Big thanks to Srialb and Hedowl 5 for thier reviews on my last chapter- gives me a lil inspiration and gets me typing out these chapters faster, lol. Just kidding, but it does help to know that someone is reading along. And btw, would ne-one b interested if I did illustrations for this story?

If u do, yell out with a review, and maybe give me sum suggestions coz I need to practice the drawing a bit.

Oh well, On with the story- and a small reminder of the disclaimer on the first page.


Here's the next chapter:


***************************************************************************

Vernon Dursley sat down in his massive armchair in front of the TV, and folded his heavy arms across his wide front, switching the channel on the big screen TV where he found a movie on, and he glued his eyes to the screen. Petunia had gone to bed an hour ago, while her husband had been thinking of ways to keep his troublesome nephew from attending that school for freaks. So far he had concluded his thoughts with the idea he should just leave him locked in Dudleys old room, and not feed him. Maybe if he hit him a bit too, that might kill him off. He could just tell whoever was looking for him that he had blown himself up of something. Nothing serious.


Except the neighbours. Always the neighbours. Damn Petunia, he had caught himself thinking, who CARES about the neighbours. If we can get rid of the boy it would be a godsend. He had come close enough to blinding his son- Dudleys eyes had taken weeks to come right, and now he had to wear glasses.


Vernon's thoughts were interupted suddenly when there was a soft knock at the door. Vernon narrowed his eyes sharply at the door, and he rose from his chair. He was met with an ancient looking man, with a long white beard, and a surly looking man, with black eyes and hair that covered most of his thin face.


"What do you want?" Vernon snarled, angered at being interupted so late at night.


"Please forgive us for calling so late. I am Albus Dumbledore, his Headmaster, and this is Severus Snape. I know it isn't a respectable hour to be calling on him, but I wish to talk to Harry about something," Dumbledore started. Vernon narrowed his eyes on Dumbledore, and then looked past him to see the other man- Severus, this Albus fellow had introduced him to seconds before as, glaring at him. He met the glare showing equal hatred himself.


"Of course not, he is asleep, and he gets up early to leave for work. It is unacceptable. Come back in the morning," Vernon spat, and attempted to slam the door. Albus caught it, however, and pushed it open again, leveling his eyes to Harry's uncle.


"I came here for a purpose and I am afraid I will not leave until I see Harry. If he will be tired for work tomorrow, then im sure Severus has something he can give the boy to make up for it," he said,

"now kindly show me where he is."


Snape faintly heard Vernon mutter something under his breath that sounded strangely like

"this is an outrage, damn freaks, bringing thier buissness into my home."

He frowned. Vernon Dursley was quite possibly the most unpleasant and unecesarily biased man

he had ever met in his life. Even Lucius Malfoy managed to hold a respectable face to those he did not know. Even if they did show up to his doorstep at 1 in the morning.


***************************************************************************


Harry stirred under his covers and looked up sleepily as he heard the multiple bolts and locks being unbolted, and he sat up, cringing as the light was switched on. He shielded his eyes with his arms- well, one arm at least, and slowly lowered it as his eyes accustomed to the brightness.


"Professor Dumbledore," he said hesitantly, as the ancient man walked through the doorway, and then frowned as he saw the other wizard behind him, "Snape," he said coldly and quietly, his green eyes filling with hate.


"PROFESSOR Snape," Dumbledore corrected him a little more sternly than he would have liked to be speaking to Harry, especially since he had come here to talk to him about other matters. Suddenly the three in the room turned when they heard the door close and the bolts being put back in place. Severus snarled and pointed his wand at the door, but Dumbledore raised an arm and gently clamped his hand around the younger mans wrist.


"Severus," He said in a calm voice," we will dispose of the locks on our way out- your forgetting the reason we came here," Snape lowered his arm reluctantly, and Dumbledore turned to Harry.


"Is it true you have decided to leave Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked, a little sadly. Harry shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.


"I........" Harry lowered his head, "No." he said quietly, "I can't come back this year. My Uncle won't let me."


Dumbledore frowned, and walked over to Harry, sitting on his bed. Harry winced slightly, and a concerned look flashed across his face for a second.


"But do you want to come back?" He continued slowly. Harry nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Then we will take you back with us," he continued, and Harry looked a little happier.


"Dumbledore........I had another dream about Voldemort. He said he's planning to....." Harry was cut off.


"I know what he is planning, you do remember I have a 'Death Eater' of some sort teaching for me," he motioned towards Snape, "He was there, and he told me immeadiatly on his return. As you will probably already know, I am not the only person he is planning to kill, and that is why I think it would be safer for you to come with us.


"But.....what exactly are you going to tell the Dursleys? They will NEVER take me back, at least not after this. At the moment they are trying to keep me here until I die one way or another- they don't want me to come back. I already had to tell Moody and Lupin to back off and leave me alone- and im sorry, but my Uncle shot your Owl," he said tiredly, leaning back against his pillow and closing his eyes briefly.


"I don't know what I will tell your Aunt and Uncle, and I know they shot the Owl I sent. Hedwig and Fawkes brought him back," he paused, and leaned forwards suddenly, his long thin fingers brushing against a slightly purple mark on Harry's face.


"Harry, what is on your cheek?" he asked quietly


"It's nothing Professor," Harry said, pulling away.


"Harry..." Dumbledore said in a haggard voice, "what happened?"


"It's......it's nothing." he repeated.


"It was your uncle," The headmaster pressed on, "I need you to tell me what happened," he smiled, "or of course I can ask Severus for some Veritaserum," he prompted. Harry snapped his head up suddenly.


"You wouldn't," he accused.


"I would," he replied, and turned to the Potions master. "Severus? Do you have some?" he inquired.


"Of course," Snape replied, striding over to Harry's bed, and taking out a small bottle of clear liquid from the depths of one of his pockets.


"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," Harry said, "just don't give me that stuff," he groaned. Snape dropped the bottle back in his pocket.


"When my Uncle took Hedwig out of my room this morning to send her off to you I tried to run out, but he grabbed me tightly by my arm and yanked me backwards, and hit me across the face, and then threw me back into my room. I think I heard Hedwig attack him, but im not sure. I think I hit my head," he finished.


"Is your arm okay?" Dumbledore inquired.


"I can't move it," Harry replied.


"Which one is it?"


"Left."


Dumbledore gently slid up the sleeve of Harry's shirt and saw his arm looked fragiled and bruised, and very sore.


"Harry, I think your arm is broken. I was hopeless at healing when I was younger, so I think maybe Madame Pomfery would be better to diagnose this. It could be more or less," he explained, and Harry nodded silently. Before he could move he felt Snape grab his hand, and carefully stretch his arm out. Harry winced a little, and tried to pull away unsuccessfully as he felt Snape run his hand over the injured arm, applying pressure every now and again.


"Hold still Potter," he said slowly and coldly to him, "You have a clean brake in the arm, but the bone hasn't broken the skin, however, it is bleeding internally, and it looks like your elbow is disslocated." Harry frowned, but Snape ignored him, instead digging in his pocket until he found another bottle. He uncapped it, and passed it to Harry, who took it in his good hand, eying it suspiciously.


"Are you sure this isn't poison?" Harry shot at his Potions teacher.


"Of course it isn't," Snape sneered, "don't you think I would do it in my dungeon, if I was going to poison you at all? I would hardly do such a thing right under the nose of Albus Dumbledore. It is a simple pain relief potion for your arm."


"I wouldn't put it past you," Harry muttered darkly, and he drank the potion, forcing the bile in his stomach to stay down, unsuccessfuly. He struggled to get up and retched violently, but nothing came up. Dumbledore put a hand on Harry's shoulder.


"Are you okay Harry?" he asked, concern marring his face. Harry nodded weakly, and Dumbledore looked at Snape.


"Severus, can you collect his things?" he asked, "He needs to get back to the school, where he can rest," he looked at the Potions master pleadingly, and Snape turned around.


"Potter," he said, and the boy looked up weakly at him. He looked very tired, suddenly, and his face was deathly pale and sickly looking. He softened his voice slightly.


"Harry," he continued, "Where are your things?" he asked, civilly, which Harry was shocked to hear.


"In the cupboard under the stairs.."he groaned, " just watch out for my Uncle. He won't be too happy to see you."


"Nor will I be to see him," Snape said dryly, and muttered a spell that knocked the door off it's hinges .


"Severus never was a subtle person," Dumbledore sighed weakly, and said another spell, and re-attached the door as his Potions Master dissapeared.


***************************************************************************


Severus Snape strode down the creaky stairs, and found the cupboard under the stairs at the bottom. He opened it, to find all of Harry's possesions resting on a small bed that literally touched all four sides of the tiny room. He looked around the cupboard, frowning slightly as he heard the stair above him creak alarmingly, and in a wave of his wand he had all of Harry's possesions altogether, and shrunken to fit in the pocket of his robes. He shut the door, only to see a very angry Vernon Dursley in it's place, with his shotgun inches from his own forehead.


"I warned you once freak, but you didn't listen when I told you to get out of my house," Vernon snarled furiously, gently tensing his finger on the trigger, "so now you will die, the same way as that blasted Owl that brought the boy his letter.


Snape, to his credit, stayed amazingly calm for someone very close to being shot by a madman.


"I will not be spoken to in that manner by -anyone-," Snape growled in a low voice, "Least of all by an ignorant muggle like yourself." Vernon turned purple, and pulled the trigger of the gun making a defening bang, just as the gun flew from his control. Snape fell dropped to his knees, clutching his shoulder tightly.


He looked up to see Dumbledore standing at the top of the stairs, supporting Harry with one hand, the gun in the other. Before he could recover he felt a sharp pain in his side- Vernon had kicked him soundly in the ribs- and rolled over, curling up on his good side, trying to catch his breath. The next thing he heard was a heavy thud as Vernon crashed to the ground unconscious, and faint creaks of the stairs.


***************************************************************************


He he, trying to keep you on your toes. I really like these cliffhangers huh? Oh well, I have only half finished the next chapter so I can't post it yet or it will be too short. I will update it sometime soon- tomorro or the next day- so keep checking bak k guys?


R/R- no flames please, and yes I am trying to write a halfway decent story, so don't wrek it.