Harry collapsed seconds after apparating into the Hogwarts hospital wing. Severus (with as little physical contact as possible) helped him up, and over to one of the hospital beds. Harry looked beyond relieved at being able to lie straight.

"Thank you Professor." Harry said. He couldn't quite figure out why Snape was doing this, but he wouldn't pretend he wasn't grateful. Severus nodded, and then made a show of trying to relook over Harry's injuries. His brow furrowed as he realised that most of them had disappeared completely.

"Mr Potter… What happened to your injuries?"

Harry looked down at his arms, where most of the bruises had vanished, and he shrugged, "This happened last year too, when I went to visit the Burrow. As soon as I came into contact with a wizard, someone I knew, the bruises and wounds disappeared." He looked confused, "That didn't happen with you."

Severus pointed his wand at the boy and whispered, "Finite Incantatem."

The counter-spell did its work, and the bruises reformed all over Harry's body. He looked disappointed, and then questioningly at Severus, "I think," The professor started, "That your embarrassment over your injuries caused your accidental magic to create a glamour, whenever you came into contact with someone you know."

"But it didn't with you." Harry stated.

"No, not with me. I am afraid I can't explain that." Severus told him, "Wait here and I will fetch Madam Pomfrey, she will need to start addressing your… lacerations."

Harry nodded, shutting his eyes as he laid his head on the pillow. The sideways turn of his head exaggerated the bruise on that cheek, and Severus almost winced. He didn't want to know how hard Harry must have been hit to cause such a mark.

He walked across the wing and up the stairs to Poppy's office, opening the door without knocking. The matron looked up from her desk, clearly annoyed at the intrusion, "Severus, how many times -"

"I have a patient for you, Poppy." Severus interrupted, making it clear he did not have the time for her dawdling, "Heal him. Start to. Immediately. You will need a large supply of potions. I will send you more from my stocks."

"A patient?" Poppy was confused, "Heal him? Is one of the teachers ill?"

"No, it is Mr Potter, whom I visited at home today." Severus told her, and Poppy rushed out of her office. She stopped on her balcony that overlooked the hospital wing, and then turned back to Severus, looking pale.

"What happened to him?" She whispered, "Was it him? His supporters? Did they get past the wards placed on the Dursley household?"

"No," Severus said shortly, "It was his relatives themselves." Poppy gaped at him, "Apparently his magic has been creating glamours to conceal the injuries he sustained from them. He says this happened every time he came into contact with another wizard, not just when he arrived at Hogwarts."

Poppy Pomfrey looked horrified, more horrified than Severus had ever remembered seeing her at any child's injury. She straightened up, and taking her wand from the desk, she walked down to where Harry was lying, "Harry?" She said, and then noticed the boy was asleep, she turned to Severus and told him so, "He's fallen asleep."

"Don't wake him up unless absolutely necessary, Poppy. Heal him but let him sleep." Severus straightened up, and started to stalk out of the hospital wing, leaving Poppy to her work.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" The medi-witch asked, at the same time summoning several bright looking potions. She waved her wand and a full diagnostic scan began, an extensive parchment forming next to her.

Severus looked at her with a firm glaze set over his eyes, "I need to go speak to Albus."

HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

"How did you not know!?" Severus thundered, as Albus Dumbledore sat pale behind his brand new desk, having just risen out of the pensieve, "How could you leave Lily's son with these… these monsters!?"

"Severus please calm down." Dumbledore tried to rationalize with his potions professor, but the man simply scowled in response and continued his rampage.

"The boy is black and blue Albus!" He hissed, "They tied him to his bed and locked the door behind them! Five locks on his bedroom door! Are you insane? You said that Harry would be safe with them. Did you know what they were truly like? What could have possessed you to leave Lily's son with such… such animals?!"

"Severus please…" Albus suddenly looked his age, old and tired.

Severus walked forward and placed his hand on Albus' desk, leaning forward menacingly, "There was a bed, in the broom cupboard under the stairs. A bed just big enough for an undernourished child."

"You aren't suggesting…" Dumbledore tailed off.

"That is exactly what I am suggesting." Severus declared, glaring at his headmaster, "Do these… these muggles, get an allowance for him? For keeping Potter? I am assuming it comes from the Ministry and not from the muggle government?"

"Yes, quite a reasonable allowance. The muggle government does not see the need to pay a family member for keeping their orphaned nephew, but the Ministry knows the circumstances of the blood wards." Dumbledore clarified.

Severus banged his hands on the desk and backtracked, "So they got a nice allowance to spoil their son with, and free labour, wonderful. He will not be going back there."

"Free labour? What - Nevermind, we can speak of that later. Severus, the blood wards are vital -"

"Damn the blood wards!" Severus shouted, "Do you hear yourself? Prioritising some ancient sacrificial blood wards over abuse? That is exactly what this is, Albus, it is child abuse, and it is heinous. I will not send Lily's son to be beaten to death every summer!"

Albus sighed, "The blood wards contain Lily's protection -"

"Listen to me old man, and listen carefully," Severus cut in, fed up with Albus' insistence, stepping up so he hovered over the old man, "The answer is no. Send him to the Burrow. Send him to Grimmauld Place. Keep him here at Hogwarts. I don't care which, but he will never see the Dursley's again."

Albus narrowed his eyes, "Why do you care? You have never liked the boy. This is just because of Lily."

"I don't have to like or care about someone to know that child abuse is wrong!" Severus roared.

"Do not, then, accuse me of thinking it right!" Dumbledore ordered, "Privet Drive is the only place Harry is safe. Neither the Burrow or Grimmauld place have the appropriate wards to keep Harry away from Voldemort and his followers. They are suitable in the summer for a week or so but not full time!"

Severus practically growled, stalking up and down Dumbledore's office, "Don't you lecture me on where the boy is safe, old man. You have seen my memories. You are responsible for sending him to live with child abusers the past twelve years! I have worked to keep him safe, truly safe from he-who-shall-not-be-named, and because of you I see my work is for practically nothing! Don't you dare lecture me on him being safe! And don't say the Dark Lord's name!"

"I admit what it is." Dumbledore said softly, feeling ashamed, "I did not know they would treat the boy this way, he is their blood. I am sorry for what Harry has endured, but it does not mean the Burrow or Grimmauld place are suitable, or Hogwarts."

"He stays here the whole year around, would the summer be any different? Surely he can stay here each summer. Hogwarts can make exceptions in these cases." Severus tried to reason.

"Harry would need a guardian, wherever he went. That is what his Aunt and Uncle are currently, his legally binding guardians. With the Burrow ruled out, Arthur and Molly Weasley cannot do it, and Sirius is a wanted felon. Unless you are willing to put yourself forward, I cannot think of any teacher at Hogwarts who wants to become a parent to a teenager."

Severus fidgeted, faced with the problem before him, "I am the only possible option? Truly? Can you not think of anyone else?" He asked of Albus, who looked at him, shocked.

"You would consider it?" He inquired, suddenly pacified, "You have not treated the boy well, Severus, you have pestered and picked on him."

"I know how I have acted, and you know the reasons." Severus grunted, thinking back to his own Hogwarts days.

"And yet, now, you consider taking him as your own ward? Guardianship means only a little less than him being a son to you."

Severus sat himself down in the chair opposite Albus, tired with emotional stress, "You have seen my memory. He is only a boy... You know what is holding me back - it is the hatred I have held for him these past four years, the fact he is the son of James Potter. But the way he was kept in that place Albus… He cannot return."

"He is also the son of your childhood best friend, of young Miss Lily Evans." Albus reminded him, leaning back and popping a lemon drop in his mouth, "The only other solution, that I can see, is for you to take guardianship of Harry. If you agree, then he has to agree. It cannot be forced and I will not make him do it under duress. He does not like you either Severus. You would have to treat him well."

"I understand that Albus, but -"

Severus did not get to finish. The office door slammed open, and two enraged women stormed into the Headmaster's office. Both Poppy Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall looked terrifying, hands on hips and lips pursed into deep scowls of anger, red faced from running through the halls of the school. Poppy was holding a long list in her hands, and Minerva was practically shaking with rage.

"I take it you have seen Harry in the hospital wing." Severus remarked to the head of Gryffindor House, "Would you like a single or a double whiskey?"

"Double on the rocks." Minerva told him, ripping the parchment from Poppy's hand and slamming it down on the table in front of the headmaster, "What is this Albus? I told you they were the worst kind of Muggles. I told you the night Lily and James were murdered what I thought of them!"

"Now Minerva, Poppy -"

"Do not try to placate me." Poppy snapped, "Look at that list, Albus. This is the full diagnostic scan, the boy's whole history. The boy has had several internal injuries, bones broken and never set right, haemorrhaging, bleeding. He is covered in scars they are so horrific I tried not to gag and upset the boy -"

"He's awake?" Severus had to raise his voice to cut into the woman's words, and Poppy nodded.

"He's been beaten with belts, pots and pans, and some of the scars indicate punctures from broken glass. He's been kicked, hit, slapped, punched, and tripped. He's been thrown across rooms for Merlin's sake, by the looks of things."

"Now Poppy -" Albus tried to intervene and reason with his matron, but she could not be stopped in her tirade of explanation.

"He's not just been underfed but truly starved. He's severely malnourished and rather dehydrated. I can count the bones in his body he's so thin." Poppy took a deep breath, trying to settle her breathing and focus on her patient, "How could you let this happen, Albus? Did you never check on the boy?"

Albus shuffled uncomfortably under the gaze of the two teachers and one matron, "Hogwarts does not have a policy of checking on every student each summer. Severus only went today because of, well, the events concerning the Triwizard Tournament and Mr Diggory."

"This is a very particular student Albus, who has always been in very particular circumstances!" Minerva snapped, taking her glass of whisky from Severus, "We can only thank Merlin that his magic is so strong and has been healing him, otherwise he would have been lost to us long ago."

"What about you," Poppy suddenly turned on Minerva, "Do not think you are exempt from this!"

"Me?" Minerva exclaimed.

"Yes you! As his Head of House, have you never, not once, noticed anything?"

"No, but as the woman in charge of all medical care at Hogwarts, did you not notice anything?"

Severus stood, "A lot of new information has come to light about Mr Potter's circumstances." He indicated that the two women should sit, for once playing the peace keeper. Poppy did so in the one chair already there and Minerva transformed one of Albus' knick-knacks into a cushy armchair, "It seems that due to his embarrassment over the injuries he has accumulated from his relatives, Mr Potter's accidental magic has been creating glamour charms whenever he comes back into contact with wizards, as if his own magic has a reaction to theirs. Therefore the signs were not there for any of us to spot."

"I should have run diagnostic scans on the boy sooner, I've failed in my job as a medic," Poppy said miserably. Severus summoned her a gin and tonic, but she waved it away, "I cannot, I have to go back and figure out how to heal the rest of his wounds soon. The worst is over but there's plenty left."

"If his magic was creating glamour charms," Minerva said quietly, her rage settling and sadness setting in its place, much the same as Poppy, "Then Severus, why were you able to see the extent of his injuries when you came to the Dursley house? Why was Poppy when he came here?"

"As soon as we arrived in Hogwarts, Harry's bruises disappeared and I had to perform a counter spell to make them reappear." Severus informed his colleagues, standing with his hands held behind his back.

"Does that mean other children could be hiding behind glamours?" Minerva asked, appalled.

Severus admitted, "It is possible. I do believe we should start compulsory start of term check-ups. As for why I could see the injuries when no one else could, back at the Dursley house, I do not know."

"I can only think of one possibility," Albus interjected, "Previously, you have not been able to see them because they had already been created in response to others, usually the Weasley's and Miss Granger, who have seen Harry first after holidays. However when you saw Harry first, they did not appear. Clearly Harry does not seek to hide his embarrassment from you. Severus, forgive me for saying so, but I can only think of one explanation why. Harry does not believe you would do anything either way, therefore his accidental magic can find no reason to hide his injuries. The Weasleys or Miss Granger would do something. It is the only difference I can see."

Severus stomach dropped, and his reply would hoarse, "The boy's magic did not respond to mine, because of the contempt that lies there? Is that what you are saying? That Potter thinks so little of me that even if I saw his horrific injuries, he believes I would not say a word?"

"Magic works in tricky ways, as you well know Severus. Harry wishes to cause no one trouble or time or effort, so his magic automatically created glamours to hide anything that would make his friends worry. He does not think you would ever worry about him, and therefore no glamour is created." Dumbledore justified his reasoning, and then popped a second lemon drop in his mouth.

Severus leant back in his chair, astounded and feeling rather sick again.

Albus folded his hands on his desk, "Harry needs an appropriate place to stay for the rest of the summer, since Severus is adamant the boy cannot return to Surrey. That is what should be sorted first."

"Surely that would be Grimmauld Place, with his godfather?" Minerva asked, cautiously.

Albus explained what he had to Severus, and the matron and transfiguration professor looked upset and annoyed. A silence followed Albus's words, as they all contemplated the possibilities.

"The only option, that I can foresee," Albus said, "Is for a Hogwarts Professor to take guardianship of Harry. The only one I believe who is suitable would of course be Severus here. He is our youngest member of staff, adequate parenting age for Mr Potter, and as he was the one to see the damage the Dursley's left first hand, I believe he would be an excellent choice of guardian."

There was a pause.

"I can't work out whether you are kidding, or not." Minerva said after a minute, as Poppy looked at Severus critically, "You can't be serious. Severus, you have always hated the boy! And clearly, I am afraid, there isn't much difference in how the boy feels towards you."

"Something I evidently need to change." Severus said in monotone. He stood, feeling a headache coming on, "I am going to retire to my chambers, there is a lot for me to consider, and I will speak with Mr Potter in the morning. Poppy, if he is awake when you return to the Hospital Wing, please let him know I will visit then."

Poppy asked him, "And what if he asks why?"

"Just tell him that I will updating him on the situation, regards his relatives and his accommodation for the rest of the summer. Please do not say anything until then."

"I won't Severus," Poppy also stood, "I should return, actually. I have much more work to do before the boy is fully healed. He will need to spend at least the next two days under my careful observation."

Severus and Poppy walked out of Albus' office together, saying their goodnights to the other two. When they were gone, Minerva turned to the headmaster, "You can't really trust him with Harry's protection, Albus. You of all people know that Severus can have an awful temper."

"Severus spent several years in the service of he-who-shall-not-be-named. That is enough to install a temper in anyone." Albus defended his potions master, not saying Voldemort's name as he knew Minerva hated the very mention of it, and Minerva nodded once in recognition, "As for him taking guardianship of Harry, I would trust Severus with my life, and I trust him completely with Harry's. I think that it could be a wonderful experience for both of them. I think this will work out best for everyone."

Minerva lent back in her chair, sighing, "Harry has to agree first, that isn't a guarantee you know. You can't force him into it."

"Something I have made clear to Severus." Albus replied, "Severus has clearly not decided yet, but if either he or Harry refuses, I am afraid we are going to have a problem on our hands. Hogwarts is the only place, now, that Harry is truly safe. Most of the staff are too old to even consider taking on a teenager, and Hagrid is away working for the Order. Even if he wasn't, he isn't ideal parent material."

"And Severus Snape is?" Minerva raised an eyebrow.

Albus popped a third lemon drop in his mouth, leaning forward with a daring sparkle to his eyes, "I suppose we will have to wait and see."