Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this, or anything Harry Potter-ish
Chapter 19
Severus bent down and kissed his sons forehead, he turned to see the startled looks of those too young to fight, he glared at each one in turn
"Take care of my son" he said and with that he too apparated. Ron turned to look at Hermione
"Did he just say Harry was his son" Hermione didn't respond she was very pale.
Severus arrived in the middle of the battle, he didn't care if he was caught as a traitor or not he needed to protect his son and to do that he had to protect these muggles. Death Eaters were throwing all they had at the wards, the order were hexing the Death Eaters, he saw the twins working as a tag team, one would hex the other would breathe the result was a continuous stream of Petrificus Totalus', Stupefy's and array of hex's it was quite impressive.
"Severus!" Albus called him over
"What Albus" he said in between hex's
"Get inside and get the out the wards will not hold much longer" Severus turned and barrelled into the house, there was an argument going on upstairs, he followed the sound, Vernon was trying to throttle his son, but Dudley was big enough and ugly enough to prevent
"It's all your fault!" Dudley was shouting, Petunia was sitting stunned on the bed.
"Shut up you stupid boy you don't know what you're talking about!"
"It's your fault if you just left him alone they wouldn't be here now!" Severus guessed the 'him' in question was Harry. He pushed the door open; three frightened faces looked at him.
"Severus" Petunia whispered from under her breath. Vernon was livid
"You know him!"
"Of course I do Lily bought him to meet us" she snapped. Severus glared at all of them stopping further comment
"Get up" he sneered pulling the portkey from his pocket Petunia obeyed he pushed it into her hand and glared at Dudley
"Touch it" too afraid to argue Dudley did what he was told. Severus put his wand to the portkey
"Escape" they both disappeared as the wards came crashing down.
Harry regained consciousness in time to hear Ron ask Hermione about Severus. He looked to see how his other best friend was holding up, she was pale. Not taking it well then he thought glumly. Ginny was the first to notice he was awake, she too looked shocked.
"Is it true Harry?" the other two heads whipped round so fast he thought they might have whiplash, all attention was back on him. He hated it and pulled himself up into a ball.
"Harry? Please answer" Hermione moved to the arm of the chair. Harry just nodded, and sighed waiting for hell to break loose he was very surprised when it didn't.
"When did you find out?"
"After he took me from the Burrow"
"Snape took you?" Ron was outraged, Harry winced he forgot that wasn't common knowledge
"Yeah please don't be mad Ron, he was worried"
"About what?" Ron was seething
"He didn't think it was safe" as soon as the words escaped his mouth he regretted them
"WHAT?" Ron completely flew off the handle
"OF COURSE YOU WERE SAFE! YOU WERE PROTECTED BY DUMBLEDORE AND WE WERE THERE!"
"It didn't stop him getting me though didn't it?"
"Well if he hadn't left the wards off then we would have known" Ginny also didn't look to pleased that Snape thought her home wasn't safe.
"Look Ron, Ginny please don't" Harry hated people shouting, he normally got hit when people were shouting. He drew himself tighter. Hermione took control.
"What weren't you safe from?" she said quietly
"Obviously that slimly git doesn't think we could stop his muggle relatives, and Dumbledore's wards weren't good enough" Ron spat
"It wasn't them, there was someone else" Harry said,
"Who?" Ron looked disbelieving
"Me" the answer came from the doorway.
Severus glared at Vernon
"I think I owe you for taking care of my son" he spat; the fat man looked very scared.
"Now look h-here this is my house..."
"Not for much longer" Severus sneered he point his wand at the man's head
"You hurt my boy, you sadistic bastard. Seeing you like pain so much have his" before Vernon could process what was going on Snape acted
"Legilimens!" he ploughed into his mind and pushed all the memories he took from Harry into him all the pain, hate, disgust and self-loathing the boy felt was forced on to the man who caused it" Vernon curled up in a ball and started to cry. Snape wasn't finished
"CRUCIO!" the man screamed as the curse hit, Severus stalked up to the ball and kicked him.
"You are never ever going to hurt my son again" he punctuated each word with a kick. His breather was ragged by the time he finished. Vernon was unconscious. Someone in the doorway was clapping, he turned to see Lucius standing there enjoying the show. Severus paled; his cover had just been blown. Lucius looked from the ball on the floor to Severus
"He deserved it" Severus spied the Death Eater warily
"I think that was one thing the entire of our would agree on"
"I must say you're very restrained" Lucius drawled, Severus raised an eyebrow.
"What would you know about it?" Lucius looked at him with a sudden intensity
"I know when I found one of the lower ranks on Draco, I killed him without thinking what the Dark Lord's punishment would be." Severus surveyed the man,
"Someone raped my godson"
"No. Someone tried" Severus glared back at the fat man and then at Lucius
"What are you going to do?" the blonde man smirked
"I am going to close the door and announce to the Death Eaters that the boy and woman escaped but the tormentor met his just rewards" Severus nodded Lucius continued
"and then I am going to report to the Dark Lord that I saw no one here that could possibly be his spy" Severus gawped at him
"Why?"
"Because you were the one who helped me at the meetings and because I will need your favour" Severus was suspicious
"Favour?"
"Yes, to prevent Draco from taking the Dark Mark" with that the man closed the door and left. Severus turned his attention back to Vernon Dursley
"Avada Kedavra" green light exploded from his wand and killed the unconscious man. He turned to leave the room as Kingsley opened the door.
"You? Why would he need protecting from you?" Ron sounded incredulous; Remus took
a breath and entered the room. He sat down next to Harry who pulled further into the arm of the couch.
"He doesn't need protection from me, I'm afraid I scared Harry" he looked kindly at the boy who was trying to edge away. Hermione placed herself between Harry and Remus taking hold of Harry's wrist mimicking the gesture she saw Snape and Mrs. Weasley used, and was surprised to have a similar effect.
"Forgive me Professor, but Harry seems uncomfortable around you, do you mind talking to Ron and Ginny outside?" She was polite as she could manage but she was not going to let this man intimidate her already timid friend. Remus nodded and left, Ron and Ginny stormed out after him. Once they were gone Hermione turned her attention back to Harry.
"Harry, its ok he's gone. Please look at me" Harry did, Hermione was still holding his wrist, her touch made him feel better. She looked straight into his piercing emerald eyes,
"Harry I know you won't tell me what's going on, that's ok I only need to know one thing, is there a reason why you're weary of Professor Lupin?" Harry looked back at her and nodded. She smiled,
"Then I guess Professor Snape was right to take you" Harry felt relief wash over him.
"What about Ron?"
"Don't worry I'll deal with him" a shout in the kitchen got their attention, they bolted in wands at the ready to see Aunt Petunia and Dudley standing in the middle of the room, Harry went white and bolted, he was out the door before anyone could think of stopping him.
Kingsley looked behind Severus to the body in the corner
"Is he dead?"
"Yes. Very dead" Severus placed his stoic mask on his face praying that Albus would be able to keep him from Azkaban a second time;
"Shame I would have like to help" Severus raised and eyebrow
"They don't teach you that in auror training" Kingsley shrugged
"Where are the others?"
"Back at headquarters", Kingsley nodded,
"we better get back to, we're about to lose" Severus nodded, they walked out into the raging battle, upon seeing their return Dumbledore gave the word and the order apparated back to the Headquarters seconds before the dark mark scorched the sky.
Petunia looked like she was going to faint, Dudley just looked sick
"W-where are we?"
"You're safe" Remus spat looking at the door,
"I'm going after Harry" he said to Hermione but she was already blocking his path
"No you're not, you are going to stay here with them, I'll get Harry, he's not scared of me" she spat before turning and bellowing out the door, Ron had calmed a little
"She's almost as good as Snape at that" he observed. At that moment the rest of the order started to arrive in the room, they all looked weary, but the some number that went returned, Tonks misjudged and apparated onto the back of a chair which promptly fell over taking her with it. Kingsley and a few other members sniggered as Severus helped her up.
"Where's Harry?" said looking around the crowded room,
"He took one look at them and bolted" Remus growled
"AND YOU LET HIM GO!!" Severus was angry and scared,
"I didn't let him I couldn't stop him, Hermione has gone after him" Severus rounded on the werewolf and hit him straight across the jaw knocking him to the floor
"If anything happens to him I will hold you accountable" he bellowed out the door everyone watched him go. Remus picked himself up as no one seemed inclined to help him. Albus tried to regain control.
"Yes well now to our…. Guests" his voice was calm but lacked it's usual warmth.
"Where's my husband?" Petunia asked still in a daze.
"Dead" Kingsley replied, she nodded taking this is.
"This is all that wretched child's doing isn't it" she sneered Dudley paled again, insulting Harry when surrounded by his friends did not seem wise.
"If it wasn't for that 'child' we would not have known what was happening and you would have DIED WITH THAT BASTARD OF A HUSBAND!" Molly lost her control with the woman,
"HOW COULD YOU STAND BY AND LET HIM DO THAT? HARRY'S JUST A BOY AND HE TORTURED HIM!" Petunia looked genuinely confused
"Tortured? He was never tortured"
"She doesn't know" Dudley said quietly before anyone could interrupt
"What? What don't I know?" Dudley looked at the ground for a long moment
"Dad, he hurts, hurt Harry"
"Your father had nothing to do with the boy" Petunia snorted glaring at her son.
"I take it you do know though Dudley" Albus said still in a cold voice, Dudley nodded
"He's said I'd join him if I said anything" his mother was looking completely puzzled
"Join him where what's going on?" Albus sighed
"Perhaps you better sit down"
Severus saw Hermione at the back of an alley as he turned out of the street. He stalked up to her, she flinched when he tapped her shoulder he never made a sound
"He's in there and won't come out" she pointed to a small gap in the bottom of the wall, Severus could hear quiet crying.
"Ok thank you Miss Granger, please will you wait over there" he pointed to a large dumpster half way down the alley she nodded realising that Severus he a batter chance of coaxing Harry out of hiding then she did. Severus sighed, he had no idea how his son squeezed through the hole but somehow he had.
"Harry you in there?" something moved, in the darkness
"Lumos" Severus muttered, he wand lit the hole and in the dark he could see two emerald eyes staring back at him.
"Harry, I'm sorry we didn't get back first, but I promise they won't hurt you" Harry didn't move, Severus glanced at the ring he wore, it was dark grey he sighed
"Harry I'm going to talk to Miss Granger ok, I'll only be ten feet away please shout if you need me" He rose, and walked over to Hermione
"Miss Granger will you be ok to walk back on your own this could take some…" he was going to say 'time' but Harry had appeared next to him
"Promise?" he said quietly
"Promise what Harry?"
"They won't hurt me?"
"Yes I can promise you that" Harry nodded, Severus took hold of his wrist and began to walk out of the alley, out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione doing the same thing.
They arrived back at the house just as Dumdbledore had finished filling Petunia in on what her husband had done to Harry. As they opened the kitchen door all eyes were on them, Petunia stared at him
"I didn't know" she said Harry nodded, he watched her as her gaze dropped to his neck, he decided that roll neck sweater might be a good idea, Dudley stared at him, he didn't look as bad, after all he knew most of it.
"You didn't tell them" he said suddenly Harry swallowed
"No I didn't tell them, they don't need to know"
"Know what?" Remus sat up straighter looking from one boy to the other Dudley looked around the room
"Please don't" Harry's voice was trembling.
"Please do" Albus said kindly. Dudley swallowed hard,
"When dad had dinner parties with important people he used to lock Harry upstairs"
"Please Dudley don't tell them" Harry was shaking, Dudley just looked at him remorsefully
"After dinner mum would take the ladies off while dad would discuss business, he want me there to escort any of the men who want to use the toy" Harry slid down the wall, most people in the room were still not too sure what this had to do with Harry. Albus had an idea but hoped he was wrong
"What was the toy?" Dudley swallowed
"Harry" he said quietly there was a collective gasp, Petunia grabbed her son
"Please tell me your lying say this is some sick joke" Dudley looked at his mother
"He want me there to escort the men, he gave me the whip thing and told me to use it if Harry didn't behave. He said if I didn't he'd use both of us" Dudley was deathly white, fighting the tears.
"How many times did this happen" Severus snarled wishing he could bring the man back to life just to kill him again
"I lost count. A lot" he knelt by his son
"Harry why didn't you tell me?" Harry didn't respond, he was even shaking anymore,
"Harry?" Severus said he gently lifted his sons head up, his eyes which had been so bright and alive were dull, their normal passion was gone leaving a lifeless glaze. Severus looked at the ring he wore, it was back to its original silver, he grabbed Harry's hand, he was still wearing his but it too was plain silver.
"Harry come back to me don't do this not now" he was getting panicked, he looked round the room his eyes fixing with Dumbledore's
"Help him, please help him"