Chapter 8

Retribution

Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape were sitting in the headmaster's office drinking tea. The clock chimed seven times and Albus stood up. OK Severus, we should be off. If we leave now we will arrive at the Three Broomsticks in time to meet Molly and Arthur for our dinner. The two wizards stood, stretched and silently headed out the door, down the spiral staircase and made their way to the main entrance. Passing through the main doors and outside they took the path past Hagrid's hut and thence to the main gate.

"All right Severus, I think our plan is a good one. I've made arrangements for the underage monitoring be "down" for mainteance. So no worries about the net pickign up your magic. Remember, punish them but I don't want you to kill them. I want them to remember this for the rest of their lives and I want them to think twice before lifting a hand to a helpless child again. Now we need to set up our alibis."

As they reached the gate Minerva MacGonagall stepped out of the shadows. She took a flask from Severus and said, "good luck," as he apparated away. She then tossed back a large swallow of polyjuice potion from the flask and quickly morphed into Severus.

"Headmaster shall we go now"?

The two wizards apparated to the entrance of the three broom sticks pub and entered. They made a great and loud show of greeting the Weasley's, ensuring that there were many witnesses to their arrival.

o0o0o0o

Meanwhile in Little Winging, a black clad shape appeared towards end of the back garden of number 4 Privet Drive, just next to a row of tall hedges. The wizard clicked a strange object that looked somewhat like a cigarette lighter causing the nearest street lights to go out. He then moved around all four sides of the house casting spells. He then went to the back door and unlocked it and imitating Harry's voice called out several times, each louder that the last.

"Auntie Petunia! Uncle Vernon, I'm back!"

Severus walked into the living room and picked up the lamp and threw it against the wall with a great crash.

"Oops! Sorry auntie I knocked over the lamp!

"What in blazes is going on," screamed Vernon. "Your freakish nephew is back Petunia!"

Severus could hear Vernon come stomping loudly down the stairs and into the living room.

"I'll learn you to break things in my home you ruddy little freak! Come out of the dark you little bastard and get what's coming to you."

Severus switched on the lights while leaning on the mantelpiece. "Tsk tsk Vernon, you should watch your language, what a terrible example you set for your son."

Vernon spluttered. "Wha-wha-What are you doing in my house; as he picked up the fireplace poker?

"I'm here to ask about your nephew Harry? Where is he?"

"Never you mind, he ran off and good riddance to the little freak. Best for everyone that he left!"

Petunia and Dudley walked into the room and stood off to the side. Petunia clutched her dressing gown with one hand and Dudley with the other.

"You, Snape. I had hoped I'd never see the likes of you again. Where's Harry?"

"I share the same sentiment Tuney. It is unfortunate that we meet again. I do find it rather distasteful to be here. And to answer your question, Harry is not here."

"Why are you here Snape?"

"The same old Petunia, giving off airs, thinking you're superior to everyone. I'm here to question you about your nephew Harry. Why did he run away? Where is he? You are his family; you were supposed to take care of him. What did you do to him?"

Petunia looked nervously at Vernon.

"Don't answer him Petunia. Get out of my house or I'll break you in two," said Vernon as he swung the fireplace poker at Snape.

Snape ducked under the swing and when it passed over his head he responded muggle style by punching Vernon in the nose, shattering it and spraying blood over Petunia and Dudley. He quickly followed up with an uppercut into his massive stomach which brought Vernon to his knees holding his face in two hands and crying. Petunia screamed and tried to pick up the telephone.

"I'm calling the police!"

Snape laughed. "You can't, I've seen to that. And don't bother screaming, I've placed a sound charm on the house, no one can hear you carry on so."

He quickly waved his wand and conjured up three Pillories. He pointed his wand first at Vernon and then Petunia and then Dudley forcing them against their will into the devices. Standing, with their heads and arms in the wooden hinged devices, they were trapped. Once in, he locked them with a simple flick of the wrist. Moving around to the front so they faced him, Snape addressed Petunia.

"Petunia, you know Lily would have never treated your son Dudley like you mistreated her son. She'd be so ashamed of you if she was alive."

"I didn't, we didn't"….

"Don't lie to me petunia!" You mistreated Harry for a long time. He ran away because you made him a house slave, doing all your cooking and cleaning. You beat him and starved him. You made him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. You locked him in there for days at a time. You broke his arm twice, among other bones. You hit him in the head with a fry pan! And you left scars on his back and buttocks and legs from canning him and burning with a cigar."

"No, no we didn't, I don't know why he ran away."

Snape leaned over and looked in Petunia's eyes.

"He was found by the side of the road. I saw the medical records. He will need long treatment to heal from what his so called family has done to him. The only reason that I am not going to kill all of you is because he's still clinging to life."

"Please no, don't hurt my son Snape. Hurt me instead."

"Ah Petunia, some emotion from you at last, showing some real feeling."

"Yes, hurt her Mr. Snape, it's her relations spawn that is a freak of nature. Leave me and Duddykins alone," snarled Vernon!

Snape sneered at Vernon. "You show your true colors now. You're a bully and coward Vernon. "Petunia you should have chosen more wisely."

Turning to Vernon he used his finger to pull up his chin and looked into his eyes. Vernon, you broke his bones so I'm going to do the same to you. He threw a round house right cross and when his fist connected to Vernon's face he fractured his cheekbone. Then moving behind him he punched him the ribs six times breaking six of them. Then he sent a focused blasting cure at his arm and broke it in two places matching the broken bones in Harry. Vernon was screaming now. Snape pulled a full size Churchill cigar out of his robes and lit it and then using his wand cast a spell. The cigar hung in front of Vernon, brightly glowing red at the tip.

"Vernon, Harry had almost eighty burns on his back. You will receive the same. He flicked his wrist vanishing his shirt and dressing gown. The cigar went to work pressing into Vernon's back. The hiss as the glowing end pressed into the flesh, the faint nauseating smell of burnt flesh filled the room. Vernon was screaming and whimpering the entire time. "It was all Petunia's fault. She made me do it!"

Snape slapped Vernon's face. "You are a liar and a coward. You will now shut your mouth and take what is coming to you like a man."

He turned to Dudley. "You punched and kicked your cousin almost daily. Stepped on his hands and broke all his finger twice." He aimed his wand at Dudley and Petunia screamed. "No Snape, hurt me not Dudley, please."

Snape sneered at her. "No Petunia, you never taught him anything. He needs to learn you can't pick on those smaller and weaker than yourself. All you did was teach him to be a bully, a common thug."

He cast a mild bone breaker at each of Dudley's hands. Then he conjured a boot that repeatedly kicked him in the legs, back and ribs. He conjured a closed fist and waved at it and it began to punch Dudley here and there. Dudley was crying and begging Snape to let it stop.

"Please stop, I won't hurt anyone again, I'm sorry, please stop!"

Snape waved his wand and the boot and fist disappeared. He walked over to Dudley and took his chin in hand and stared into his eyes, and said "Legimens".

He sifted through his thought sand found them oddly sincere. He pulled back and cast several spells healing the broken hands and cracked ribs. He pulled a potion out of an inside pocket of his robes. "Drink this," as he tipped it to Diddly's lips. "It will relieve the pain." He removed him from the Pillory and put him in the cupboard under the stairs. "Think about what you have done and what you should have done. You need to change Dudley. Use this as a lesson so you don't become like your father, a fat bully preying on those smaller than you. Don't ever think about hurting another child because if I find out I'll come back and finish what I've started here." He cast two compulsion charms on Dudley. One to be nice to people and one to prohibit him from talking about this experience, then closed and locked the door. He conjured a pair of boots to jump up and down on the stairs above the cupboard for the next half hour.

He went around the back of the Pillory and flicked his wand and Vernon's trousers dropped to his ankles. Petunia's dressing gown was pulled up and over her head. He flicked his wrist muttered something and the cane that Vernon used on Harry floated up from the mantelpiece, duplicated into two canes and hung behind each of them. It was a wicked looking thing with a leather clad handle, with the cane split in three to form the stalk, about three feet long, and very flexible.

Petunia screamed. "How dare you lift my gown and expose my knickers Snape."

"Cut the histrionics Petunia. Does your coward of a husband know you would let any boy who paid you twenty five pence see your pants among other things? Huh, you were not always so demure as you try and appear to be now."

Vernon glared at his wife. "Is this true Petunia?"

"Snape hissed; "Silence!" Flicked his wand and said "Commence" and the canes swatted each on the back, then moved down and hit again on the buttocks and then again on the back of the thighs and then the calf's. Each hit rendered a scream and crying from each of the Dursley's. Each swat left a bright red welt.

Snape held up his wand and the canes stopped. "I'm giving you 100 more lashes like the first set of four to you Petunia. I'm giving two hundred and fifty more to Vernon the beached whale. Then the canes will disappear. Vernon and Petunia use this as a lesson. Change and stop bullying people. Stop preying on those smaller than you. Don't either of you ever think about hurting another child."

The canes started swatting and the Dursley's yelped at each impact. He went to the cuckoo clock and muttered a charm and the bird came out and called the time in Harry's voice. He placed a permanent sticking charm on it and then cast a shield charm so they could not break it and muggle repelling charm so no muggle could touch the clock, then he made provision so it sensed magic and did not work in the presence of a witch or wizard.

Snape walked back into the living room and over the mantel he banished the mirror and wrote in red paint; "We are child abusers. Ask us what we did to our nephew Harry Potter". Snape smiled, the same message appeared on the family car in four places, each side door and then the front and back bonnets. It also appeared on the front of the house. The best thing was that the Dursley's could not see it but everyone else could.

Snape walked back to Vernon and grabbed his hair and pulled his face up. "Remember that you both earned far more than what has been done tonight. If either of you ever hurt another child I'll know and I'll come back and finish what I started tonight." You best remember that I will come back and finish things if Harry dies."

Snape walked out of the house, restored the lights and apparated three streets over where he knew of a public telephone. He called the police and reported that while out walking his dog her heard screaming coming from the house on number four Privet Drive. Then he left for the school.

o0o0o0o

The two professors and Molly and Arthur Weasley had their dinner, and stayed at their table until closing time. They parted ways at almost 2:00 a.m. and the two professors went back to the castle where they retried to the headmasters office, ordered tea from the elves and sat down to play wizards chess. Their squabbling over the game kept several of the portraits awake and interested. A little after 3:00 a.m. a bell sounded twice on a strange instrument perched on the bookcase behind the headmaster's desk. A slight nod of the head and Severus stood up stretched.

"I concede this game Albus. I'm too tired to think straight. I'm off to my chambers for a nap." He then turned and walked out and made his way to the dungeon quarters of Severus Snape. As he reached the door he tapped lightly and entered. As the door closed the polyjuice potion wore off and Minerva returned to her usual form.

"I trust everything went as planned Severus"?

"Yes indeed. I'm sure they will never forget this and I doubt they will be able to sit down for a month," laughed the usually reserved professor Snape. Thank you for covering my tracks. How did it go with the Weasley's?"

"Fine and then Albus and I played chess until a few moments ago and raised enough ruckus that a number of the former headmasters were awake and complaining."

"Thank you Minerva. I'll see you tomorrow."

Then Minerva turned around and transformed into her cat form and went out the door to make her way to her own quarters silently and unseen.