A/N: Hello and thank you for all your reviews once again.
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Ch.6 A place where sun doesn't burn
"POPPY!"
"Where's the fire?" Poppy Pomphrey exited her room and went into the infirmary looking sleepy and in the most ridiculous clothing Snape had ever seen next to those of Albus Dumbledore, and that was saying something.
"Mr. Potter fainted about five minutes ago, I'll just leave him here and be on my way" said Snape coldly at the same time he was roughly setting Harry in a bed.
"Thank you Severus" answered Poppy as the stonehearted man exited the Hospital Wing.
Madame Pomphrey started checking her new patient and gasped when she saw all the blood covering him, she opened his shirt and saw nothing. Staring deeply in thought she resolved that he was probably wearing a glamour and went over to get her wand. To say she was shocked after the incantation to remove it was said was an understatement, she slowly retreated to fire-call the headmaster.
&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&
In the Gryffindor Common Room, Ron and Hermione were seated gazing at the fire.
"I'm telling you Hermione, it's been too long, Harry should be back already"
"Where do you suppose he is?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know! All I'm saying is that he should be back."
"I've got an idea!" said girl stated, "Why don't we check on the Marauders map? You do know where it is don't you?"
"Yeah, wait here I'll go get it" this was said and Ron went up to the dormitories and got the map out of the drawer where they had kept it since third year.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", Hogwarts revealed it self before the two worried friends.
"See Hermione I told you, that greasy git killed him!" Ron said while signalling the place where the name Harry Potter was, the infirmary.
"Ron don't be stupid, if he was dead his name wouldn't be visible, besides maybe he just had a headache and went to the infirmary to get a potion to stop it, and in case you have forgotten Professor Snape's a member of the Order and Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have let him get away with it." Hermione said matter-of-factly and at the same time stressing the word Professor.
"Professor Dumbledore is in there with Harry. Why don't we take the invisibility cloak and go see what's happened?" He said mocking Hermione as he said the word Professor.
"You've got to start behaving like the prefect you are, you've got to set an example, and a good one that is. Taking the invisibility cloak out of Harry's trunk without his permission is not ethical."
"Hermione! What if he is hurt, or maybe he's been cursed or something? He won't mind! We have to help him," Ron pleaded
"All right, but just for you to know, I'm only doing this for Harry" she said after a moment of thought.
&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&
Albus face was adorned by guilt and sadness as he looked at the boy lying in the Hospital bed.
"What's happened to Mr. Potter?" Albus asked, his eyes never leaving said person.
Hermione and Ron entered the Hospital Wing under the invisibility cloak and positioned themselves close to where Harry was, but making sure to keep a distance as for not being spotted by the Headmaster.
"Oh Albus! It's horrible, he's got several broken bones, bruises and cuts all over his body, a rather nasty looking one on his chest I might add, and" Poppy stopped for a moment.
"And?" Albus asked impatiently.
"He's been raped," she said softly, her composure breaking as a couple of tears left her eyes. "This was definitely done by those muggles Albus, the worst of their kind that is, they are as close to a Deatheater as anyone could be! Torturing a boy…"
Both friends tried hard not to gasp after this was said, they didn't want to give themselves away. They looked at each other and in silent agreement headed back towards the Gryffindor tower.
"Why didn't he tell us? How could I not notice something like this was happening? And here I was thinking I was doing what was best for him." Dumbledore said not believing what he had heard.
"I can tell you this is not the first time this has happened…potions and spells will heal all his physical wounds, but the emotional will take much more than that, he's going to need all the help he can get."
"I know who can help him, he'll just need a bit of persuading, after all five years of hate can't be easily forgotten."
&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/
A knock in Severus' chambers so late at night made him assume that the one knocking was non other than the Headmaster so he didn't move from the place where he was sitting grading papers and continued his work since the portrait guarding his chambers - his hideout - would let said man in anyway. Not a second after he'd thought this, he heard his door opening.
"Severus my dear boy, how are you tonight?"
"I'm fine Headmaster, and not to be rude or anything what do I owe this visit?"
"Straight to business as always I see." Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling madly in anticipation to what was going to be said.
Severus kept quiet in hopes for the headmaster to tell him whatever it was he needed to tell him so that he could continue grading, he still had an awful lot to do and the dunderheads he had for students made his work harder.
"There's a student in Hogwarts who's been, let's say, mistreated and I know you are the best person to offer him help."
Snape's interest peaked and he looked at the old man in the eye, "And who might this student be?" he asked he wanted to know who this person was, he had to be informed before he agreed on anything.
"Harry Potter," he said and waited for the other Professor's tantrum.
"What?" Severus asked thinking that perhaps he had misheard what had been said.
"Harry Potter," Albus repeated patiently.
"Just tell me Headmaster what kind of mistreatment could that boy" he spat the last couple of words "have undergo?"
"You'd be surprised, all I can say is that I sure was"
"No" Snape said simply.
"I'm afraid I can't take no for an answer"
"But Headmaster, he's probably faking it he just wants more attention, need I remind you that the words mistreatment and abuse don't apply when a child's every wish is not granted when he wants it and how he wants it" the Potions Master said almost as if he were lecturing the older man.
"I know that my boy, why don't we both go to the Medical Wing so that you can hear what has happened from a Mediwitch's point of view"
"But…" Snape tried to stop Dumbledore's non-sense, no avail since he was already waiting for him outside his chambers.
&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&
Back in the Gryffindor Common Room…
"I didn't know Harry's relatives were and could be so cruel to him," Hermione said sadly.
"Those muggles are going to pay for what they did first the bars outside his window and now this!" Ron said angrily.
"I can't believe we didn't notice, I mean he was acting rather strange but I decided to ignore it, I thought it was all related with Sirius dieing…what kind of friends are we?" Hermione asked Ron softly shortly followed by "how are we going to act towards him now that we know what's happened?"
The question was left hanging, it didn't seem to have an answer, they both headed to their dorms for the night.
/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/
Snape couldn't believe his ears, he was sure the Potter brat had been spoiled just like his father. He had assumed that the scenes he had seen while practising Occumlency with the boy were some kind of punishment to deflate his ego, but he had been wrong.
"See Severus, I told you this was not just some way fro Harry to seek for attention," the Headmaster said.
"What do you expect me to do Headmaster? Hug and comfort him until he feels better?" Snape said sarcastically, even though he was impressed he still didn't want to help James Potter spawn, he still loathed him regardless of what had happened.
"No, I know you have detentions with him every night for a month, I want you to use that time to speak with him and try to help him," Dumbledore answered.
"Can't you ask someone from his fan club to help him?" the Potions Master said desperately in hopes to set himself free from what Albus wanted.
"He needs a third person who will not pity him for this, you are the right person" Albus solemnly told him; "please Severus do it as a favour to this old man"
'Meddling old coot, backstabbing me like this'. Albus knew manipulating Snape that way always worked, and after a moment of silence,
"All right, I'll do it, but I won't be anywhere close to nice to him," Snape said "I am not nice," then he rudely exited the Hospital Wing.
"Thank you my boy!" Albus said after him, I'll inform him as soon as he wakes up.
/&/&/&/&/&/&/
Harry opened his eyes slowly, the light was blinding, 'Where am I?' was the first thing he thought, ' White, clean, light…I must be in the Hospital Wing, I'm sure I've broken a record not a week's passed since term started and I'm already here…Oh no!' He remembered previous night events with dread, 'I was in the Astronomy tower, Snape came along and I can't remember what happened next; Wait just a second!' he was fully awake now, 'If I'm here it means…'
"Glad to see you are awake Mr. Potter, here drink this," the nurse said while handing Harry a vial filled with some awful smelling potion. Harry looked at it with disgust.
"Drink it now, it will make sure your wounds don't get infected," she said.
With one big gulp he drank it and handed the vial back to Madam Pomphrey, "Good boy, you wait here while I inform the Headmaster you are awake, after that you may go eat breakfast in the Great Hall, no, scratch may, you must have breakfast, you need to gain some weight."
He started looking for a way to escape; he didn't want to face the Headmaster…too late.
"Mr. Potter, how are you this morning," Albus asked cheerfully.
"I'm fine, Sir" Harry answered not looking at the man.
"Why didn't you tell us about what your relatives were doing to you Harry?" the Headmaster said softly his face turning serious looking for eye contact.
"Why didn't I tell you?" Harry asked him back "I didn't tell you because I AM HARRY BLODDY POTTER! THE BOY-WHO-LIVED! I JUST COULDN'T TELL YOU!" he was screaming now; he turned to look at the Headmaster realising what he had just done.
"I'm sorry Professor, I…"
"Don't worry, I know it's a big burden the one we've placed upon you. I want to help you".
"Thank you Headmaster".
"You need to have someone to talk to when you feel the need, so I've assigned this task to Professor Snape, you will start tonight during your 'detention', and after all of them are over, you'll both decide when to continue your meetings".
"Snape?" Harry said unbelievingly.
"Yes Harry, Professor Snape." Dumbledore answered
"I'm sorry sir, but why him? He hates me"
"He has a lot of experience with this sort of things, he will help you if you let him, now, go have some breakfast you'll make Poppy happy, have a good day", and with this, Albus left.
Harry couldn't believe he was actually going to have to talk with Snape of all people, he'd probably make him worse if anything; he got out of bed and saw that elves had brought him a clean school uniform and left it in a chair, he quickly changed and headed towards the Great Hall.
"Mr. Potter please come back tomorrow so I can check on you and give you some potions if needed", the nurse said before he left.
"Yes, Madame Pomphrey".
&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&
He got to the Great Hall and spotted his two friends already eating, he went and sat next to Ron.
"Hi guys", he said forgetting everything that had happened the night before and the conversation with the Headmaster, his friends were the only thing he had even if they were absorbed with each other and ignored him every now and then.
"Hi Harry", they both answered at the same time, it wasn't a normal answer Harry noticed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked thinking that perhaps they had fought and weren't too happy.
Ron and Hermione hesitated, they both had agreed on telling his friend about hearing what had happened to him and offer him their support.
"Well you see Harry" said Hermione "yesterday we got worried when you didn't get back to the Common Room before curfew so we checked the Marauders map and saw where you were", Harry got the feeling that the conversation was not heading towards where he would like it to.
"So" Ron continued "I told Hermione we should go check what was wrong with you, she didn't want to at first but I convinced her, and then I got your invisibility cloak and we went to the infirmary…" he stopped.
"We know what they did to you Harry, why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you, we still want to" Hermione said and looked at Harry with what could be interpreted as pity.
"Yes mate, you could have come to stay with us or something, you know just to be away from them," Ron said shortly after, his look resembling that of Hermione.
'Great, just great, last thing I wanted was them finding out and then pitying me, my day just gets better and better' Harry thought sarcastically, ' they are my friends, they shouldn't pity me at all', he was angry now.
"You know what, I'm not hungry, we've got Herbology first I'll see you there," he stood up and left.
"Wait!" Hermione screamed after him, but he didn't stop.
&/&/&/&/&/&/&
Classes, lunch, and dinner that day were very much the same, Harry avoiding Ron and Hermione at all costs and them trying to get him to speak to them, that's all they wanted, and of course they didn't want to lose his friendship, but they couldn't treat him just the same after finding out about his treatment; and all Harry wanted was to crawl into a hole and either disappear or die.
The time came for Harry to head towards the dungeon and begin his 'Snape-therapy' of the day.
'Better and better' he thought again before knocking.
&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/&/
A/N: Another chapter! I'll try to update again as soon as possible.
