Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Yes, this is a new story, and, no, I do not know when I will update my other stories.

Background Info (To Be Added To): No Lord Voldemort in this story, but rather a sane, and good Tom Riddle, who teaches Defense Against Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He is married to Severus who teaches Potions. Lupin also teaches DADA but due to his "furry problem" Tom will take over his classes when Lupin cannot teach, as is the case in this chapter.

Oh, and the Dursleys are still horrible people.

Summary: Harry knew he should have listened to Hermione and skipped class today. A Severus/Tom fic. Pairings for Harry are currently undecided. Abuse. Good Tom Riddle. Good Albus Dumbledore. Good Malfoys. Bad Dursleys. Essentially everyone is good but the Dursleys.

Please enjoy my newest story, BREATHE.

BREATHE

Chapter One

A wave of irritation washed over Tom as he wondered, not for the first time that day, what had possessed him to agree to cover all of Lupin's classes while he was "sick."

As would any good teacher, Professor Riddle tried to make his classes interesting for his students to keep their attention, though he hardly blamed them for their short attention spans. He had found that regardless of the year or the age, his students were still very much kids, and as such tended to get bored easily if they were not both mentally and physically engaged. It was convenient that he was the Defense Against Dark Arts professor, so the two aspects practically went hand in hand, though most students did put in an effort to at least act interested in the subject- including the Hufflepuffs.

It seemed today though, that his lecture on werewolves was a bit too mind-numbing for one of his third-year Gryffindor students who had chosen his class to fall asleep in. This was not History of Magic, where he stood in front of the class and prattled on about meaningless topics which could be easily ignored in favor of catching up on missed sleep- this class could potentially be the difference between life and death one day and the child was too immature to realize the difference. It irked Tom when students were like this.

He supposed that the teen assumed because he was just filling in for their normal Professor, he could get away with it. Although Professor Riddle would be the first to admit, having two DADA Professors sounded and was a bit excessive, one would have sufficed even if it did mostly cut his workload by half, he was still a professor, even if he wasn't this child's regular professor and demanded a certain level of respect from all students whether they were his own or Lupin's. Case in point, the sleeping student was completely oblivious to the class going on around him. Tom sighed, in mild annoyance at the thought of having to stop his lesson just to wake the child.

Although today's lesson was purely lecture and note-taking, it was still important groundwork for future lessons. Tom felt the lesson he was departing at the moment was more important than sleep so he did not feel the least bit sorry when he decided to take the second needed to wake the sleeping child. Seeing how now was as good of a time as any, Professor Riddle broke mid-lecture to wake the sleeping child up. "Mr. Potter!"

The teen in question jerked awake, nearly tumbling from his seat as he lurched up and blinked blearily back at him through his skewed frames. "Yes, Professor?"

Tom ignored the snickers from some of the boy's classmates, mostly coming from the Slytherin side of the room, and addressed the child.

"I am glad you are back with us." He scolded the raven-haired child sternly, as he debated on how many points he was going to take off. "I strongly advise you and the rest of your year-mates, not to spend half the night doing whatever it is outside of studying that you do during your free time. An appropriate balance is essential if you want to make good marks."

"Yes sir," the boy whispered as a flush rushed over his normally pale face, hunching down in his seat to minimize himself.

"Good," Tom said with a curt nod, "Now, tell me, Mr. Potter, since I have your attention, what can I use to repel a werewolf?"

He wasn't trying to set the child up for failure, but Tom knew that the child would not know the answer and was trying to prove a point. Tom waits impatiently as the panicking boy tried to think of an answer, again choosing to ignore it when one of the boy's friends tried to subtly whisper the answer to him. The time would come to address that, just as soon as the boy answered the question correctly.

"Er, Wolfsbane sir," Harry answered a few seconds later, the answer, no doubt, coming from Hermione who sat just across the aisle. Although the answer was correct, Tom refused to reward the child for his correct answer, as any child who had slept through the lesson thus far, would not have known the correct answer.

"Indeed," Tom said dryly, deciding at the moment to accept the answer without asking for elaboration. He doubted that since the boy couldn't answer the question without help, then he very likely did not know the reasoning behind it. "Ten points, Mr. Potter, for failing to answer the question and one nights' detention for sleeping in class." Cue more snickers that were quickly silenced by a glance and a raised eyebrow. Miss Granger threw an angry glare her friend's way, while the child's other friend, Ronald Weasley looked anywhere but at Harry, guilt, and worry written clear on his face. A most interesting reaction, Tom mused. He could understand the anger, as his friend was likely upset that he had lost their house points, but the concern was something unexpected. Tom knew he couldn't dwell on that though as he did have a lesson to get back to and more points to deduct. "I ask as third-year students, that you learn to manage your time outside of classes more wisely otherwise I will help you manage your time in detention. The next time this happens, I won't be so lenient." He warned the class who had gotten so silent Tom could have heard a quill drop. "Furthermore, I will be deducting another five points from Gryffindor, since Miss. Granger felt the need to whisper the answer. When I call on a classmate Miss Granger, I want to hear their answer, not the answer of one of his peers." Feeling satisfied that the issue was resolved and enough time had been wasted with the wayward student Tom pushed it behind him thinking nothing more of it, and continued on with the lecture hoping to not have any more disruptions.

No sooner than he had gotten into introducing some basic spells that could help stave off a werewolf- though it would not be practical in a true encounter as the strength of the spell was simply too weak to use alone, it would be expanded upon in later classes in later years- did a solid thump resound through the room followed quickly by a couple of gasps of shock.

Whipping around to see the "what now" Tom spied the same boy as before laying crumpled in a heap beside his desk. This time he didn't even attempt to hide the sigh of irritation that escaped him. Just what had the child been doing all night to where he couldn't get enough sleep to make it through his classes?

"Mr. Potter!" He called loudly, not bothering to hide his irritation anymore, to the boy that lay motionless on the floor of his classroom. He frowned when the child did not so much as flinch at the sound of his name, or acknowledge his friends who were now beginning to crowd around. If this was a trick then the child would pay dearly for it, but Tom knew from Severus and through his own observations that the child had not inherited his father's overly mischievous ways leading him to believe that the child had actually fainted. But why?

It couldn't have been from lack of sleep, could it, because could one even faint from missing one night's rest? He would have to ask Severus about that the next time he saw him, but he didn't think one night would make a difference. Merlin only knew how many nights sleep he had missed over the years, and he had never fainted from them. Thinking of the Potions Master, Tom tried to remember if he had heard the dour man complaining about the child more than usual as of recently, and if so, what he had been complaining about. When nothing immediately came to mind, Tom refocused on the task at hand: getting the boy awake.

"Mr. Potter," the DADA professor said again, this time a bit louder and impatient, but it still lacked the desired results of rousing the boy. By now the rest of the class had stopped taking notes and watched curiously at the scene unfolding. Fearing something more was wrong than just dealing with an overly tired child, Tom crossed the room to the child's side. He threw a stern look at the rest of the students as whispers and giggles began to descend over the classroom now that his back was largely turned to them. "Next student that laughs will be serving a week's worth of detention." He threatened over the giggles and whispers were accompanied by the Slytherins trying to recreate the moment their classmate fainted. The students in question quickly stopped as detention with Professor Riddle did not equal a good time, though, to be fair, no detention assigned by any professor really did.

"Mr. Potter?" He called out firmly as he stooped down to the unconscious teen's side, urging his friends aside. Seeing the boy up close, caused Tom's worry to heighten. The shivering child was simultaneously pale and flushed, leaving Riddle to the conclusion that the child was sick. A quick check of the forehead only further verified his suspicions. Making a very quick and easy decision that it would be best to just take the ailing child to the infirmary where the mediwitch could take over, Tom went to dismiss the class. "Please read the chapter concerning werewolves for homework and write me no less than 12 inches on the effects of wolfsbane, to be handed to Professor Lupin, next class. Class dismissed!" Tom said when it was clear that he would not be able to rouse the child. "That includes you, Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger." Tom said sternly as he scooped the teen up. The Professor frowned at the slight-built teen as he shifted the boy's weight in his arms to better hold him. The child was so light that Tom did not even feel the need to cast a feather-light charm on him. At least, in this case, the child was light so he wouldn't strain himself, and the trip to the hospital wing was a short distance. It had been a while since he had had to carry a third-year student or any student for that matter, but he was fairly confident that there were some first-years that weighed more than this child. It was something he would have to bring up to the Matron to see if she couldn't get to the root of the cause.

Not bothering to see if Harry's friends were packing their things to leave like the rest of the students, Tom quickly made his way through the corridors and to the hospital wing. All the while, Tom wondered if maybe he had misread the situation from earlier, and Mr. Potter had not been up all night playing with his friends, but rather, been too miserable to pay attention to the lecture. If that was the case, why hadn't the child gone to see Madam Pomfrey? She would have not only given him something for his fever but also would have exempted him from classes today. If he had not been in a state to go himself, surely Miss. Granger was intelligent enough to know to get the mediwitch or a Professor on his behalf.

There was no time to dwell on what should have happened as he was at the doors of the hospital wing. Pushing the doors open while still carrying he called out to the matron when she wasn't immediately seen.

"Poppy!"

"Tom? Is that you, what- Oh, dear, who is it this time?" She muttered to herself as she bustled from her office to see to the Defense Professor's burden. "Here put him to bed," she said as flicked her wrist towards the nearest available bed. The sheets immediately jumped down to the foot of the bed at her motion.

"It's Potter, he fainted in class." He said briefly as he laid the still very much unconscious child down on the bed. Removing his glasses, and stood back allowing Poppy to get a better look at her patient.

"He is running a fever," Tom added, somewhat unnecessarily.

"He fainted in class?" She pressed for elaboration as she waved a wand over her patient to try to get a read of his condition.

"Yes, I got on to him not even ten minutes prior for sleeping in my class. I originally assumed he had spent the better portion of the night up with his friends, but with the fever-"

"He does look a bit ill, you weren't having them do anything too difficult were you, they are just third years after all." She reminded him as she cast a diagnostic spell.

"I am well aware of their year, and no it was a lecture only class, nothing but-"
He stopped abruptly as he watched the piece of parchment continue to grow. It was quickly becoming too long for the boy to be suffering from a simple cold. If the length of the growing piece of parchment was anything to do with what was currently wrong with the boy, then Tom wondered why the child had even bothered showing up for the class at all. He was obviously very, very sick and should have been left in Madam Pomfrey's capable hands hours, if not days, ago. It wasn't like he had gotten anything out of the class by attending anyway.

When the spell had finally run its course, Poppy began scanning the sheet. He had planned to stay just long enough to ensure the boy was safely tucked away in the hospital wing but the look on Poppy's face told him that his time here, was not going to be as brief as to just drop the child off and run off to prepare for his next class. She was going to need another hand, and so he was going to stay.

As the kind mediwitch's face continued to darken, Tom found himself looking between her and the boy.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked warily, it had to be bad to unsettle the school's mediwitch who had probably seen about everything there was to see at this point.

She was silent for a long minute, causing Tom to think she hadn't heard him. He went to ask again, but she answered him with something he never thought she would say about the bot in question, "Abuse, Tom, Harry has been abused."
He froze for a second, just staring at her in shock, "What?" Tom said flabbergasted, although he did not know the student very well, only having filled in for Lupin on two other occasions, and hearing complaints from Severus and general things from the other professors, Tom could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Scarcely believe he had missed such a thing.

"Are you sure?" He questioned as he reached out to take a read of the diagnostic, Poppy quickly gave him the parchment. "Quite sure." She responded brusquely.

Seeing it in writing, Tom was in shock. How could they have not noticed? The child was already in his third year, and no one had suspected a thing.
It was well known that abused kids would go to greater lengths to act as if everything was okay than children from loving and caring homes, but in the end children hardly ever completely fooled adults who were just looking for the signs. There were always telltale signs of something amiss in their home life, and Tom was certain this was the case here. Just how had they been so blind as to not see it before now? Why had it taken the child to fall asleep and then take ill for anyone to notice?

"I am going to get Severus. He will know exactly what the poor child needs." Poppy whispered as Tom continued to scrutinize the boy's results.

Several broken bones, with one precariously close to puncturing his lung. Pneumonia, likely from a cold that had been left untreated. It really was a wonder how the rib hadn't shifted during the bouts of coughing the boy had sure to be having. Funnily enough, he hadn't heard the boy cough once in class, he mused to himself. A multitude of misaligned bones that had healed incorrectly from previous breaks led Tom to believe that this had been going on for years. If this was indeed the case, how come no one had noticed or suspected anything?

The report only continued from there, reading further, there was an uncountable number of contusions ranging from simple things like scraped knees to more worrisome injuries such as deep gashes running down his back and thighs. Many of them were still open and had become infected, probably contributing to the fever. Malnutrition, to the point of it becoming almost dangerous for the child concluded the long list of things that should cause immediate concern. Tom skimmed the rest of the results, only to feel a rush of relief that the physical abuse seemed to end there. If there was anything to be happy about this situation was at least the child's abuse had only gone as far to be knocked around and probably blamed for everything and yelled at, although verbal abuse never showed on these types of scans.

Tom was just finishing up reading Potter's report when the infirmary doors were opened to admit one grim-looking Potion's Professor.

"Tom," Severus drawled out his greeting, as he spared a glance at the boy who had forced him from his class. "so this is the reason why Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger are camped outside the infirmary doors. I wondered. So what's he done this time?" The other professor finished with a slight sneer. It was well known amongst everyone at Hogwarts that Snape was not Potter's biggest advocate.

Tom, did not respond to the greeting or comment on the observation as he handed Severus the diagnostic report. The contents on the parchment far outspoke anything he could have said. Instead to took this time to watch the other man's expression. He saw the moment shock gave away to anger having felt something very similar only moments earlier. By the time Severus had finished reading, Tom was certain the scowl was so deeply etched in the other man's face that it was going to become a permanent feature. Throwing the piece of parchment down in absolute disgust, the black-haired man was left asked the same question Tom and Poppy had asked before, "I just don't understand how we miss this?"