Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All I own is my original characters and settings that will come up later is the story.

I am rewriting/adding parts of this story to improve it and get rid of inconsistencies. If you see any let me know.

Guys, there are so many inconsistencies in this story that it's not even funny. Why didn't anyone tell me? Oh well. More have been erased at this point. Tell me if you still find some in these rewritten chapters.

Another chapter rewritten and HUGELY EXTENDED. I've surprised even myself with this one. Tell me if it's improved if you've read it before. And if you're a 'virgin' ,so to speak, just drop a line and tell me how it's going.

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Lupin slammed the door open and dropped into a seat at the kitchen table. His face was sallow and the bags made his eyes appear to be sunken into his skull.

Dumbledore rested his hands on the table. His blue and purple sleeves spread out from his arms. "That is everyone. What has happened Severus?"

The eyes of everyone in the room were locked on him. Severus turned toward the door and pulled his hood further forward, the fabric brushing his cheek. Nymphadora was tilting her chair back and forth, keeping it on the back two legs. She would be lying on the floor within minutes. He turned back to face the table. "The Dark Lord is somehow affecting Potter."

"What?!" Lupin's chair hit the ground. The table shook as he moved forward and knocked into it. His hands were shaking.

Severus rolled his eyes. Bloody werewolf couldn't control himself for a moment. "I was summoned. He instructed me to observe Potter and to find out if he seemed about to break."

Lupin rung his hands. "I knew something was wrong." He ran his hands through his hair and moved toward the door.

"Calm down Remus." Dumbledore laced his fingers together. "We shall send someone to observe him. Decide if Harry is--"

"He is not well." Severus raised his head higher. "I have already been there." Arthur Weasley shifted as he leaned back against the sink. Moody narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

Lupin dug his nails into the tabletop, dropping his head and sucking in air. He dropped back into the chair and the legs clattered against the stone floor.

Dumbledore rested a hand on Lupin's shoulder. "How was he?"

Severus gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. He brushed a smudge of dirt off the front of his robe. "He did not notice me approach him. He was in a park of some kind near his home staring at the ground. When I called his name he fell to the ground and barely evaded being smacked in the face with the swing on which he had been sitting." He turned and peered out the window. The windows of the muggle houses on the street were dark except for one of the upper window of the house across the way. A boy with a black string hanging from some muggle contraption over his ears spun around and jumped back and forth. "When I attempted to assist him to his feet he fought against me and ran, running into the fence that surrounded the park before heading toward his house. He was panicked. I followed at a distance to make sure he managed to make his way back to his home. When he entered the dwelling I left."

"And why shouldn't he panic?" Lupin jumped out of his seat as if it were molten lead. He spun from the table and paced in front of the stove. "Some strange man in black attacks him in the park, and after what happened last year with the dementors, why shouldn't he run? He knows there are people after him. He's being cautious." Lupin grabbed the chair, and shoved it toward the table, which vibrated as it connected. "I mean, Merlin, you just attacked him!"

Severus stalked forward three steps before he stopped himself and pushed his wand back into his sleeve and out of his palm. "I did not attack him and he knew very well who I was."

Lupin threw his arms in the air and growled. "How do you know that?"

Severus smirked and glared at him. Too bad the creature couldn't see his face. "He may not have been wearing his glasses but with the distance between us he could see me fine."

Lupin slammed his fists on the table. "You can't know that!"

The air was filling will the salty scent of anxiety. "His aim suggests that his vision was fine."

Lupin's shoulders dropped and a barely audible whine escaped him. "What?"

Severus yanked the hood back, the rough fabric scratching against his cheek and jarring the broken skin. The fabric pooled around his neck fully baring the four bloody fingernail scratches running the length of his cheek.

The hovering legs of Nymphadora's chair smacked into the stone and she fell into the table. Such a shame.

"Merlin!" Arthur Weasley stepped closer and started to raise his arm before checking himself and collapsing back against the counter. "Harry did that?"

Severus locked his eyes on Dumbledore. "Yes. I do not know what the Dark Lord is doing to that boy, but I doubt he can take much more of it." The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. The wind rattled the window in its casement. Lupin's heavy breathing covered the silence of the room. Nymphadora's eyes were locked on his cheek, Arthur was shaking his head and mumbling silently to himself, and Moody's magical eye was spinning in its socket while the other squinted at him.

Lupin sunk back into his chair rubbing his hands over his face. "What do we do? If he's getting violent--I never thought he'd attack anyone--at least not one of his professors. What is that bastard doing to him?"

Dumbledore stood up slowly, his fingertips pressed against the tabletop. "I doubt that Voldemort expected us to remain unaware of this situation. He cannot touch Harry physically while he is with his relatives. If we remove him that barrier will be gone. That may be his intention."

Severus walked farther from the table and stared at the wall. Protecting bloody Potter. He had hit rock bottom. Ruining his own world for that impertinent brat. Severus suppressed the growl trying to escape. It wouldn't do anyone any good to allow the Dark Lord to get the results he desired. He closed his eyes before turning back to the table. "Unless we send Potter somewhere that the Dark Lord won't be able to find him."

"Where?" Arthur shook his head and blinked his eyes back into focus.

Severus took a deep breath. Trust Potter to screw up every single part of-- "The Academy."

Moody turned his wandering eye toward him. He shifted in his chair and pulled his coat closer around him. "I've never heard of it."

Hexing the man will not help. It would be enjoyable but then the Dark Lord would get what he wanted and that won't help anyone. "That is the point of the suggestion. Extremely few English wizards know that it exists and even those that do would be hard pressed to discover where to find it."

Moody stood and stalked toward him. "Then how do you know about it?" The magical eye rolled around in its socket.

He forced himself to remain still as Moody invaded his personal space. "I am aquatinted with the headmistress."

Arthur moved toward him and Moody took the hint and moved back to his place at the table. "It's a school?"

Severus nodded slightly and tensed his fingers. The air brushing against his cheek was causing the scrapes to itch. After this he would finally be able to heal them. He would no longer need the proof to explain his claim. "It is. The classes continue through the summer for those that wish to stay."

Lupin stood again and shuffled around the table toward him. "And they would just let Harry come?"

Severus glared and the wolf stopped moving forward. "Yes."

Lupin leaned against the wall and sniffed. No doubt trying to smell the boy on him to try and prove that he really hadn't seen the boy and was lying. "Why?"

He had to prove everything beyond a doubt. It was becoming tiring very quickly this night. He was going to leave the boy to suffer if this wasn't resolved in half an hour. "It is of no importance."

Lupin's mouth dropped open like a fish struggling to breath as it flopped around on the floor of a boat. "No importance? Who exactly is this woman?"

Dumbledore broke in. "He will be safe there. It was established after Voldemort was defeated. And as few wizards, if any, even know of the founder's existence Harry should be safe there." He locked eyes with each person in the room. "This would solve the problem of his safety. If he truly feels that he is not safe at Privet Drive this should provide him protection that he can see instead of him having to rely on magic that he cannot sense. When can you contact them?"

Severus nodded and pulled his robe tighter around him. A chill breeze flowed past the cracked window casement. "I will do it tonight."

Dumbledore nodded and clasped his hands in front of him, his sleeves falling forward to cover them. "If the answer is yes then Harry must be taken there directly before any more damage is done. When you receive the answer contact Remus. The two of you will collect Harry and take him there."

Severus clenched his teeth. "I can--"

"And considering Harry's reaction to you last night, having another wizard he trusts with you should make the process easier." The twinkle was back in his eyes.

Meddling fool. That creature does not need to know about--"I understand."

Dumbledore inclined his head and dropped his arms to his sides. "I suggest that we all return to our duties until Harry is safe or we need to find another course of action." The kitchen slowly cleared out, Nymphadora taking Lupin's arm and pulling him through the door. "Severus." He walked over as Dumbledore lowered himself back into his seat. "Do you have any theories of what is being done to him?"

Severus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Potter has survived numerous encounters with evil incarnate. Whatever led him to this point must have been horrific."

Dumbledore sighed. "Do you believe removing him from his relatives care will do any good?"

He pulled out a chair and sat. "Part of the problem is no doubt his reaction to Black's death and his face to face encounter with the man cannot be helping him feel secure. The Academy can help him with both of those problems. If it is something more," he glanced out the window as the light went out in the muggle house, "If the order did not notice anything and he did not feel the need to reveal any problems he was having, perhaps people completely lacking in tact and subtlety will have better luck." He grabbed his forearm. "I must go."

Dumbledore patted his shoulder. "Of course. Be cautious."

"As always." Severus stood and moved to the door. Dumbledore's eyes were gazing out the window. There was nothing but darkness beyond the glass. He turned and left the house. He moved past the anti-apparation barriers surrounding the property and hurried to answer the summons, building up the barriers around his secrets.

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Review please. Criticism will be GREATLY appreciated at this point. 'I love this story' makes me feel all fuzzy inside and I'm happy to have it, but I'm really trying to improve this story.