "Thank you. This means a lot to me. There is something else that I would like to mention before you talk to Harry. I don't know if he would like me to tell anyone, but I think that it could help you when you deal with him. When Harry first came here as a first year, the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin."

Eyes widening slightly, Snape expressed genuine surprise at that statement. Dumbledore continued speaking without giving the Potions Master time to reply.

"Harry had been exposed to the prejudices against Slytherin before coming to Hogwarts, and he also learned that the man who killed his parents had been in that House. I don't think that young Mr. Malfoy helped endear him any towards Slytherin, either. He pleaded with the hat to put him in any House other than Slytherin. I do think that Gryffindor suits him better than Slytherin, however, and he does have wonderful friends in Gryffindor; I just thought that you should know that he is a very different person than you perceive him to be."

"I'll take that into consideration," Snape faintly answered.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore repeated with some amusement. "Is there anything else that you needed to tell me?"

Snape mentally shook himself in order to gain a clearer head. He would later spend his time considering the idea of Potter almost being in Slytherin, but he needed to finish his report to the Headmaster.

"I had a meeting late last night with the Dark Lord. He is currently looking for some type of necklace. I overheard him telling a select group of Death Eaters about this piece of jewelry. He doesn't trust all of us, but I don't think that he suspects me of being the spy any more than he suspects some of the others. I didn't get to hear what this necklace does, what it looks like, or even why he wants it; however, he seems very intent upon finding this object."

"All right, Severus. The next time that he calls you, see if you can receive any more information about this necklace. If he wants it that badly, we must ensure that he does not receive it."

Snape nodded in agreement. "I understand. That is all that I have to report."

"It is getting late, Severus. You've had a long day, and I'm sure that you are ready to rest. I still have some things that I need to take care of tonight. I will see you tomorrow. Good night, Severus."

"Good night."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As Snape wandered the halls while on the way to his rooms, his thoughts were turned towards the boy currently occupying the Hospital Wing. Usually he tried everything that he could in order to not think about Potter, but now he couldn't help himself.

When he had first arrived at the Dursley's house, he had expected to see Potter lounging around the house while his aunt doted on him and his cousin. He thought that Potter would be neglecting his homework in order to be lazy all summer. He hadn't wanted to take the job watching Potter, but everyone else was busy that day and the Headmaster had convinced him into guarding the boy.

Upon witnessing Potter inside the kitchen making breakfast, Snape was glad that his relatives were giving him some chores to do. After making breakfast, the boy had also done some other work around the house. At that time, he had been too far away to notice the limping or grimacing: they weren't visible until Potter had come outside.

Snape knew that sometimes members of the Order would reveal themselves to Potter and talk to him; however, he would rather face down a werewolf again than spend his free time talking to the boy. Those feelings had changed, though, once he had gotten a glimpse of Potter after the boy had walked outside.

His body had stiffened when he saw the abuse that the child had endured. He didn't care that this was Potter- a Gryffindor, the bane of his existence, the son of his hated enemy; he was going to help the boy and remove him from the situation. No one deserved to undergo any kind of abuse. Anger ran through his body when he realized that the abuse had probably been going on at least since summer at started. He couldn't believe that no one had noticed what was going on at the house.

Once he had confronted Potter with the truth, he expected the boy to admit the whole thing. He thought that the boy would whine and scream about the unfairness of what he had endured. He was very surprised when Potter had tried to deny that none of it had happened. Snape had dealt with many cases of abuse, and he knew that some children would deny the abuse when they were confronted with it, but he had never expected Potter to do the same thing. Snape now realized that even though the boy might be famous, he still showed some of the same signs of abuse as other children.

Snape knew that the Headmaster was correct in saying that he should talk to the boy, but the past between himself and the boy was still warring with his reasoning abilities. Potter had invaded his privacy by looking into his Pensieve. The brat had witnessed one of his worst memories, and he had probably blabbed the story to several of his idiotic friends.

Taking a deep breath, Snape reminded himself of the promise that he had made to the Headmaster concerning Potter. Even though he was still furious with the boy about the Pensieve incident, he would attempt to put aside those feelings for a moment and try to have a civil conversation with him.

Upon reaching his rooms, he gave the password and entered once the portrait had opened. Moving over to the couch, he settled down into the soft cushions. He leaned his head back, wearily closed his eyes, and allowed his thoughts about Potter to continue running through his head.

Hearing the Headmaster talk about Potter almost being in Slytherin had shaken many of his beliefs about the boy. He had mixed feelings about his thoughts towards Potter being in his House. The boy might have been able to bring a more positive image towards Slytherin, but then again, the public was quick to turn against him. He would have had to endure seeing Potter more than he usually did, but he would have had more control over Potter than he currently did.

Thinking about Potter being part Slytherin would probably help him tolerate Potter later when he had to talk to him. He could now see the cunning and sneakiness that Potter possessed, even though it was sometimes ruined by his reckless Gryffindor courage.

Snape finally had enough of thinking about Potter. He knew that he would need a good night's sleep if he was going to be able to handle the boy the next day. Walking over to his private stores, he took out a vial of potion that would help him relax and easily fall asleep. As he lay down upon his bed, he swallowed the potion and allowed his eyes to close.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After the Potions Master had left his office, Dumbledore had stood up and walked over to Fawkes. He stroked the soft feathers of the phoenix while staring out of the window.

He hoped that Harry would forgive him for leaving him at the Dursley's house all those years ago. At the time, he had been more concerned with Harry's safety if Voldemort were to ever return. He had been correct in his beliefs that Voldemort would rise again, but he should have listened to Minerva when she wanted to have someone else raise the boy.

Dumbledore paused the petting of Fawkes long enough to write a short note. Once he had finished, he rolled up the parchment and turned back towards the phoenix.

"Will you please take this note to Minerva for me?"

Fawkes grabbed the note in his talons, gave a trill of agreement, and then flashed out of sight. McGonagall was currently staying at Hogwarts for a few more days. She was beginning some preparations for the next school year, but she would be leaving soon in order to take a vacation.

Dumbledore walked back over to the window and continued to stare blankly outside. He knew that the next few weeks would be very stressful. Too deeply in thought to hear the door open, he started slightly when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, he was greeted with the worried face of Professor McGonagall.

"You wanted to see me, Albus?" McGonagall questioned.

"Yes. Please sit down, Minerva," Dumbledore replied as he returned to the chair behind his desk.

McGonagall waited in silence for the Headmaster to speak, but she was clearly curious and apprehensive about what Dumbledore was going to say.

"I have just come across some disturbing information. Severus came here about an hour ago to tell me that something was wrong with Harry."

McGonagall looked startled at what the Headmaster had said. Of all of the things that she thought that Albus might have called her up to his office to tell her, she had not expected that it would be about Potter. She had thought that You-Know-Who might have attacked somewhere or that the Ministry was facing some new difficulty. Hearing about Potter caused her to look worriedly at Dumbledore.

"Albus, what is it? What's wrong with Potter?" McGonagall confusedly asked.

"Apparently Harry has been physically abused by his uncle since school started. Severus brought him here, and Harry is asleep in the Hospital Wing."

Shocked at Dumbledore's announcement, McGonagall quickly stood up. She wanted to go see the boy and make sure that he was all right. It had only been a few days ago that she had seen him, but she hadn't noticed that anything was wrong with him then besides trouble sleeping.

Dumbledore stood up as soon as he noticed that the Transfiguration professor was about to leave the room. "Please sit back down for a few more minutes. I have several more things to say, and I want to ask you some questions. You may go visit Harry in a little while."

Turning away from the door, McGonagall returned to her seat. She was visibly upset with the situation. Even though she tried not to show favoritism towards her students, Potter was one of her students that she had a soft spot for. She was proud of the things that he had accomplished, and she thought that he was a very likeable child.

"When you visited him the other day, what did you notice about him?" Dumbledore questioned.

McGonagall shook her head. "I saw that he had circles under his eyes, but he didn't show any sort of pain from any injuries. Now that I think about it, he diverted my attention away from himself and asked me questions about my class. Why wouldn't he tell anyone if his uncle was hurting him?"

"I don't know, Minerva. I'm going to have a talk with him tomorrow," answered Dumbledore.

"I want to talk to him also."

"That will be fine. I'm also getting Severus to have a conversation with Harry at some point. Just the two of them."

McGonagall's eyes widened in astonishment. "Do you think that it is wise to force the two of them to talk?"

Dumbledore gave a smile to his Deputy Headmistress. "I know that they have not gotten along in the past, but I'm hoping that this will give each of them a chance to see another side of each other. Severus has had experience with abused children, so he might know how to deal with Harry more than you or I would."

Grudgingly accepting his reasoning, McGonagall continued talking, "How is Potter, Albus?"

"Harry is doing all right now. Poppy has fixed his bruised ribs and sprained ankle," Dumbledore replied. "There are some things that I need to finish working on tonight before I speak to Harry in the morning. You may come with me tomorrow to talk to him if you wish to."

Realizing that Albus was dismissing her, she stood up again and bade him good night. After she left his office, she found herself wandering the hallways that led towards the Hospital Wing. She knew that Harry was okay, but she just wanted to see him for herself.

Silently opening the heavy doors to the hospital, she quietly walked over to Harry's bed. Even though she knew that Harry wasn't going to wake up from his potion induced sleep any time soon, she still felt a need to be as quiet as possible. She leaned down a little bit in order to better see the boy in the darkened room.

Harry shifted slightly in his sleep before becoming still as McGonagall softly pushed the bangs back from his forehead. She allowed herself to stand beside the bed for a few moments gazing at the boy before reluctantly heading towards her own rooms. She hoped that Harry would confide in them the next day and truthfully explain everything that had been going on.

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A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Next chapter will feature Harry having conversations with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape.