Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter

CHAPTER ONE

The soft breeze rustled throughout the trees of Number Four, Privet Drive that night. It was often considered the calm before the storm if it occurred at this time of the night. Inside the suburban home, which looked exactly as it was, a bland suburban house. Though, the gardens did look immaculate. The interior of the house was much the same as the outside too. There was not a single ounce of mess in any of the rooms. Dull cream coloured carpet encompassed the entire house, minus the kitchen and bathrooms which were adorned with the most horrible looking tiles one could ever witness. The entire house carried a sense of order with it and considering the people that owned it, it wasn't difficult to discern why the house was in such a state. Vernon Dursley, the patriarch of the home was a beefy looking man, with short black hair and dark coffee-coloured eyes.

Next in the occupants of this home, was Petunia Dursley, a tall, thin woman with blond hair and pale eyes. Though, the most striking feature this woman possessed was a longer-than-usual neck, which one could assume that she used to look over fences to spy on the neighbours. Their son, Dudley Dursley shared most of his resembling features with his father, at the tender age of eleven he was already very rounded with weight. However, Vernon and Petunia Dursley didn't see their son for what he was and just by the top-of-the-line clothing that he always wore it could be easily noticed how they treated their son. The final member of the household definitely did not look the part of being a member of this family. He was a bespectacled boy, around age ten, with unruly jet-black hair.

Harry Potter was ridiculously underweight, or was that just the look that was generated by the oversized clothing that he was wearing? One could never be sure. The boy had bright, almost glowing almond-shaped emerald green eyes. But Harry Potter did have an even stranger feature…hidden beneath the bangs of his fringe was a scar shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Get started on dinner, boy," Vernon said sharply.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon."

"And don't burn anything or I'll beat you."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon."

This was the unfortunate reality of Harry Potter's life, he lived under the same roof of his Aunt and Uncle who had always hated him…and Harry was never able to discover what that reason might be. If he put even the slightest step into a direction that anyone in this household didn't like, Vernon would beat him, or even Dudley for that matter which the latter's parents both encouraged.

Harry had gotten used to the beatings over the years…and he found if he took it without too much complaint, Vernon or Dudley, depending on the aggressor at the time would eventually get bored and move onto other things. Harry had long given up trying to discover what their reason for the hatred they impressed on him for as long as he could remember. Harry had only even learned that his name was something other than 'Freak' or 'Boy' because Petunia had been forced to give it in Harry's presence when enrolling him in the local public primary school.

"Hurry up, you ungrateful little freak! I'm getting hungry, once you've prepared the meal you are to go back to your room with no food for the night!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry responded again, making a beeline towards the kitchen now. Another thing he'd gotten over time was going days at a time without food. That was his most regular punishment when either his Uncle or Aunt felt that he'd been stepping out of line even an inch.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, an elderly man was seated behind the huge desk in the centre of the room, peering down at the parchment laid on the ornate piece of furniture through his half-moon spectacles, Albus Dumbledore had just received an unsettling piece of news. It was just as he'd suspected, the ministry had not wanted to have Harry raised as a famous, attention-seeking brat, so they sought to place him in the care of his muggle relatives to circumvent any sort of trouble in that regard. If the truth got out, Cornelius would lose his job. Going against the wishes of the Lord of an Ancient and Most Noble Family was a very serious criminal offense. If one was found to have done so they would be lucky to get the dementor's kiss rather than the punishments dealt out in the old times.

Dumbledore had not realized that their treatment of poor Harry would be so wrongly received…this certainly didn't bode well. Originally, he had intended for the school's gamekeeper, Hagrid to go and collect Harry and deliver his letter closer to the beginning of the school year, but now Dumbledore had realized that perhaps that wasn't the best course of action after all. He needed to get the boy out of there as soon as he could.

"Borden?" Dumbledore said in a soft tone.

A thin crack! Sounded throughout the headmaster's office a moment later, a small creature with huge blue tennis-ball eyes came with the sound. The skin of this creature looked to be grey and it was dressed in a tidy-looking suit. A Uniform would circumvent the problems of a house-elf being presented with clothes and Dumbledore had taken pity on Borden for losing his previous master in a freak accident, but the terms of Borden and Dumbledore becoming bonded were down to the fact that Dumbledore wouldn't have the conditions for his elf be so poor as other wizards have displayed.

"How may I be of assisting, Master?"

"I need you to go into the dungeons and fetch Severus for me, be discreet about it."

"As master commands!" Borden gave Dumbledore a little salute, right before he vanished as quickly as he appeared.

Dumbledore knew that sending Severus would be a better idea, he knew the Muggle world better than most and it would be more acceptable than Dumbledore going himself, as much as the Hogwarts headmaster would have loved to fetch Harry and be the one to show him all his firsts in the world of magic, he knew that due to his position in the school he couldn't be allowed to show any kind of favouritism, lest the Ministry got their hands on that information. He would write to Cornelius once Severus was on his way, because this kind of thing could not be allowed to stand. He would also have Severus contact the Muggle authorities as well to see that these Dursleys were properly punished. Albus Dumbledore was a tolerant man, but after all the things that his own father had put him through, he would never accept another child being dragged through it.

It was just unfortunate that he'd been too late with Harry's case, on the other hand…at least he had discovered the information before Harry had got too far into his teenage years, no doubt isolating himself from everyone, which Albus had done himself and it had pushed him to become very secluded even into much of his adult life.

The Hogwarts headmaster would've continued his train of thought had Borden not chosen that moment to return with the requested man named Severus. Severus Snape was a tall man, who possessed neck-length raven hair, a hooked nose and dark-beady eyes. His current dress was a set of formal black-robes with white sleeves wrapped around his wrists.

Severus inclined his head, "Professor, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Thank you Borden, you may continue with what you would like to do until I call for you again."

"Thanking you, Master!"

After Borden had taken leave, Dumbledore turned back to the man who'd just been brought into his office, "Severus, thank you for coming. It has come to my attention that one of our upcoming first-year students is having a horrible case. As a sympathiser with both my own and his experiences…I thought that you might be the best option to help her."

The tone in Dumbledore's voice gave away exactly what the matter of the 'horrible case' was. Severus was angered…since he already had his suspicions about who was the victim, "Was I right?"

"Unfortunately, you were. The Ministry placed Harry Potter into the care of his Muggle relatives thinking that it would be best that he grew up away from his fame, so he didn't turn into some spoiled brat. Unfortunately, The Ministry of Magic did not take into consideration the long-term damage they might do to Harry if they sent him there."

"I'll storm the mini…"

"That won't solve anything, Severus. It wouldn't be wise to be sent to Azkaban over something like this, I need my Potions master for the school year. Although I am not saying that Cornelius will be getting away with it either."

"What do you need my assistance for then, headmaster?"

"I would like you to go and personally deliver Harry's letter to him and take him around Diagon Alley. After that we can decide on who he can stay with until the school term begins."

Severus was silent as Dumbledore relayed his task to him, he had always known that Petunia had been jealous of Harry's mother right from the beginning but to do something like this? To destroy Lily Potter's son just out of spite? There was no real word for how infuriated Severus Snape was right now.

"I'll do it Professor."

"Good. Oh, and Severus?"

"Yes, headmaster?"

"It would be unwise of you to start problems with Petunia. Let the Muggle authorities deal with her and her husband, along with that unfortunate child of theirs. As I said, I need my Potions Master here at the school when term begins."

Severus inclined his head once more, "As hard as it is for me to follow those orders, Headmaster. You have my word that I will not directly attack them unless physically provoked. Find somewhere for him to stay? You're really getting him away from there forever? How did you even get your hands on evidence that the boy has been abused?"

"I can't divulge more at current Severus, I'm sorry. Dealing with the Ministry even if the one sitting on the Minister's chair is a dim-witted buffoon is still difficult and takes time. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. Perhaps we could even have Harry stay at the castle until the beginning of term? It's not ideal but it gives us longer to find a more permanent solution."

"Don't bother," Severus interrupted him, "Once you clear the Ministry issues, Potter can stay with me. Permanently."

"The son of your rival?"

"I'm not so blind as to think that he will be a copy of his father, though he may well look a considerable deal like him if the reports are correct, I'm not going to judge the boy's personality until I actually meet him. Considering that Potter and Harry have grown up in completely different environments. It would surprise me if they have more than one or two traits in common."

"You have grown into a wise man, my friend."

"I had a good teacher," Severus said, a ghost of a smile forming on his pale features.

"I must draw up this letter to Cornelius. You'd better get some rest then head out in the morning and one last thing Severus, make sure that you take Harry to Gringotts and make him aware of the inheritance that has no doubt been hidden from him."

Severus nodded, then turned on heel "Thank you…for this second chance to do right by Lily…"

"Don't thank me. Just make her proud."

"I will."

Once Severus had left the office once more, Dumbledore turned back to the empty parchment before him and suddenly, it struck him what he should write. The Headmaster took a quill from its holder, then promptly dipped it to the page, beginning to write:

Cornelius Fudge

It has come to my attention that due to your Ministry's actions, you have not only opened up an innocent child to an undoubtedly high level of abuse, and in doing so disregarded the will of Lord James Hadran Potter (d. 1981) and Lady Lily Rose Potter nee Evans (d. 1981). As you in your position of Minister for Magic should know the combination of those two disastrous events, the punishment will be severe.

No. I will not accept bribery, this is just your warning. I will be pressing charges in the coming days when I have collected more evidence and get the Muggle courts involved as well. This shouldn't have been allowed to happen and it would not have, had you listened to me.

I will also not be telling you of Mr. Potter's whereabouts following this letter, apart from the fact that he will be attending Hogwarts.

Signed

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Next, Dumbledore would write another letter, this would be addressed to the Muggle Prime Minister, sure it probably wasn't the best idea to take this matter with Muggles but as the perpetrators were Muggles, Albus had no choice.

Dear Prime Minister

We had met some time ago, to discuss certain events that pertained to our circumstances in co-existing in the same environment. Unfortunately, due to evidence that I have obtained from an anonymous source, I have discovered that one of my future students is suffering child abuse at the hands of a family in your world. The boy in question was not meant to be placed with the family in the first place and while I am working on rectifying the situation in terms of the boy who will be collected by a member of the faculty in the next couple of days. I would appreciate it if you could look into having the abusers dealt to within your system of justice since they are not part of my world I cannot directly intervene as I would greatly wish to.

Albus Dumbledore.

One more down, one more to go. Dumbledore had decided in writing that letter, there was another that needed to join this set. He would need someone to know the situation, but at the same time he would need to display the evidence to this person so that Cornelius could get the punishment that was owed onto him.

Dear Amelia Bones.

Ms. Bones, it has come to my attention that a matter of serious urgency has come about. I would like to present evidence against the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge in regards to disregarding the final will and testament of Lord James Hadran Potter (d. 1981) and Lady Lily Rose Potter nee Evans (d.1981). I would also like to present evidence against Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge for enabling child abuse through the disregarding of aforementioned will in regards to one Harry James Potter.

I would prefer to disclose this evidence face-to-face in order to circumvent tampering or any other unforeseen ways that the Minister will utilize to escape the severe punishment associated with the accusations if found guilty. Please meet me in my office at your earliest convenience.

Albus Wulfric Percival Brian Dumbledore

Once the final letter had been furled into a scroll and bound with a charm so that only the intended recipient could open it. Dumbledore tied the scroll to Cornelius to Fawke's leg and spoke softly, "take that to the Minister old friend."

A nod from the Phoenix and Fawkes disappeared in a bright whirl of flame.

"Borden!" Dumbledore called for the second time that night.

Once again, as expected, the house-elf appeared as soon as he was called to.

"Master?"

"I need you to deliver this to Amelia Bones, the head of the department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Of course. Anything else you need sir?"

"Yes, could you also take the liberty of depositing this into a post box on the way? It is intended for the Muggle Prime Minister."

The final letter had been neatly folded and placed inside an ordinary envelope addressed just as an ordinary muggle would address it, minus a small sign that only the Prime Minister would recognize. To any one else it would just appear as an envelope that had 'Matter of Urgency' across the top.

Again, Borden went on his way and Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. Hopefully he could undo the damage that the Dursleys had done to young Harry…and maybe, just maybe he'd given Severus the best chance to perhaps lighten up a little bit more openly. Dumbledore wished nothing but the best for his future pupil and his former one.

x-x-x-x-x

Severus Snape arrived in Privet Drive early that morning, he saw no sense in wasting half the day and opening Harry up to suffer for a full day before finally being pulled away from them as Hagrid would've no doubt done. Severus had no love lost for the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, of course Hagrid's heart was in the right place, however, with Muggles, especially ones that disliked magic a more discreet approach was often the best one. Severus had forgone his robes for an official-looking business suit. It was uncomfortable as all hell, but considering it kind of looked like his usual attire in the wizarding world, the man wasn't about to complain about it…aloud at least.

Severus approached the doorstep of Number Four. The exterior of the house was well-kept and bland. Just as he'd imagined it really, from the short tenure he'd known Petunia for, this made complete sense, especially if she'd married someone who hates wizards and magic as much as she did. Which, of course, she had. Throwing his thoughts aside, Severus calmly approached the door and knocked on it softly.

For a few moments there was nothing, then the door swung open. Immediately the long-necked woman's jaw dropped and she stammered, "W-what the hell are you doing here!?"

Severus wanted to lash out there and then, but unfortunately he had to keep his composure, he'd given the headmaster his word after all, "Relax, Muggle," Severus said coldly, "As much as I would like to punish you beyond words right now, I have a job to do. I am here to see Harry Potter."

"He's not here."

"You were always a terrible liar Petunia. Don't make me ask again or things might just get…unpleasant."

Begrudgingly, Petunia stepped to the side of the room and for a moment Severus was filled with rage. No doubt the only reason she didn't want Severus to know that Harry was here came down to the fact that once Harry was gone she would have to do her own housework once more.

"Where is his room?" Severus said coldly.

Petunia just pointed to the cupboard beneath the stairs, not wanting to say more than she had to in regards to this man.

"You have him sleep in a supply cupboard!?" Severus almost growled, still resisting the urge to hex her, knowing that if he did, it could jeopardize the case that the headmaster was building against both Dursleys and the Minister. Choosing to not say another word to Lily's sister, Severus crossed the hall over to the Cupboard and knocked softly on the door.

"Harry?" Severus' tense, uncertain voice carried through the gaps of the little golden piece at the top of the door.

"Y..Yes?" the boy within the cupboard asked timidly. He was really getting too big for the cupboard, but The Dursleys' had made no effort to move him out of it, giving Dudley both of the two bedrooms upstairs without a second thought towards Harry. He slowly rose out of the bed, purely because the voice sounded as uncertain as he felt.

"H..how do you know my name?"

"I knew your parents." He said in a soft voice, knowing that any kind of loud volume could be interpreted as a threat, "Do you know about them?"

"I was told they passed away in a car crash."

Severus then rapidly spun on Petunia, "A car crash!? Of all the fucking ridiculous stories you could come up with, you chose a car crash!?"

"T..they lied to me?"

"I'm sorry Harry," Severus said through the door, "But yes they did. Your parents James and Lily Potter were killed in cold blood by another from our world named Lord Voldemort."

The feeling of being lied to for his entire life, as well as discovering the true nature of his parents' deaths was too much for Harry and he dropped to his knees, almost curling into a ball, soft, almost silent tears then began streaming down his face.

Severus had always possessed acute hearing thanks to the abuse that, he too, had suffered at the hands of his Muggle father, the moment he heard Harry's sobs, Severus yanked the door open. The sight before him made the Potions master sick to his stomach. Harry was so malnourished that he looked like someone half his age, at least in terms of height and weight. Severus dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Harry without a second thought, "It's alright," he murmured, "I'm never going to let them hurt you again."

Severus suppressed another growl at the flinch he'd gotten in response to the physical contact, thus confirming Dumbledore's statements from the previous night to a greater extent.

"P..promise?" Harry managed to get out through tears.

"I promise Harry…and one more thing, you're a wizard. That's why they don't like you. Your father was a wizard too while your mother was a witch."

"A... are you a…wizard?"

"I am Harry, come on, collect your belongings, we must be going. You're never coming back here ever again."

"You mean it?" Harry looked up, his cheeks were red and his eyes puffy from the crying, but the look on the young boy's face was nothing but pure hope at the thought of finally getting away from all the different kinds of pain that had been inflicted to him over the years.

In that moment, Severus' heart broke for the boy even more, "Yes, Harry I mean it."

"Okay, but I don't have anything else minus the clothes on my back, so we can go now?"

How Severus managed to compose himself after that final drop of information surprised even him, he supposed as he led Harry out of the house, the thought that when the evidence was finally surmounted they were going to suffer far worse than anything he could ever do to them.

Severus looked down at him, "Aren't you going to ask where we're going?"

Harry shook his head, "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia told me to never question anyone. That I was just a freakish waste of space and that no-one cares about anything I have to say."

Severus actually growled that time, and spent the next ten minutes trying to calm Harry down from hearing that particular sound alone, "Harry I want you to listen to me very carefully, those Muggles know nothing, disregard anything they have told you. It is them who are wastes of space."

"What are muggles?" Harry maintained Severus' quiet tone, somehow subconsciously knowing that this kind of word wasn't supposed to be said too loudly in such an open area.

"Non-magic folk like them, though some Muggles are better than others. They generally dislike Wizard-kind because of how much more easily we can do things, or something along those lines anyway."

"Mr. Severus?"

Severus failed in his attempt not to smile at the nickname that Harry had already seemed to have given him, "Yes Harry?"

"Where are we going?"

"Well, first we are going to take a trip into London to collect your school things for Hogwarts. The very same school that your parents attended. I work there as The Potions teacher so once we get to school I expect to be called Professor Snape, understood?"

"Yes, Professor Snape."

Severus laughed openly, patting Harry on the shoulder, "But Mr. Severus is fine for now."

This seemed to ignite Harry's face into a full-fledged grin.

"Come along now, we have much to do."