Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I have, like, a penny to my name.

Rating: R, Harry angst and abuse, slash (eventually)

Author's Note: I'm not sure if I'm totally pleased with this chapter. It took so long because I have had a bad case of writer's block! Grr.. Something I wrote in the beginning of Chapter 1, about Harry being "used to neglect, but not outright abuse," pretend that was never written. I decided that this has gone on a long time, instead of just starting. If you have any suggestions, send them to me. I'm just thinking up the plot as I go . Oh, and if anyone is interested in being my beta, just tell me in a review. Anyway, on with the story.

Trouble at Home

Chapter 3

Harry heard a loud, familiar yelling outside in the hall. His pain-filled and panic-ridden mind jumped to the conclusion that the commotion was from Vernon, angry that he was breathing the wrong way or something of that sort. Harry curled up into as small of a ball as he could manage, without increasing his pain too much. Then he just waited for the inevitable to come.

The door creaked open, and a man looked inside, reaching out to touch him. Harry, still panicked from his previous encounters with Vernon, feared the worst and let a whimper escape his lips. The man drew back immediately and then let loose a string of rather inventive curse words. The voice sounded angry and made Harry shrink away from the door. But the man also sounded strangely familiar to Harry. He looked up and realized that this was not Vernon. Sunlight streamed into the cupboard, and made older man almost glow. //Could he be hear to save me from this torment?\\ Harry then got a good look when his rescuer looked directly into his eyes. //Oh my god. It's Snape.\\

Harry promptly fainted.

~*~

Snape looked at the broken and bleeding form of the wizarding world's Golden Boy, huddled in the corner of a cramped cupboard. He reached out to touch the boy, but Potter let out a whimper, causing Snape to draw back.

Colorful curse words ensued before Snape realized that Potter had shrunk away from the door even more. Then Potter glanced up, and a look of gratitude spread over his face. A ghost of a smile graced his lips before it was replaced by horror. Snape looked Potter directly into his emerald orbs and had seen the recognition. The green eyes rolled back into his head, signaling that the boy had passed out.

Snape began to reach into the cupboard when a whistling noise from behind alerted him; too late. The object cracked against Snape's skull. The last thought going through his mind, //Never turn your back on the enemy. Idiot.\\ before he simply floated into the black abyss of his mind.

~*~

As Harry drifted back into consciousness, he realized three things. First, that his arm, and the rest of his body really hurt. Second, that he was no longer in his cupboard, but in his room. Third, that Professor Snape was sitting on the bed, looking at him, huddled in a ball on the floor.

Harry immediately tensed, nervous and angry that his most hated professor was seeing him at such a vulnerable moment. He didn't want anyone to know about this. Truth be told, Harry was ashamed. He let his muggle uncle beat him into oblivion time after time, never able to defend himself. How was he expected to be even close to a match for Voldemort?

Harry's painful reflections were stopped short when Snape said something to him. "Wh-" Harry's voice came out scratchy from his underused throat. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What did you say, sir?" His voice came out nasally, due to the fact that his nose had swollen and was restricting the oxygen supply.

"I said, Mr. Potter, 'So you're finally awake.'" Snape sneered, but with noticeably less hostility then usual. Harry thought he may have sensed some pity in the older man's voice, but blamed it on a head injury and oxygen deprevation. Even in the position he was in, Snape would never feel pity or sympathy for him; not that he wanted that.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What are you doing here, sir?" Harry asked, not daring to look Snape in the eye. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like what he saw there. As he awaited a reply, Harry hugged his arm closer, in an attempt to lessen the pain in at least that one spot.

"Dumbledore sent me here to check up on you. It looks like he had the right idea. What's wrong with your arm?" Snape noticed Potter was hugging his arm to his chest. As the boy shielded his broken and bleeding arm, Snape got suspicious. He rose quickly, but stopped short as Harry cowered in fear. "It's okay. I just want to see your arm." Snape spoke in a calm, soothing voice. He wanted to put the boy at ease, not scare him more.

Harry looked up into his professor's face, and saw that the man meant no malicious intent. He lifted his arm as high as he could, letting out a hiss of pain in the process. Snape noticed this, but wisely chose to say nothing. The older man studied Harry's mangled arm, but without his wand, could do nothing to heal it. So he silently ripped off part of his cloak and bandaged the arm as best he could.

"So, I guess he's locked us in here, right?" Harry said nonchalantly, being used to this sort of treatment. After a beating, he was usually thrown in the cupboard; but this time, it was his room. Probably the only reason he had ended up here was the fact that Snape had shown up at Privet Drive.

"Yes. I attempted to force the door open, but the locks are too strong. Where else does it hurt?" Snape tried to hide his disgust that Potter was apparently used to this kind of treatment. The fact that someone could do this to their own family sickened him beyond words.

"The more important question is, where doesn't it hurt." Harry began to move all his extremities in an attempt to locate the numerous bruised and broken areas. He was met with blinding agony. Harry tried to hold back the scream of pain, but a whimper escaped his clamped lips.

Snape decided against moving the boy when he heard the horribly painful whimper from Potter. Moving his frail body would only succeed in hurting him more.

They would just have to wait until someone came to help them.

~*~

A/N: Special thanks to all my reviewers: Jennifer, Artimis, trinity avalon, nightshade, weird, VegetazGrl, Kayla Summers, and more. Your reviews are what keep me going!!