The Vow And It's Consequences

Chapter 4

The First Meet

It was going on the third day since they'd come to Cokeworth, Harry really was wishing he had stayed with Figg. Dudley and Piers had jumped him five times already, he was in so much pain and as always there was nothing he could do about it. Not only that but he'd had nothing to eat for three days, not since he'd had his small piece of chocolate. Everything was beginning to blur, and his body felt as though it was shutting down. The dizzy spells were becoming more and more frequent. Vernon had not made an appearance or phone call, and Petunia was in a foul mood, and Harry again paid the price for it. He was nothing but a punching bag for a family who hated him, and liked taking their frustrations out on.

"Petunia?" enquired a voice, as they made their way out of the hotel, Dudley and Piers wanted chocolate, something the hotel didn't provide. So she was on her way to the shops to get them something to stop her son from whining more. Only Vernon could control their son and more often than not Vernon just gave in like herself.

Petunia turned around and her eyes widened in surprise, she recognized her, only just she was so different from when she'd last seen her. "Sarah?" asked Petunia gobsmacked, she had left to go to America just fresh out of high school, at the age of eighteen. Sarah had been a friend to her during high school. Needless to say she had not expected to meet her here of all places.

"It's nice to see you again!" she exclaimed smiling happily at her old school friend. "Your sons?" she asked gesturing to the three boys she had beside her.

"Oh no, only Dudley is mine," said Petunia proudly, beaming as she clutched her obese sons shoulders. "There are friends of his." she didn't mention Harry being her nephew or being Lily's. She wasn't about to mention her sister, she loathed her more than anything else, even Harry.

"Are you staying here?" she asked looking at her watch.

"I am," she said smiling, it wasn't a smile Dudley was used to seeing, no it was actually a genuine one.

"Well I hope we get to talk some more!" she said, it was obvious Petunia was busy.

"We can now," Petunia immediately replied anything to get some peace and quiet from the children. She opened her purse and fished out ten pounds before handing it to her son. The shop was on the corner, there was no need for the children to even cross the road. Petunia warned them to stay nearby, and not to go too far.

"Yes mum," chortled Dudley staring at the ten pound his face almost splitting in two, he could buy so much with this. Piers was jumping up and down, he really loved spending time with the Dursley's. They were so much better than his own parents, who were very strict and didn't let him off with half of what Dudley did.

"Go on then," said Petunia shooing them off, as she wandered off towards Sarah eager for a good conversation and a gossip. They made a bee line for the pub inside the hotel and quickly ordered drinks.

Harry backed away towards the stairwell, determined to stay out of sight. He couldn't take much more of his cousin's abuse, the jacket his aunt had given him had been ripped and torn, before Dudley had snatched it off him and flung it away somewhere. It had saddened Harry greatly, for he had really liked it. He had been so warm in it, and comfortable he would miss it.

He wandered through the halls, lost in thought, his mind replaying the scene from three nights ago. Wondering once more, what made him a freak? Why did his aunt choose to treat him that way? Why couldn't she have been more like the girls auntie from the fair? A broken sigh left his lips. Would he have been a freak to his parents too? He didn't like to think so. So deep in thought he passed a tray sitting at a door in the hotel, it broke his concentration, and he looked back, and his eyes widened in shock and amazement.

The plate was almost full of food! Only one bite had been taken out of the burger.

Harry couldn't help but drool over the food, looking around he found the corridor deserted. Taking a deep breath, he nabbed the burger from the tray and ran until he came upon a stairwell. Exhausted, breathing heavily, and dizzy once more he slumped onto the steps his green eyes glinting in pride at his own accomplishment. The burger was bigger than his hands, it barely held onto the ends as he bit into it. By the time Harry had finished the food, his stomach was trying to rebel against so much food. Harry however, refused to let it. The burger had been the most he'd ever had, and he'd be damned if he let it come back up. Even if it made his stomach feel very full and uncomfortable. With all the pain Harry felt everywhere else, it was nothing really. Perhaps it had been worth coming here after all, he'd never had a burger before.

Harry remained sitting on the stairwell, ignoring the people that went by; he didn't get the opportunity to just sit down often. Petunia and Vernon would blow a fuse if he sat down, then plant chores on him. Calling him a lazy freakish brat and that he should have died with his parents. The words still hurt him, despite it always been screeched at him as far back as he could remember.

Dudley and Piers had already spent the money on food and a few comics, the food was gone and the comics read and they were both getting bored. When Dudley was bored, he always started his 'Harry Hunting' today was no different. It was going to be ten times easier when they were at school. Of course he knew he couldn't do it in front of the teachers. Dudley might hate school work, but he was sly when he wanted to be. If a wizard or witch saw him, they'd compare him to Crabbe and Goyle both senior and junior. Thankfully Dudley Dursley didn't have magic in which to torment Harry with.

"Let's go find the freak," decided Dudley, it was the only time he did any proper exercise, when he was trying to chase after Harry.

"He could be anywhere." said Piers more interested in the magazine than hitting Harry, the only reason he did it was because Dudley did. He knew his parents would have taken two layers off his backside if they knew what he did to the boy. He didn't understand why Mrs. Dursley let Dudley do it, yet his parent's didn't. It couldn't be that bad if Dudley's parents let him could it?

"He will be hiding in the hotel," said Dudley smugly, the freak never went far, unless of course he was being chased. He loved tormenting the freak, and seeing him hurt, his dad did it all the time. He wasn't happy that Piers didn't want to join in, so he snatched the magazine from his hands and glared at him.

"Come on then," said Piers suddenly, he didn't like it when Dudley got angry at him. The last time he had punched him in the tummy, he'd gone home crying. Dudley had offered him a chocolate bar as an apology and it hadn't happened again. Piers wasn't about to let it either, he had so much fun with Dudley, he was visiting the fair! Every day of the week. His own parents wouldn't have done that, and Dudley's mum always gave them lots of sweets and food.

Dudley and Piers spent the next hour looking for Harry, for two five year olds they didn't give up easily. Normally children were easily distracted, but not these ones, they were determined to find him.

"Hey freak!" yelled Dudley a cat caught the canary grin on his face, Dudley didn't even know Harry's first name. He only went on what his parents called him, 'Boy' or of course 'Freak' he did not call him 'Potter' because he hadn't been around when it had been screeched at the child. He was only called Potter when they caught him using magic, which admittedly wasn't often. It was too busy keeping the malnourished child alive. It only came out under extreme circumstances when Harry was particularly emotional.

Harry turned to see Dudley grinning at him, his heart sank, oh no, not again, his hooded dead green eyes stared at them. Maybe he could outrun them now that he wasn't dizzy anymore. He had to try, so without more ado, he turned around and bolted down the stairs staying as far ahead as he could from his cousin.

He ran down the stairs, level after level until he got to the bottom, before running through the doors and down the corridors. Looking around fanatically, he realized there was only one way he could go to get out of their sight - out of the hotel. Running as if the devil himself was on his heels, he glanced back to see if he had succeeded in tricking them.

Stopping completely exhausted, his hands planted on his knees for support, as he drew in large gulps of air. Then he heard them, he hadn't thrown them off at all, looking back he saw them burst out of the hotel looking for him determinedly. Moaning, Harry took off down the road once more, passed the shops, across the roads and into the more...bleak area of Cokeworth. The houses were shabbily built, and some were even boarded up.

Eventually Harry's temporary energy began to wear off; the adrenaline no longer helped him. Dudley and Piers were gaining on him, and he knew soon he would feel even more pain. He had not been able to sleep last night, not for the pain in his hips, back and stomach and legs. It's where Dudley liked to kick him the most.

Harry jerked forward, as hands shoved him to the ground, his head smashed against the concrete. His arms weren't even given the time to comprehend what was happening, to actually reach out in instinct. Which showed just how quickly the entire thing had gone down. Harry felt nothing for a few brief seconds, before pain made himself known to him. Not only that but he could feel blood gushing down his face and into his top. Harry curled into a ball, shielding his newly injured head, but was surprised when no harm befell him. Instead he heard a voice, speaking so menacingly that he wished he could disappear. He had no doubt the man was talking to him, nobody spoke horribly to Dudley Dursley.

"If you dunderheads do not leave this instant..." said a voice, so sharp and fierce that Harry shuddered instantly. His voice had trailed off so menacingly that there was little doubt about what he meant. Even Vernon had never scared Harry so much, with his voice alone. He heard Dudley whimpering in fright, much to Harry's astonishment. Peaking through his fringe, he saw the backs of the boys and heard the thudding of feet thundering off, the sound getting lower and lower the further they ran away.

Severus' eyes narrowed in on the child, he looked to be around three years old, and his clothes were far too large for him. He was a smart man; he realized the child obviously lived with the fat dunderhead he'd just chased off. Either that or the family knew each other, and this child received his clothes. He had always worn second hand, mismatched clothes as a child, but at least they'd fitted him. This child's clothes were almost swallowing him whole. Then he saw the blood, silently swearing, he removed a black handkerchief with S.T.S embroidered on it. Slowly approaching the child, but as he touched him the boy recoiled from his touch as if he had been burned violently him. Severus froze, it wasn't just because the child flinched so violently from him. No it was the magic he could feel emanating from the small child. No three year old child should feel that strongly of magic, normally it took three or four years at Hogwarts for magic to feel that way.

"Its okay child, I just want to look at your injury," said Severus soothingly, if any Hogwarts student had seen or heard him, they would have fainted. He wasn't by any means what the students considered a good teacher. He never spoke softly like that, but what they failed to understand was how dangerous a subject like potions was. Each professor of potions, had lost a few students in their times as a teacher. Even Slughorn had, and he wasn't talking about Myrtle. Severus' record was unblemished, and that's the way he wanted it to remain. He'd caused enough death as a servant of the Dark Lord.

"No," cried Harry, flinching away once more as he scrambled to his feet, running away from the kindness. Nobody had spoken to him like that before, instead of comforting him Harry just felt scared. His mind barely processed the kind words, all he could hear was the harsh voice telling Dudley to leave. As he ran he felt something in his heart tug, as if he missed something or someone terribly. At the back of his mind, something was yanking to get free, but for the life of him Harry couldn't think of what.

Severus watched the child get up, his concern for him churning in his gut. He was obviously extremely abused, to flinch before he had actually touched his skin. If the clothes were anything to go by he knew he was right. He had also noticed the child wouldn't lift his face up, wouldn't meet his eyes. Unfortunately he couldn't jump to conclusions. Quite a lot of people around here, couldn't afford to feed their children never mind cloth them. The child might have also been warned against strangers help. So before the child could get entirely out of reach he cast a silent tracking charm on him.

He'd observe him; if he was abused then he would step in. He couldn't let social services know, not with the child's magic already active. The boy would have to be taken in by a Wizarding family. Sighing in irritation, he cleared his mind, and went shopping he could have just called a house elf from Hogwarts but he liked cooking, it was similar to potions.

There we go! what did you think? Its Edited yay! :) So will severus be able to heal harry or will he have to take him to st. mungos? or will he take harry to the malfoy's and have their private healer see him? knowing better than to tell poppy or go to st. mungos were dumbledore would hear about it within minutes...will dumbledore be a bad guy in this? or just misguided? bad guy as in trying to get harry and severus seperated misguided as in caring more about severus' position as spy than their happiness? R&R PLEASE! :)