Harry moaned - he had hoped he had passed out, as to not wake up this morning.
"POTTER!"
Harry turned over and looked at his door. Some of the light that usually crept its way under was blocked by the shadow of Vernon.
"GET UP, FREAK! Time to make us our breakfast."
Harry heard his Uncle's footstep grow fainter as he trudged down the stairs. He painfully rolled himself off his bed and landed onto the floor with a loud thud, which was followed by a nearly inaudible crack. He slowly got himself to his feet, and swayed a little, before grasping the door handle desperatly for support. Holding back his tears, he slowly opened the door and stumbled down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
Harry had just begun to take the plates out of the cupboard when Hedwig flew into the kitchen window, and into the sink with a small but loud splash.
"Hedwig!!" Harry hissed. He pulled the snowy owl out of the sink and dried her with a tea towel. Hedwig flapped onto the drying board and held out the leg contaning Severus' reply. The ink had run badly, but he could make out a few crucial words.
"Tolerate...Longer...inform the Order. S.S?"
Harry looked from the letter to Hedwig a number of times.
"Hedwig...did you take this to Snape?"
Hedwig gave Harry on of her smalls hoots that usually meant 'yes'. Harry sighed - but then again, he was the desperate.
Harry was just about to write a reply, when he noticed Vernon standing at the kitchen door, looking livid and deadly.
"So," he breathed menacingly, "So..."
Harry gulped.
- - - - - - - -
Lucky for Severus, the two people he needed most were still at Grimmauld Place. They had had a meeting only a few hours ago, and they had remained for reasons unknown to Severus.
"Severus, what is-?" Molly Weasley began. Severus held out the letter from Harry. She squinted as she tried to make out the lop sided words into some a little more coherent as she read it out aloud.
"Please...come...kill anytime?"
"Molly, let me read it," came the soft voice of Remus Lupin, who snatched the letter from Molly. With his sharp werewolf sight, he re read the letter as it was originally written. Molly gasped loudly, clasping both her hands over her mouth.
"Remus, would should we do?!"
"Rescue him comes to mind," Remus said calmly, scrunching the letter up in his hand angrily, "I'll go, tonight. I know where he lives."
"So do I," Severus said quietly, "And I know more curses then you could ever hope to know, Werewolf. So I'm going."
"You will tag along. I can distract them, and get harry - you can deal with that bastard of an uncle," Remus growled - it wasn't in his nature to swear often, and when he did it was obvious that he was angry.
"And what about me?" Molly piped in. She never liked to feel left out.
"Notify Poppy, bring her here, or....just tell her. Most likely we'll come back here, so tell her to either meet us here or..."
"At my family mansion," Severus said, much to the surprise of Molly and Remus.
"Severus, I know for a fact you've never liked Harry, but...I don't know, it's just that I've never imagined you allowing a Potter into your house."
Severus shot Remus one of his infamous death glares.
"Just saying."
"How long would it take for us to fly to Surrey?" Severus enquired.
"About...3 hours. From here, and including the state of our broomsticks," Remus said, poiting to a rusty pair of broomsticks propped up in the corner of the room.
"Then we fly now."
Grabbing a broom each, Severus and Remus both mounted them and kicked off, and soared out of the window. Severus muttered something under his breath, and both he and Remus blended into the sky like human chameleons.
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"Which way is Surrey?"
- - - - - - - -
Harry found himself, again, gripping his pillow which such might he thought he might rip it, as Vernon Dursley brought out what had become his new best friend, and continued to lash Harry around the back with it. Harry bit his lip so hard he could swear he was drawing blood.
'Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream...'
Yet his mental reassurance wasn't enough to stop Harry from crying so loud windows could shatter after his fifteenth lash.
"Did I ever recall telling you to speak?..."
Usually, Harry wouldn't reply to these rhetorical questions, yet for some reason he found himself struggling to get up off the floor, and finding no strength in himself to do so, he bit Vernon on the leg.
"OW - FUCK! Why...y-you insolent, little..."
Harry could have slapped himself if he had the strength.
'Mental note to self: when you have no strength, don't try to retaliate.'
- - - - - - - -
"Severus, I honestly think it's dark enough."
"We're not going anywhere until that light goes off."
"But Severus, that's a different house."
"We cannot be seen."
"But Severus, they're not going to see! There isn't even anyone IN the bloody window!"
"Yes, but - OW! You trod on my foot, Werewolf!"
"See?! It's bloody dark enough!"
"Not until the light goes out! Don't make me hex you, Werewolf!"
"Not if I hex you first, you bas-"
But Remus' threat went unheeded as Severus stepped out into the street, meaning that the Muggle light had finally gone out.
Severus pressed his fingertips against the Dursley's front window, getting a good view of the inside. It looked like quite a plush place, with all the most modern furniture.
"Alright, Werewolf. Apparate inside."
Severus shut his eyes briefly and apparated inside. Where he had taken the surrounding air with him, the magic he had used make a loud 'pop', which echoed off the walls.
"Upstairs. I can hear something."
From upstairs footsteps and general clamour could be heard. Remus looked around, still fascinated by the muggle furniture.
"Werewolf, can you hear what's going on up there?"
Remus shut his eyes as if he were in deep thought. After a minute or so, he opened hie eyes again.
"I heard a bed creek, it sounded heavy. I take it that fat bastard Dursley finally rolled into bed...we'd best go up there."
They carefully climbed the stairs, Remus carefully poking at the muggle electric lamps that lined the stairway.
"Which one is Harry's bedroom, do you wonder?" Remus said sarcastically, as he pointed to a room with about fiteen locks on the door.
Severus strode over to the door, and whipped out his wand. He circled all the locks with it, before muttering 'Alohomora'.
All the locks snapped off and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Severus and Remus winced, hoping that the Dursley's hadn't heard that.
Severus hesitated to open the door, merely looking at the handle. Remus took the lead, and pushed down the handle with equal anxiety.
As soon as the door was opened a foul stench hit them. They winced, but continued to tread cautiously into the room.
"Harry?..."
"Werewolf..." Severus said breathlessly, pointing at a bundle of rags in the corner.
Remus gasped, and went pale.
- - - - - - - -
Crouched under a dilapidated table was Harry, in the flesh, or what was left of it anyway. He was shivering, despite it being a warm summer night. He was merely skin and bones, with tears and cuts all over his body, along with some heavy bruising that shined purple. His usual ebony hair was patched with grey, and was sticking in clumps.
"Dear Lord..." Remus gasped. He couldn't manage anything else. Severus was staring at him, with a vacant face. Remus slowly knelt down next to him.
"Harry?..."
the frail figure lifted its head up to look Remus in the eyes - even Harry's emerald eyes, with usually shone a vivid emerald, had lost its colour.
"Proffesor Lupin?..." Harry managed. he coughed weakly.
"Shush...no need to call me Proffesor anymore..."
"...Remus?" Harry rephrased, putting on a weak grin.
"Yes, Harry...we're going to take you away from here."
Harry managed another very weak grin.
"Great," was all he could manage, before his head lopped onto his chest. Remus scrambled for his wrist.
"He's got a pulse...guess he passed out...Severus?"
Severus was still staring at Harry with an emotionless expression. Here, Harry Potter, son of the man who made Severus' life a living hell, lay near to death, and he felt a pang of sympathy spread through his body, along with more emotions...horror, shock....guilt? Was that it? He wasn't sure.
Remus scooped Harry up into his arms.
"C'mon. We'll have to apparate back to Grummauld Place, I-"
Remus' sentence was cut off when Vernon Dursley barged into the room, brandishing the rifle he had attempted to shoot Hedwig with.
"Oh, no you don't," he said, with an evil grin plastered to his face.
He pulled back the trigger. A loud boom erupted from the barrel - and the bullet first went through Severus' left arm, before lodging itself in Remus' left shoulder. Another bullet was fired, this time at Severus' leg, and it was a direct hit. Severus grabbed onto a coathook on the wall for support.
Remus'surprisingly, held back his screams, and held onto the limp Harry with even more force.
"Remus-" Severus started. He was cut off by Vernon jumping on his figure.
Severus felt like he was going to be sick. He bent over forwards so that Vernon flew over his and into the wall, and he raised his wand once more.
"CRUCIO!"
The bolt of magic shot at Vernon, and hit him in his side. He writhered in pain, screamed and twitched, and Severus found he didn't care.
"Mind you, this doesn't even scratch the surface of how much pain you've caused Potter..." He turned to Remus, who was wincing in pain, "Remus? Ready to go?"
Remus gave him a painful nod. Severus put his right hand on Remus' right shoulder, and apparated out of the house, into the street, and back to Grimmauld Place, where they were both greeted by Molly Weasley and Poppy, who both let out a gasp.
"Harry - Remus - Severus-" Molly gasped, trying to take in all their injuries. Severus had walked away with a gunshot to his left arm and a large graze that cut into his flesh on the back, aswell as the gunshot wound to his leg, Remus had a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and Harry was covered in so much bloody rags that they couldn't make out his injuries.
"Remus, let me take him," Severus said, holding out his arms for Remus to put Harry in. Almost as soon as he moved his arms, he let out a small cry of pain. Severus quickly caught Harry and layed him on a makeshift bed, which was compiled of many blankets for a matress, and a few small cushions to make up for a large pillows. Poppy took over, shoving them all out of her way. She tipped a few vials down Harry's throat with little ease, before whipping out her own beach coloured wand and pressing the tip against where she could clearly make out broken bones.
About 10 minutes later, she sighed and stepped back.
"Right. That's all the broken bones. he'll have to heal the emotional pains himself."
Remus had been watching from a distance, clutching his shoulder. He sighed with relief, before walking slowly over to Harry and stroking his forehead.
Severus limped over to the sofa nearby, and let himself fall onto it, and winced with pain, before blacking out.
"POTTER!"
Harry turned over and looked at his door. Some of the light that usually crept its way under was blocked by the shadow of Vernon.
"GET UP, FREAK! Time to make us our breakfast."
Harry heard his Uncle's footstep grow fainter as he trudged down the stairs. He painfully rolled himself off his bed and landed onto the floor with a loud thud, which was followed by a nearly inaudible crack. He slowly got himself to his feet, and swayed a little, before grasping the door handle desperatly for support. Holding back his tears, he slowly opened the door and stumbled down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
Harry had just begun to take the plates out of the cupboard when Hedwig flew into the kitchen window, and into the sink with a small but loud splash.
"Hedwig!!" Harry hissed. He pulled the snowy owl out of the sink and dried her with a tea towel. Hedwig flapped onto the drying board and held out the leg contaning Severus' reply. The ink had run badly, but he could make out a few crucial words.
"Tolerate...Longer...inform the Order. S.S?"
Harry looked from the letter to Hedwig a number of times.
"Hedwig...did you take this to Snape?"
Hedwig gave Harry on of her smalls hoots that usually meant 'yes'. Harry sighed - but then again, he was the desperate.
Harry was just about to write a reply, when he noticed Vernon standing at the kitchen door, looking livid and deadly.
"So," he breathed menacingly, "So..."
Harry gulped.
- - - - - - - -
Lucky for Severus, the two people he needed most were still at Grimmauld Place. They had had a meeting only a few hours ago, and they had remained for reasons unknown to Severus.
"Severus, what is-?" Molly Weasley began. Severus held out the letter from Harry. She squinted as she tried to make out the lop sided words into some a little more coherent as she read it out aloud.
"Please...come...kill anytime?"
"Molly, let me read it," came the soft voice of Remus Lupin, who snatched the letter from Molly. With his sharp werewolf sight, he re read the letter as it was originally written. Molly gasped loudly, clasping both her hands over her mouth.
"Remus, would should we do?!"
"Rescue him comes to mind," Remus said calmly, scrunching the letter up in his hand angrily, "I'll go, tonight. I know where he lives."
"So do I," Severus said quietly, "And I know more curses then you could ever hope to know, Werewolf. So I'm going."
"You will tag along. I can distract them, and get harry - you can deal with that bastard of an uncle," Remus growled - it wasn't in his nature to swear often, and when he did it was obvious that he was angry.
"And what about me?" Molly piped in. She never liked to feel left out.
"Notify Poppy, bring her here, or....just tell her. Most likely we'll come back here, so tell her to either meet us here or..."
"At my family mansion," Severus said, much to the surprise of Molly and Remus.
"Severus, I know for a fact you've never liked Harry, but...I don't know, it's just that I've never imagined you allowing a Potter into your house."
Severus shot Remus one of his infamous death glares.
"Just saying."
"How long would it take for us to fly to Surrey?" Severus enquired.
"About...3 hours. From here, and including the state of our broomsticks," Remus said, poiting to a rusty pair of broomsticks propped up in the corner of the room.
"Then we fly now."
Grabbing a broom each, Severus and Remus both mounted them and kicked off, and soared out of the window. Severus muttered something under his breath, and both he and Remus blended into the sky like human chameleons.
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"Which way is Surrey?"
- - - - - - - -
Harry found himself, again, gripping his pillow which such might he thought he might rip it, as Vernon Dursley brought out what had become his new best friend, and continued to lash Harry around the back with it. Harry bit his lip so hard he could swear he was drawing blood.
'Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream...'
Yet his mental reassurance wasn't enough to stop Harry from crying so loud windows could shatter after his fifteenth lash.
"Did I ever recall telling you to speak?..."
Usually, Harry wouldn't reply to these rhetorical questions, yet for some reason he found himself struggling to get up off the floor, and finding no strength in himself to do so, he bit Vernon on the leg.
"OW - FUCK! Why...y-you insolent, little..."
Harry could have slapped himself if he had the strength.
'Mental note to self: when you have no strength, don't try to retaliate.'
- - - - - - - -
"Severus, I honestly think it's dark enough."
"We're not going anywhere until that light goes off."
"But Severus, that's a different house."
"We cannot be seen."
"But Severus, they're not going to see! There isn't even anyone IN the bloody window!"
"Yes, but - OW! You trod on my foot, Werewolf!"
"See?! It's bloody dark enough!"
"Not until the light goes out! Don't make me hex you, Werewolf!"
"Not if I hex you first, you bas-"
But Remus' threat went unheeded as Severus stepped out into the street, meaning that the Muggle light had finally gone out.
Severus pressed his fingertips against the Dursley's front window, getting a good view of the inside. It looked like quite a plush place, with all the most modern furniture.
"Alright, Werewolf. Apparate inside."
Severus shut his eyes briefly and apparated inside. Where he had taken the surrounding air with him, the magic he had used make a loud 'pop', which echoed off the walls.
"Upstairs. I can hear something."
From upstairs footsteps and general clamour could be heard. Remus looked around, still fascinated by the muggle furniture.
"Werewolf, can you hear what's going on up there?"
Remus shut his eyes as if he were in deep thought. After a minute or so, he opened hie eyes again.
"I heard a bed creek, it sounded heavy. I take it that fat bastard Dursley finally rolled into bed...we'd best go up there."
They carefully climbed the stairs, Remus carefully poking at the muggle electric lamps that lined the stairway.
"Which one is Harry's bedroom, do you wonder?" Remus said sarcastically, as he pointed to a room with about fiteen locks on the door.
Severus strode over to the door, and whipped out his wand. He circled all the locks with it, before muttering 'Alohomora'.
All the locks snapped off and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Severus and Remus winced, hoping that the Dursley's hadn't heard that.
Severus hesitated to open the door, merely looking at the handle. Remus took the lead, and pushed down the handle with equal anxiety.
As soon as the door was opened a foul stench hit them. They winced, but continued to tread cautiously into the room.
"Harry?..."
"Werewolf..." Severus said breathlessly, pointing at a bundle of rags in the corner.
Remus gasped, and went pale.
- - - - - - - -
Crouched under a dilapidated table was Harry, in the flesh, or what was left of it anyway. He was shivering, despite it being a warm summer night. He was merely skin and bones, with tears and cuts all over his body, along with some heavy bruising that shined purple. His usual ebony hair was patched with grey, and was sticking in clumps.
"Dear Lord..." Remus gasped. He couldn't manage anything else. Severus was staring at him, with a vacant face. Remus slowly knelt down next to him.
"Harry?..."
the frail figure lifted its head up to look Remus in the eyes - even Harry's emerald eyes, with usually shone a vivid emerald, had lost its colour.
"Proffesor Lupin?..." Harry managed. he coughed weakly.
"Shush...no need to call me Proffesor anymore..."
"...Remus?" Harry rephrased, putting on a weak grin.
"Yes, Harry...we're going to take you away from here."
Harry managed another very weak grin.
"Great," was all he could manage, before his head lopped onto his chest. Remus scrambled for his wrist.
"He's got a pulse...guess he passed out...Severus?"
Severus was still staring at Harry with an emotionless expression. Here, Harry Potter, son of the man who made Severus' life a living hell, lay near to death, and he felt a pang of sympathy spread through his body, along with more emotions...horror, shock....guilt? Was that it? He wasn't sure.
Remus scooped Harry up into his arms.
"C'mon. We'll have to apparate back to Grummauld Place, I-"
Remus' sentence was cut off when Vernon Dursley barged into the room, brandishing the rifle he had attempted to shoot Hedwig with.
"Oh, no you don't," he said, with an evil grin plastered to his face.
He pulled back the trigger. A loud boom erupted from the barrel - and the bullet first went through Severus' left arm, before lodging itself in Remus' left shoulder. Another bullet was fired, this time at Severus' leg, and it was a direct hit. Severus grabbed onto a coathook on the wall for support.
Remus'surprisingly, held back his screams, and held onto the limp Harry with even more force.
"Remus-" Severus started. He was cut off by Vernon jumping on his figure.
Severus felt like he was going to be sick. He bent over forwards so that Vernon flew over his and into the wall, and he raised his wand once more.
"CRUCIO!"
The bolt of magic shot at Vernon, and hit him in his side. He writhered in pain, screamed and twitched, and Severus found he didn't care.
"Mind you, this doesn't even scratch the surface of how much pain you've caused Potter..." He turned to Remus, who was wincing in pain, "Remus? Ready to go?"
Remus gave him a painful nod. Severus put his right hand on Remus' right shoulder, and apparated out of the house, into the street, and back to Grimmauld Place, where they were both greeted by Molly Weasley and Poppy, who both let out a gasp.
"Harry - Remus - Severus-" Molly gasped, trying to take in all their injuries. Severus had walked away with a gunshot to his left arm and a large graze that cut into his flesh on the back, aswell as the gunshot wound to his leg, Remus had a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and Harry was covered in so much bloody rags that they couldn't make out his injuries.
"Remus, let me take him," Severus said, holding out his arms for Remus to put Harry in. Almost as soon as he moved his arms, he let out a small cry of pain. Severus quickly caught Harry and layed him on a makeshift bed, which was compiled of many blankets for a matress, and a few small cushions to make up for a large pillows. Poppy took over, shoving them all out of her way. She tipped a few vials down Harry's throat with little ease, before whipping out her own beach coloured wand and pressing the tip against where she could clearly make out broken bones.
About 10 minutes later, she sighed and stepped back.
"Right. That's all the broken bones. he'll have to heal the emotional pains himself."
Remus had been watching from a distance, clutching his shoulder. He sighed with relief, before walking slowly over to Harry and stroking his forehead.
Severus limped over to the sofa nearby, and let himself fall onto it, and winced with pain, before blacking out.