Harry Potter sighed as he looked out the window of Sunnydale High's cafeteria. There wasn't a single person in Sunnydale High that he knew in order to fill the silence, not that it was actually silent, as the cafeteria was always buzzing with noise. Harry had moved to Sunnydale just before Halloween, taking Severus Snape with him. Severus was acting as his guardian, and helping Harry adjust to a life without irreparable trauma.
Harry was 14 when his uncle finally snapped. With the constant night terrors of what happened to Cedric while in the Tri-wizard Tournament, Vernon took things too far. He had beaten Harry to unconsciousness, then raped him for hours on end afterward until the early morning. After he had left Harry broken and bleeding in his room, he locked the six deadbolts tight and told his wife and child not to say a word.
Harry had been left in that room for the four days and nights following without food, water, or medical attention. Infection had set in, and his unconscious mind stayed blissfully blank and delirious at the same time. On the fourth day, Petunia couldn't help but check on the beaten boy while Vernon was at work, and almost threw up everything she had eaten that day. The scent that came through the cat flap on the door was enough to make her gag. She agonized over what to do. What does one do in these situations? Call for an ambulance? Of course not, she would probably be arrested immediately. Try to clean the wounds herself? That would probably make his condition even worse. She thought of only one person that might be able to heal him that already knew about magic.
So Severus Snape received a phone call in Spinner's End at 12:30pm on July 16, 1997 (1). Why would he have a phone you ask? Because some things in muggle life are unavoidable, even for a wizard, and he needs to have a phone number in order for them to contact him. Severus put down his potions notebook and headed to his phone. He answered, thinking it was some company or another.
"Snape Residence," he drawled. He barely had enough time to finish those two words when the person on the other line began talking at top speed.
"I need your help please! Vernon's gone too far. I think Harry is dying. You are the only wizard I can turn to. Please Severus!" He stood in silence at the phone, wondering who could possibly know his first name, and that he is a wizard.
"Who is this?" Was the only thing he could muster up for a response.
"Petunia. Petunia Dursley. Please, you need to come to Number Four Privet Drive immediately. Harry Potter is gravely injured. It's an emergency!" She was in hysterics. Severus thought it might be a prank call at first, but the utter fear in the caller's voice had him reconsider.
"I will be there shortly." Without anything else he disconnected the call. He grabbed his potions bag and apparated to Privet Drive.
Severus was slightly surprised when he was able to apparate directly into the house. From what Dumbledore had told him, there were wards to prevent such a thing from happening. He stood in the foyer for a second, trying to determine where Petunia and Harry may be. He heard some slight sobbing coming from up the stairs, so he made his way toward the sound. When he found where the two were, he confirmed his suspicion that Harry wasn't quite as pampered as he once believed. He almost lost his composure seeing the seemingly dead teenage body being hovered over by a distraught lady.
"Step away. I must work quickly with the least amount of interference possible." Petunia obeyed immediately, moving away from Harry to stand by the door. Severus reached into his bottomless potions bag and drew out some blood replenisher, skele-gro, essence of dittany, and infecto pugnator(2) so that he is able to move Harry without worsening his condition. He worked as fast as he dared, giving Harry potions, and muttering healing spells underneath his breath. It took almost a full hour before Harry was stabilized enough for Severus to stop working. He turned to Petunia, and demanded to know how Harry could possibly end up in this state.
"Vernon got upset at the - the screaming during the night. It happens all night long, never ending. He did this four days ago. He hasn't woken up or made a noise since. Vernon threatened me and Dudley not to say anything, not even to open the door. Said he'd know if we did. But the smell - oh god the smell - it was just so horrible I couldn't stand it anymore. I didn't know what to do when I saw him. So I called you, I didn't know who else.." She trailed off once again into sobs, shielding her eyes from the nephew she never wanted.
Severus sighed, and rubbed his hand over his face in exhaustion. Healing took a lot of energy and magic. "I will be taking him out of your care, and I will contact the appropriate services to get yourself and your son away from your husband. I fear what he will do should he figure out you contacted anybody about Harry. Where are his effects?" She shakingly told him that they were under the stairs, or destroyed. "What do you mean destroyed? What was destroyed exactly?" Severus felt like he would soon get a headache if this situation lasted too much longer.
"Well, Vernon s-snapped the wand and broom, and killed the bird. I'm not sure if he touched anything else." Severus sighed for what he felt like tenth time in an hour. He wanted to get out of this god forsaken house as quickly as possible.
"Forget about his stuff then. Make sure you tell this to no one else. I'll be taking my leave with him now." Petunia could only nod in response. "I advise you to pack your valued possessions as fast as you can, and your son's as well." He levitated Harry's prone body into his arms, and quickly apparated away from the house.
Once the pair got to Spinner's End, Severus almost dropped Harry by accident from how magically exhausted he was. He found one last burst of strength left in him to set the unconscious boy on the couch to comfortably lie until Severus was able to safely move him to a proper bed. He wanted to do nothing more but collapse in his bed for a really long sleep, but he still had to inform someone of Petunia's… situation. He called the muggle police, and told him that there was a woman and her teenage son waiting for police assistance to keep them away from her mentally unstable and extremely dangerous husband. After that he placed another phone call to one of his old friends with muggle connections, and made arrangements for them to stay at a safe house.
When Severus finally managed to get to his bed, he fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
Severus slept for fourteen hours after taking Harry Potter to his home. It was now 4 am, and he woke to the sound of an alarm going off. He immediately jumped out of bed and rushed down the stairs to the boy on the couch. He was convulsing. Shortly thereafter Severus had seen this he shoved a calming draught, pepper-up, and blood-replenisher down his throat. Anything to make it stop. Harry lied still once again, breathing shallowly and raspily, but no longer convulsing.
With the way Harry was at the moment, Severus was unsure of how long it would take him to wake and once again walk around healthily. It could be hours with the very best scenario, or months at the worse. Well, the best of the worst. He didn't even want to think about the absolute worst case scenario. All he could do was hope, as ludicrous as that sounded to him.
It took two weeks of constant care under Severus for Harry to wake up. It was July 30. One day before his fifteenth birthday, not that Harry knew that yet. He woke disoriented, but feeling a lot better than he did before, which kind of scared him. Just how long was he unconscious? Because the only possible way he could feel this good was for him not to feel anything - right?
Harry opened his eyes, then quickly closed them against the harsh light that seemed to blind him. He whimpered slightly, he didn't want to open his eyes again in case he was once again blinded. He braced himself this time, only opening his eyes at a fraction, then opening them wider once he realized the room was darker than before. He studied the patterns on the ceiling, then slowly moved his gaze around the room, shifting his head slightly. He paused on the other inhabitant in the room, watching him for a few moments before shifting his gaze around the room more. He was in a bed, in a room with bookshelves filled to the brim that lined three of the four walls from ceiling to floor.
He didn't stay awake very long, but as he fell back asleep he had the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Harry slept for another ten hours before waking once more. He woke in relatively the same state, but this time Snape was sitting in a chair beside him, reading a tome and drinking a cup of tea. Although it wasn't quite the scene he was expecting, somehow it was still far from strange.
"Oh good. You're awake. Let's hope you stay that way this time hmm?" Hearing Snape speak solidified the situation in Harry's mind, and he started to remember what had happened.
Oh god please stop you're killing me please it hurts so bad please.
Harry closed his eyes, trying to ward off the intrusive thoughts. He didn't want to remember. He wanted the whole thing to go away.
Please anything but that please just get away from me I'll do anything please leave me alone oh god it hurts.
His breath hitched, then he started coughing. A glass of water with a straw was pushed toward him. He tried to get as much water as possible, but it was pulled away from him. He tried to follow it, a slight whine leaving him. "You need to drink it slowly. If you don't you'll end up choking." The water was presented to him once again, and this time he heeded the advice should the water be taken away from him for good.
I'm so thirsty please I won't ask for anything else again not even food oh dear god please help.
Harry took a shuddering breath as he pulled away from the water he felt he had been denied for a hundred years. He looked up at his teacher, and tried to figure out how this situation came to be. "What… what happened?" He started to sit up, but got gently pushed back down.
"I have helped you recover from your… altercation," please stop oh lord it hurts please, "with your uncle." Harry flinched at the term. "You have been at my home for the past two weeks. Today is July 31st. I suppose it might be appropriate to say 'happy birthday?'" He smiled sardonically, then smoothed out his face to one holding concern. "Are you dizzy at all? Nauseous? Do you need to sleep any longer? I administered a potion to you to numb any pain that you might still be experiencing. It should last for a few more hours. Let me know if you feel any pain, even slight."
Harry was confused, after all the potions professor didn't have concern for anybody, least of all him. "Why did you help me? You hate me."
Severus shook his head. "I made a vow to your mother long ago that I would do anything in my power to help you. I got a little lost with my goal I guess. I'm sorry I treated you the way I did, but I needed to keep up appearances in case the Dark Lord ever rose again, which evidently, he has. But I have never hated you Harry. I want to help you."
"Oh. I didn't know that you knew my mother. Was she nice?" Severus told him she was one of the nicest people he had ever known. The two talked for hours, both feeling unnaturally comfortable with the other. Eventually, Severus brought up the idea of going away. He knew that Dumbledore couldn't be trusted, and he didn't want any chance of the man finding them when he finds out what happened. The conversation was diverted by Harry, "How long did you say that pain potion was supposed to last?"
"To be perfectly honest it should have worn off by now. Do you feel any pain at all?" Harry shook his head.
"The opposite. I can't feel my legs. Why can't I feel my legs if the potion has worn off?"
AN: Honestly considered leaving the chapter there, but I don't want to be that mean.
Severus didn't have an answer for that. There wasn't any evidence that there was damage to the spinal cord during the past two weeks, even with the diagnostic scans. So the possibility of being paralyed does not quite pan out. Of course, there was the slight chance that something didn't show up on the diagnostic scan.
"I am going to cast a version of the diagnostic scan that analyzes every last detail in your current state of being. Unlike the regular charm that only provides major damage reports. Do you understand?" Harry nodded. "Good. Damna inspicere." (3) A piece of parchment a foot long materialized before them. The writing was small enough that Harry couldn't see what was written from two feet away.
There was only a few minutes of silence before Severus made a slight noise of realization. "It appears that there was some damage to your brain that caused your nerves to seize and be pinched. This does not mean you are permanently paralyed though. It will need some physical therapy and an anti-paralysis potion(4). However, this is a very rare potion, and it takes three months to brew. And I don't trust anybody other than myself to make these kinds of potions."
Harry went through several different emotions when he heard what Severus told him. Fear, relief, hope, more fear, and finally trust; that he could truly trust Snape. The thought almost scared him. He didn't know if he should trust anyone after what he had been through.
"Will I need a wheelchair then? Or am I too damaged to even do that." The last part came out slightly bitter.
"You will need a wheelchair, and it will be hard at first to find the strength. With practice and support I have confidence that you will return to your full potential." Severus offered the younger a half-smile, that he was uncomfortable doing, but felt that it might help. "Now we need to figure out what to do from this point on. Would you like to come away with me Harry? We can start a new life far away from everything here. In America maybe. How would you feel about that?"
Harry listened with wide eyes. He would like that more than anything. The only thing that could possibly keep him in Britain were his two friends, but they never write, or when they do write they don't want to know how he is doing. They only want to talk about themselves. Harry let out a breath.
"I would like that more than anything"
So Harry is back where he started. Sitting in the cafeteria of Sunnydale High in his wheelchair watching students sit outside with their friends, talking about everything and anything under the sun. He hadn't really warmed up to anybody here yet, nobody really wanted to talk to the new boy covered in scars in a wheelchair. He did receive a lot of stares though. Harry sighed, then decided to make his way to class. It took longer to get from place to place while in a wheelchair, so he figured it would probably be a good idea to get to class when the halls aren't quite as full whenever possible.
He was making his way past the principal's office when a blond girl came rushing out and knocked into him. His chair jerked, causing his books to fall off of his lap. He groaned, then bent over to pick his books back up.
"You should probably be more aware of your surroundings." He gave her a tight smile, then wheeled away. As he was leaving, he heard the blond talk to somebody.
"What's his problem?" the girl was saying. Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with how he acted. So what if he was a little… standoffish?
"Can I have you? Shit. Um, can I help you?" There was a bit of silence.
"Thanks. I guess. Hey, do you know who the guy in the wheelchair is? I'm Buffy. I'm new."
"Xander. Is, is me. Hi. Um, I think that's Larry? He's new too. Kinda avoids the general population." The voices were covered up by the noise of more students flooding the halls to get to class. When he got to his class, he had to move the chair out of the way so that he could fit behind the desk.
They were learning about The Black Plague in History class today. Or more commonly known as The Black Death in America. Harry noticed a trending theme in America of the inhabitants preferring to stick to 'dumbed down' terms that were easier for them to understand. They took notes the whole class, and as soon as the bell rang Harry left the class. He was excused from his PE class until he got out of his chair, and he only did his physical therapy in the comfort of his own home, so he had a free period. Severus encouraged him to read some books to broaden his knowledge on basic subjects and take his mind off of what had happened to him. Harry was inclined to listen.
So while the majority of the student population were in their scheduled classes, Harry was on his way to the library to find some new books to read and talk to his fellow brit Mr. Giles.
When Harry reaches the library doors, he is almost hit by them by the same blonde girl from before, Buffy, who stutters out an apology then rushes off. "Mr. Giles, I came to get a new book. Are you quite alright?" Giles had a weird look on his face, like he couldn't figure something out.
"Uh, yes. Quite. Thank you Harry. How did you find The Unguarded Ghost? It is a most fascinating read. One that most people don't get to appreciate nowadays. Would you care for a spot of tea?" Harry agreed. The library was the only decent place he could get a cup of tea without going to his home. And seeing as how he can't leave campus until Severus is done work to pick him up, he was stuck at school until that happened.
"So what are you in the mood for today? Some romance? History or science?"
"I was thinking something a bit more… interesting. Would you mind if I take that one?" Harry was pointing at the book on the counter, which had Vamyr written on the front cover. "I always enjoy a bit of far-fetched legends. Don't you?" Harry smiled. Of course he knew vampires were real. Can't exactly have an uncle werewolf without believing other things existed too.
"Are you sure? I-I mean we could find you something more… appropriate." Mr. Giles took off his glasses and wiped them off with the handkerchief in his pocket. He looked slightly nervous.
"Oh I'm sure. Do you mind if I sit and read it here? I promise to be not much of a bother." Mr. Giles looked like he might protest, but gave him the go ahead anyway.
Harry spent the next few hours reading until Severus came by to pick him up. As he was usually in the library when Severus came to pick him up, Severus and Mr. Giles were also quite friendly. They often talked for a half an hour before Harry noticed his guardian was there. Harry was more than halfway done the book when he noticed Severus. He apologized, and began to pack his things away.
"Do you mind if I take this home tonight? I'll be done with it by tomorrow, so it should still be in the condition it left in." The emphasis on should didn't shock anyone in the room. Harry's magic tended to explode with high emotions and mess with his environment. Pipes bursting, ceilings and floors collapsing, stuff like that. Thankfully it only happened once in a blue moon, and a very small amount of books were damaged.
"I, uh, I guess it would be alright. I shall see you both tomorrow." The two wizards departed with short farewells and returned to their American home.
After the two returned home, they ate supper and did Harry's physical therapy exercises. The physical therapy also involved him taking several daily potions to help. Harry was glad he only had a few more weeks in the wheelchair to deal with. Then he could enjoy walking again, and being a (relatively) normal height. He didn't know if he would want to make friends though, after all, if they didn't want to get to know him in the wheelchair why would they want to know him out of it.
Harry hoped that the rest of the week would be relatively easy. He did not want to have any more homework than necessary. After all, he had found a new genre of books that he wanted to learn all about.
(1) - Harry Potter age moved up by 2 years to fit with timeline, so he was born in 1982
(2) - Latin for infection fighter
(3) - Latin for damages inspect
(4) - Potion found on Harry Potter Wiki
