Chapter 3

-PREVIOUSLY-

1...

The first ouchie is my ribcage, and I hear the unmistakable snap of my bones.

-HARRY POV-

over and over his foot, fist and anything else that he can get his hands on collide with my body everything has ouchies now, feels like fire running through my veins, but he doesn't stop, never stops. I can't breathe and my skin feels like its covered in lots and lots of spiders.

"this is how you repay us you FAT BITCH, we gave you a home, we gave you food of our table, we put my boy in danger because of you"

i try so hard not to make a noise, i'm biting down on my lip so hard the metallic taste of blood swamps my taste buds. with tears rolling down my bruising face and kicks colliding with my body i cant help the words that escaped my mouth. "owie, owie, we stops now lossa ouchies." No no no no, hes gonna kill me now, well goodbye Binky and Ella it was nice being your friend thank you for helping me and for all you've done .

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MAKE A SOUND, SLUT*kick*BITCH*punch* WHORE*kick* IF YOUR GONNA ACT LIKE SUCH A WHORE I WILL TREAT YOU LIKE A WHORE"

"OWWIE, OWWIE WE STOPS NOW, I BE GOOD BOY, I PROMISE I BE GOOD BOY"

-DUMBLEDORE POV-

I was sitting at my desk when i got a floo call from Molly Weaselly.

" Albus can i come through" the ginger witch said from my fireplace "its rather urgent"

"Yes Molly please come through" i wait about five seconds and then the witch is stepping out of my fireplace into my office. "Molly dear, what can i do for you?" i ask the twinkle in my eye ever present

"I'm worried about Harry, Albus he had a panic attack, a bad one at that, on the train once they had reached the station, Ron tells me he didn't speak much on the train either, just looked out of the window. He was pleading Albus, he was pleading with someone to stop, telling them it wasn't him. hes so small he's nearly thirteen, yet he is the height of a nine year old, he can barely eat anything, he's so skinny you can feel all of his bones."

"i'm sure its nothing to be concerned over, when he gets back i can always get Madame Pomfrey to give him a special diet so he can gain the necessary weight in the new term"

"Please, just go and check on him, make sure he is okay, i wont be able to sleep unless i know for certain he is okay, Please."

" very well i will send someone to go and check on him, i will send you a letter via owl post with the outcome of the visit."

"Thank you, goodbye Albus, THE BURROW" and just like that she was gone

-SEVERUS POV-

i was ready for a calm summer full of brewing and brooding, but the begging of my summer has already been interrupted by Albus, what could he possibly need this soon into the holidays.

"Severus i need you to come to my office it is rather important"

with that message i floo to the headmasters office

"Severus i need you to go somewhere for me, molly weesley came to me this afternoon with concerns over Harry i need you to go and check on him."

"NO, i will not go, he is arrogant and spoiled, i will not go, you can get someone else to do it"

"Severus, please go, if it is what i suspect it is you are the only member of staff here that can handle what you may find, if not for Harry, do it for lily."

Severus grit his teeth at that statement how dare he use lily like that!

"fine, but I'm wasting my time"

-time skip to 4 privet drive-

I apperate into an ordinary street with identical houses lining the road, all the lights in the house are out so i walk to the door and open it with a quick "alohamora"

Stepping into the house it is just as basic and ordinary as the rest of them, pictures of a ordinary family lined the walls and mantle, but there was no sign of the potter brat, i walk up the stairs to try and find the brats room, the first one has that pig of a boy snoring loudly, the second has the whale of a man Dursley and Lilly's horse face sister, so the last room must hold the Gryffindor golden boy.

I walk into the padlocked room to see whips and belts lining the walls, the room stank like blood and piss, there was blood splattered on the walls an curled in the corner was none other than harry potter, the boy was naked, laying in a pool of blood and bodily fluid, you could count every one of his ribs and you could clearly see that multiple were broken, he had hand prints on his hips and his body was just black and blue there was no bit of that boys body that had been left untouched. I make my way over to the battered little boy.

"Pot-Harry, Harry can you hear me?... Harry...Harry" he wasn't responding when i called his name so i gently touched his shoulder, he flinched so much you could hear the grinding of bones a whimper escaped his lips and his eyes went wide, i crouched in front of the far to little boy, inside I'm cursing myself for not seeing the signs, i should have seen the signs. iv'e been bullying someone i knew nothing about because of his father, i was no better than James was himself. I make myself a promise, a promise to look after harry like I should have when i made that vow to lilly and give him what he needs, whatever he needs, be that a home, a parent, affection i want to be there for him, i want to correct what wrongs i did.

"Po-Harry, i'm going to take you to Hogwarts, to see Madame pomfrey... its going to hurt but i promise i will make it better after... is that okay?"

he nods his head tears falling down his face. i pick up the to small boy,who is far to light for his height let alone his age and wrap him in my outer cloak , he whimpers and his breathing picks up.

"Oww...oww...oww ,Owwie, harry has owwies"

"hey, hey... its okay, iv'e got you...shhh, shhh" I stroke his cheek and he slowly falls into unconsciousness, i take out my emergency portkey and land in the infirmary "POPPY, POPPY" i call after the medi-witch, i lay the unconscious little boy on the nearest bed as poppy walks out of her office. as soon as she sees harry she gets to work on diagnostic spells.

"Severus, the boy has barely been gone 12 hours, how could this have happened" i watch as a rather large piece of parchment materializes in front of the medi-witch. she gasps and hands me the parchment...

Diagnostics- Harry Potter

broken right ribs-2,4

broken left ribs- 1,3,4

broken left leg in 3 places

shattered right wrist

Crushed right hand

Broken fingers right- all shattered

Broken fingers left- 1, 2, 4

punctured left lung

fractured skull in 2 places

shattered pelvis

lacerations in anal wall

level 2/6 brain bleed

severe malnutrition ext.

looking at the diagnostic i was heart broken, this little boy of 12 had gone through so much, i felt tears sliding down my face i watch poppy helplessly,knowing that my medical training did not stretch this far, hoping that this fragile boy will be okay. i leave madame pomfrey and head to the headmasters office.

-DUMBLEDORE POV-

Severus walks into my office tears streaming down his face i look at him concern laced over my features. "Severus, my boy, are you okay?" my mind is telling me what i believe i already know but i don't want to admit it to myself

"I want him" determination was written over his tear streaked face. "want who, Severus." i asked now more confused than ever, "I want Harry, Headmaster, i want guardianship of him and one day if he so wishes i want to adopt him. him and take him away from those muggles, i know this has come quickly, and there are probably plenty of other family's that could give him so much more, and i don't earn a lot, and he probably doesn't even want me to be his father figure an- " "Severus, calm yourself, i think you would be a wonderful father to harry but why is it necessary?"

"he... they...they hit him Albus... i found him curled up in a torture room... Dursley he...he...he" tears falling down Severus' cheeks showed just how serious the situation was. Severus was not one to show emotions, it was one of the many methods he used to protect himself from the abuse he suffered. Severus pulled out a piece of parchment from his robe pocket, smoothed it out and passed it to me. once i had read it my own tears filled my eyes but i didn't let them fall. i stand up and walk over to Severus and embrace him, his tears turn to sobs as he leans on my shoulder. i haven't seen him this upset since Lilly died. "hey...look...its going to be okay, i will help you get custody of him, i want both of you to be happy, its okay,its all going to be okay." "i f-failed him...a-and her... i b-bu-bullied him, and all this t-time hes had the worst childhood imaginable. He's so innocent Albus when I picked him up he told me he had owwies" even as his sobs slowed down i kept a hold of him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "what if i become a father like HIM dad." i squeezed his shoulders one last time and brought him till he was arms length away. "Severus,son, you will be a brilliant father... leave the paperwork to me and i will sort it out... go check on Harry, i'm sure Poppy has news for you.