Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.

A/n: Well, I figured it was about time to update again. So here goes. By the way, did you all see the new HP movie? I liked it, but they missed so much in the movie!! Wish it had more detail. Well, here goes the next chapter.

Chapter 9: In a State of Disbelief

Harry lay on the floor next to his bed. He couldn't muster the strength nor the willpower to stand and make his way onto the bed. It would be too much effort. Uncle Vernon had just left from a rundown of the "Rules". Of course that hadn't been all that had occurred. Harry had decided to get smart and talk back to his uncle, and that did not end well at all. Vernon took it upon himself to severely punish the boy. A relentless pounding followed, in which his uncle hit him in the ribs and chest until something cracked. Uncle Vernon was always careful to not hit in the face, where abuse would be evident.

Now Harry was alone in his dark room, hurt and unable to move, with breathing a labor in itself. From the street below he heard the sound of someone grumbling and walking toward his house. A loud knock followed shortly. Harry heard the sounds of his uncle opening the door and talking to someone. Harry strained his ears to hear.

"I was wondering if your nephew, Harry Potter, arrived recently." Harry recognized the cold, smooth voice of Professor Snape.

"No, I'm afraid I haven't seen him," Vernon answered with a sound of impatience and distaste.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Positive. Now if you don't mind, it is late and we don't enjoy having any freaks in our home."

"Freaks?" Snape snapped. "If anyone is a freak, it would be you and that whale of a son I've seen before."

"You've been watching our house?!"

"Don't flatter yourself; I was keeping an eye on your nephew." Harry hadn't known that Snape was one of the guard, although it would have made some sense.

"Get out of my house!" Vernon yelled. "Or I might have a mind to call the police."

"You won't call them. What would you say? There's a wizard in my house? I highly doubt they would believe you." Snape's voice was becoming lower and more dangerous by the minute. "Well, I told you what you asked to know. Now leave."

"Dursley, if you knew half of the things I could do to you, you wouldn't dare talk to me like that." Snape had the same menacing voice that made most students want to crawl into a hole and hide.

"You wouldn't dare," Vernon said, obviously scared to death.

Harry didn't hear what curse was muttered. He only heard a heavy drop onto the floor down below and his aunt screaming soon after. In a moment her screams were silenced. The sound of footsteps going up the creaky stairs followed. Harry panicked. He couldn't let anyone see him like this. Thinking of the only logical move in that situation, he struggled to make it under the bed.

"Alohamora." Harry listened as all of the locks on his room door were unlocked. The door swung slowly open and footsteps made their way slowly into the room. The effort of his quick movements finally caught up with Harry, and his head began to swim with pain. He struggled to keep his breathing quiet. "Lumos," Snape said. A light shone brightly in the small, dark room. Harry had so completely hidden himself that no light from the man's wand fell onto him. Snape began doing a careful search, searching for Harry and any sign that he had recently been there. Drawers and closet doors were opened, only to be closed again in growing frustration.

Snape was about to give up and leave, when his wand light landed on something red and wet on the floor. It was only a small drop, but there it was. Blood. It was slightly smeared as though someone had been drug. From the direction the blood was smeared, the person was underneath the bed. Snape, not in the mood to bend down and look to see under the bed, simply levitated the bed out of the way. Underneath, there lay a very still, very pale, and very tired looking Potter.

Harry was waiting for Snape to go away when the bed was levitated from over him. The last thing he saw before he passed out was a look of shock and disgust on his professor's face. Snape bent down and grabbed Harry by the arm and appearated back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. "Morbilicorpus," Snape muttered, lifting the broken boy's body with magic and going to his room. Gently, Harry was laid onto his bed. Snape didn't really want anything to do with the boy. He was a bit shocked to find out that Potter was being beaten in his own home so severely. Normally, Snape wouldn't have interfered, but since the boy was unconscious and obviously in serious pain, he would help him out a bit.

To better see what damage had been done, Snape took off Harry's shirt and looked to see a rib that poked out too far. There were new bruises on the boy's chest and back, and a good sized cut on his shoulder. Snape used his wand to heal the injuries as best as he could for the time being. Afterwards, he put Harry in a full body bind, locked the door, and went to sleep in his own room. Sleep didn't come easy for Professor Snape, and for a while he lay awake in disbelief about how the Golden Boy was treated at home.


So it needs work. R/r please.