My Father's Shadow

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A.N. I'm sorry about the long wait, but I've been grounded from the computer for a while.

Chapter 4

Satisfaction Brought it Back

Severus attempted to wait patiently as the boy-who-was-his son struggled along the very empty corridors. It seemed that with the vanishing of his glamours, his injuries had come to the forefront of his mind. That is unless....

"Potter what exactly was in those glamours?"

Harry stumbled then glared at him, "I wove a pain reliever in, and now you've demolished it!"

The boy's voice w as full of indignation but Severus was astonished. For someone his age to weave a pain reliever was amazing. But hell if he would let Harry know that he thought so.

"If you could make a pain reliever, why didn't you heal yourself?"

Harry recoiled at his tone, but didn't answer. Severus lost his patience. He turned around abruptly ands Harry fell back in fear. Picking th boy up (and inwardly grimacing at how little he weighed) he changed course and headed toward the Hospital Wing.

Harry was shaking at the contact but Severus ignored this and unceremoniously dumped the boy on the bed and called for Madame Pomfrey. Poppy hurried out of the room in an agitated manner, but stopped ins hock at the sight of the shuddering wreck.

"Oh dear, who do we have here?" she asked in a horrified voice.

Snape sneered. "Dumbledore can inform you of that at his own discretion. But right now will you please heal the boy while I fetch the headmaster?"

*******

When Severus and Albus entered the room, the first thing they noticed was the flustered medi-witch trying to pry open a ball like Harry. "Come now dear. Let me take stock of your injuries."

"Petrificus Totalis," cast Snape for the second time today. Harry's body snapped open and became rigid. Dumbledore stared at the Potions Master in shock while Pomfrey quickly got her bearings and cast a spell to list his injuries. She read it aloud, disbelief ringing in her tone.

"Injuries Include:

• 3 broken ribs

• Complete fracture of the right arm

• Sprain in left foot

• Lacerations across the body

• Infected sores

• 5 chipped teeth

• Extended malnutrition resulting in a weight of 75 pounds"

If possible, Poppy's horror grew as she went down the list, and when she reached the last, her face went ashen and her fists clenched together. Pomfrey took deep calming breaths, then got to work, stripping off Harry's clothing so she could see the extent of the damage done. Severus and Dumbledore watched, one inwardly attempting to remain impassive, the other with tears streaming down his weathered cheeks.

When she turend him over to treat his back however, she let out an anguished cry at the words scrawled on his back. She turned to Severus and pleaded with him to tell her what was going on.

"Why do you ask me?" he asked, annoyed.

"Maybe because he's your spitting image," she retorted.

Severus turned away from her. He noticed Albus' reprimanding look and muttered sullenly, "He's my son."

Pomfrey's voice was cold. "And did you cause his injuries?"

Severus whirled around defensively. "No!"

Pomfrey's voice softened. "Just making sure." Then she was herding the two men back out of the Hospital Wing.

As Albus and Severus stood out in the all waiting for the Hospital Wing's matron to consent for them to go back in, they had an intense conversation.

"Who did it?" asked Dumbledore.

"I don't have any idea," Severus answered stiffly.

"He didn't tell you?"

Severus let out a short back of laughter. "I had to stupefy him just to discover his injuries. He had glamours on—with a pain reliever woven in. A pain reliever Albus! A pain reliever, but not a healing."

The headmaster's eyes widened in surprise but he decided not to broach the subject quite then, better to wait and ask the boy why then.

"If he had glamours on, how did you realize that he had injuries? Were the glamours coming off?"persisted Albus.

"I seriously doubt that any spell that boy does would come undone. No, it was his mannerisms Albus. I well know the signs of an abused child. And the signs have never stood out more clearly than this. He was flinching, shivering, huddling into a ball, the boy is a bundle of nervous fear."

That was all that was said until Madame Pomfrey came back out. Her eyes were once again filled with tears. "I healed him as best I could physically. I fixed his teeth and I healed his ribs. I got rid of most of the new cuts–but there's still a lot I can't get rid of. Those will have to heal naturally, because I have reason to believe they're self-inflicted. And magic can't heal intentionally self-inflicted wounds. I couldn't get rid of the scars..." she stopped as the tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Severus, Albus.....the word on his back was put there boy someone else. But those on his legs—I believe he put those there himself. There's something else....." she stopped then and couldn't seem to go on.

"What is it Poppy," queried Albus in a gentle voice.

"Professors....I have reason to believe that the boy was...sexually mistreated....repeatedly."