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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Severus' knee connected to the stone floor. He gritted his teeth to hold back a wince. The meeting places were always changing. He never stayed in one place long enough to be caught. He pressed his head against the cold rock. The dust swirled around his face and flew into his eyes. "My Lord."

Fabric brushed against itself, the faint sound almost overshadowed by the dripping of water onto the floor in the far corner behind the Dark Lord. "What of the boy?"

He is acting like a lunatic, but that is no different from usual. Severus shifted to take his weight off his throbbing knee. "He is--skittish, my Lord. He jumped at every sound."

The chair groaned as the joints were forced to twist from their normal positions. His boots clicked on the stone. "Yes. You have done well Severus." A hand brushed the hair off his neck. "He will no doubt do something foolish, leaving him wide open for me." The chilled fingers trailed down his skin. Goosebumps rose over his entire body. The fingers lifted and he retreated. "Go now. I have things to prepare."

"Yes my Lord." He pushed himself to his feet, keeping his eyes on the ground. He turned and left the house. His skin tingled as he passes the anti apparation barriers and he disappeared.

Lupin tugged at the collar of his muggle shirt. He was completely dressed in brown and looked like a scraggly beast that should be put out of its misery. "How do we do this?"

Severus rolled his eyes. These people were muggles. They'd believe anything we told them. "I suppose we walk up to the door and tell the muggles we're taking him."

Lupin scanned the street. "What if he doesn't want to go?"

Oh yes. What if the boy doesn't want to leave the disgustingly happy little neighborhood where every house looks exactly the same? Four people down the street were washing their nearly identical automobiles. Severus held back a shudder. So this is what hell is. "Then we knock him unconscious and take him anyway."

Lupin grabbed his arm and yanked him a step farther from the house. "What?! You can't--"

"Be silent. He must be removed for his own safety. I will not let his stubbornness stand in my way." He shook off Lupin's arm and glared at him. "And after all, isn't that why you are here? To convince him?" The air was saturated with the sharp scent of recently cut grass and the mulch these creatures covered their gardens with. "Let us do this already." We stand in the middle of the street staring at this house while the wolf decides to do exactly what we have planned to do. Any longer and someone will notice and wonder why we are here. It will be suspicious enough when the boy disappears for the rest of the summer.

Lupin clenched and unclenched his fists. He ran his hands through his hair and glanced around the street again. "All right. Let's go."

Finally. Severus walked up the path to the front door. How are you supposed to look intimidating when you are wearing these ridiculous clothes? He knocked on the door and moved to the side as Lupin moved closer behind him.

The door swung open. "Yes?" An enormous man stood holding the door. "How can I help you?"

Lupin's face would have been comical if it wasn't hurting their cause. It is not wise to look disgusted when you are about to ask for something. Severus moved to block Lupin from the man's view. He kept his face blank. "We're here about Potter."

The smile dropped from the man's face and his moustache started twitching as he looked over the two men standing at his door. Severus let his wand slip into his hand far enough for the man to see. The color drained from his face and his eyes darted up and down the street. He hustled them inside, peering around the edge of the door before shutting it. "We didn't lock him in his room. He locked himself in. He refused to eat. It was his choice. We couldn't stop him. Whatever he's been telling you--"

Lupin pushed his way ahead. "He locked himself in his room? How long has he been in there?"

The man scuttled back, nearly tripping over the coffee table and falling onto the couch. He scrambled back onto his feet. "Two days. Dudley found him crammed in the corner. I don't know what he's been telling you but we--"

Lupin spun and glared at Severus. "You said--"

He grabbed Lupin's arm and hauled him backward. "Can we see him?"

The man pulled up his belt. "He's not going anywhere." He walked down the hall and through a door into the kitchen. "Useless freak that boy. Always has been." The door swung shut. Severus kept his grip on Lupin who kept throwing his body weight forward trying to go after the idiot. "Lupin! We're here to get Potter, remember? Killing his relatives is not going to accomplish that any quicker."

Lupin sagged and Severus released him. They walked up the stairs. Everything was covered in carpet and the walls were covered in pictures of a boy nearly as fat as the man who was no doubt currently stuffing his face in the kitchen. Lupin walked directly to one of the doors and knocked. "Harry? Are you in there?"

"Go away." The voice, muffled by the door, shook.

Lupin glanced back and moved closer to the door, pressing his ear against it. "I can't Harry. I need to talk to you."

Nothing moved. The tub of lard was muttering about something in the kitchen. "No."

Severus rolled his eyes. If they didn't need the boy alive-- "Enough of this." He pushed Lupin to the side and twisted the doorknob.

Lupin moved him away from the door and slipped in front of him. He turned the knob and pushed it open. It bounced off something and clicked shut again. Lupin scrunched up his eyes. "There must be something in the way."

He rolled his eyes and shoved Lupin to the side. He opened the door slowly, pushing against the obstruction.

"Go away!"

Useless little-- "Potter--" The room plunged into darkness with the sound of shattering glass.

Lupin shoved him aside and pushed into the room. "Lumos." Books, quills, papers, and clothes littered the floor. The lamp, broken into a dozen pieces, lay on the floor next to the desk the cord still plugged into the wall. "Harry?" Lupin moved across the room weaving around the obstructions. His wand light washed over Harry, curled up and hugging his knees, under the desk. "Harry?"

"Not here not here not here can't hurt me can't hurt me." His face was pressed into his pants his eyes squeezed shut.

Lupin reached the desk and knelt. He stretched out his hand and rested it on Harry's knee.

He jumped and pressed himself closer to the wall. "Not real not real not real can't hurt me."

"Merlin." Severus moved behind Lupin and stared down at the shivering boy. "What's wrong with him?"

Harry pushed himself flush against the wall and banged his head against the side of the desk again and again. "Not here not real can't hurt me."

The light shook. Severus pulled out his wand. "Lumos." He scanned the room. His trunk was turned on its side and the entire contents had been scattered over every surface left standing in the room. "I saw him two days ago. He wasn't--We have to get him out of here now. You try and get him out from under the desk and I'll gather his things."

Lupin babbled soothing words that had no effect while he magicked everything back into the trunk. The boy had stopped whacking his head against the wood but he still flinched every time Lupin tried to touch him. "We don't have time for this." Severus walked over, pulled Lupin out of the opening, grabbed the boy's arm, and pulled him out.

Potter started shaking violently. "No no no no no no. Not here not real can't hurt me." He squeezed his eyes shut, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Lupin grabbed Potter from him and framed his face with his hands. "Harry? Harry, it's Remus. Everything's okay. Open your eyes. Please."

Potter started hiccupping and pulling in air. "Lupin?"

Lupin brushed the tears from his cheeks. "Yes, it's me. You're okay. You're safe."

He shook his head, his rat's nest hair flying everywhere. "Never safe. Never clean. Can't make it stop."

Lupin pulled him closer and rested Potter's head on his chest. "Can't make what stop? Harry, what's wrong?"

Potter pressed closer to him. "Can't leave. Can't sleep. Have to stay awake. Have to stay safe. Can't get me if I'm here."

Lupin grimaced at Severus. "Harry, We--I'm here to take you somewhere safe."

Harry opened his eyes and pulled back. "Safe here. Anywhere else he can find me, can get me, have to stay here."

Lupin tilted Potter's head up. "Harry, when's the last time you slept?"

Harry pulled away and wrapped his arms around his chest. "Can't sleep. He'll get me there."

Lupin moved toward him and Potter sprung back and threw his arms out. Lupin held up his hands in surrender and took two steps back, glass crunching under his feet. "Who will get you?"

Potter closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself again. "Snape. He lied. He's with them. Can't stop him." His breathing sped up. "Can't get away. Can't stop him. Can't make him stop."

Lupin moved forward and turned Potter's face back to him. "Can't make him stop what Harry?"

Potter's knees collapsed and he fell to the floor and curled up, wrapping his arms around his knees babbling to himself.

Lupin turned slowly. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he looked down at the shivering boy. "It's in his head. How do we get him away from his own mind?"

Severus clenched his fist around his wand. "I don't know. I don't--We have to follow the plan. We can't leave him here. They can't help him, and from what we've seen I doubt they care enough to try."

Lupin stared out the window. "But this plan of yours no longer fixes the problem. It won't make him any safer. It won't let him sleep."

The Dark Lord wanted him broken. What if he succeeded? "Maybe they know some way to help him that we do not. Maybe they have a way to shield his mind until he can do it himself." He forced his fingers to relax before he snapped his own wand in half. "Not that it is likely that he will ever learn if his past performance is any indication." He glanced around to see if anything was left lying around that he'd missed. "The Academy is entirely different from everything you've ever been exposed to. Maybe they are different enough to be able to help him."

Lupin stared at Harry who had stopped babbling and was rocking back and forth staring at a broken piece of glass next to his foot. "We don't have very many options do we?"

"No."

Lupin sighed. "He at least won't be able to find Harry there?"

Severus shrugged. "Nothing is guaranteed, but I think he will be safe."

Lupin nodded and moved forward. "Then let's go."