Chapter 2.
Harry was hungry. Scratch that, he was starving. He could barely even move anymore, rather than going back to bed in the evening, he had taken to lying on the floor by the cat flap waiting for his next meal, with his threadbare blanket wrapped around his thin body. Uncle Vernon had not gotten any kinder with his beatings. Harry had so far gotten two more, both just as violent as the first. At this point, Harry might be dead before Hogwarts started.
Fat lot of good Dobby did for me, at least if I was at Hogwarts, my friends would be around me if I died, no one will try to save me here. Harry thought bitterly. The only good thing that had happened other than Hedwig escaping was Aunt Petunia refusing to allow Harry's belongings to be burnt, her reasoning for which, being that "those freaks might notice, Vernon." Not for the first time, Harry wished someone, anyone, even Snape or Malfoy, would have noticed Hedwig and come running, unfortunately, no one had. In the distance Harry heard a loud crack, and someone banging on the door downstairs, Harry internally begged the noise to go away, his headache hadn't gone away since the Mason incident, and Vernon wouldn't be pleased that someone was knocking at this time of night. He didn't need any more of Vernons frustrations taken out on him.
"Who would be calling at this time of night?" Harry could hear Uncle Vernon's grumbling as he undoubtedly waddled to the door. A familiar silky voice threaded its way through to Harry's ears.
"Hello, is this the Dursley residence?" Harry sat up. That was Professor Snape!
"We aren't interested in anything you're selling, especially at this time of night!" Uncle Vernon growled angrily. There was a pause.
"I assure you sir, I am not selling anything. My name is Severus Snape I am a professor from Hog-" Undoubtedly Uncle Vernon had slammed the door in Snape's face.
"BOY!" Harry winced. Bloody Hell, couldn't he ever get a break? Snape undoubtedly had left in a fit of anger, and now Uncle Vernon was pounding up the stairs. Harry's door was thrown open.
"So, you thought you could get help from that ruddy bird and that idiotic school of your's now did you?" Vernon's piggy eyes were malicious as he threw Harry against the wall. Harry couldn't even muster the energy to answer, only curled up into a ball against the wall and prayed Vernon wouldn't have much energy to hurt him badly. After a few minutes of Vernon kicking Harry, and Harry refusing to cry out, the man stopped abruptly. Harry risked a glance up and noticed that Vernon was on the ground, Professor Snape in the doorway. Harry gave him a small trembling smile, and croaked out
"Thanks for that." before he promptly passed out.
…..
Severus stood in the doorway of Potter's small room in shock. The boy's uncle had been most unpleasant, and Severus had revelled in the fact that Petunia, the woman, who had once been a girl who had hated him had become merely ordinary. With her absolutely ordinary house, and her ordinary husband, he had thought that Potter would have been properly pampered by the woman, so when the hulking shape of Vernon Dursley slammed the door and had yelled at who he most likely suspected was Potter, Severus had stood shocked for a moment. How dare the ignorant fool slam a door in his face. Severus had performed a simple unlocking charm, and had taken his time in coming in. Well, that was until he had heard loud thumps, muffled grunts and whimpers of pain. Then Severus had sped his pace up and walked swiftly up the stairs, in the direction of the noises. Then he had come upon the most disturbing of sights. Potter on the ground, curled up in the fetal position, while his uncle had kicked him, holding nothing back, showing no mercy. Potter was dressed in overly large, bloodstained clothes, and from the look of him, the boy had been beaten before. Severus could do nothing for a moment, other than feel dual surges of pity and vindictus triumph. On one side, this was Potter's spawn, who deserved this horrid fate, for all the things Potter senior had done to him. But on the other side, this was just a boy who was being hurt by people who were supposed to protect him and love him. Severus finally got control of his faculties, and stunned Dursley. The boy had continued staying curled up into a small ball on the floor, until he had obviously realized that the blows were no longer coming, then he had hesitantly looked up, seen Dursley on the floor, then Severus. The boy's green eyes, so much like Lily's, were glazed from pain, but held relief in them.
"Thanks for that." Severus was mildly shocked that the boy had thanked him, of course, he was not only Potter's spawn, but Lily's as well. But before Severus could reply, the boy had sunk into a dead faint. Severus heaved a long suffering sigh, and picked the boy up into his arms. Potter was abnormally light. Severus could feel the boy's bones sticking out much more than they should for any child and he could feel light ridges along Potter's back, through the thin, worn out rags that the boy probably had called clothes for a long time. Severus was interrupted from his thoughts by a high, shrill tone
"Vernon, what is going on- You!" Petunia had obviously come across the scene. Severus turned on her.
"Hello Petunia, I see you've been treating your nephew well." Severus said in his softest, silkiest, most dangerous tone. She stared at him in horror. Opening and closing her mouth like a fish.
"We didn't want him. He's a useless burden, just like his parents." She said waspishly. Severus had a sudden flashback. "Just like your worthless Father aren't you, Potter?" He winced slightly. At the time he had spat out the word father with the same venom Petunia had placed in the term parents. Perhaps he had been too harsh on the boy. Severus silenced her with a lazy flick of his wand.
"I will be taking Potter away from here for the rest of the summer, and I warn you, the boy is well liked within the wizarding world, as he was the one, who allegedly destroyed the Dark Lord. You wouldn't want my kind going after you for all the horror's you and your worthless husband have brought upon the boy, now would you?" Petunia paled and started talking, but realized she couldn't say a thing, so clamped her mouth shut. With that, Severus released the spell on her.
"Where is the boy's school things?" he snapped at Petunia. She paused for a moment, as though to tell him off, but he raised his wand threateningly.
"In the cupboard underneath the stairs." She answered reluctantly. Severus swiftly walked out of the small room, summoning and shrinking Potter's things as he went. Once they reached the tiny cupboard and Seveerus unlocked it with a simple Alohomora. What he saw took his breath away. A trunk, a pile of school books, but underneath that, a small, dirty child-sized mattress, a ratty blanket, some assorted broken toys and crayons, and finally an old yellowing page, that had spelled out, obviously in a child's hand writing: Harrys Room. Severus felt conflicted. The boy who had been an arrogant hotheaded brat, was likely a figment of Severus's imagination. Nonetheless,Potter needed medical attention, he flicked his wand and collected the last of Potter's belongings, then turned to Petunia.
"Potter may not wish to take revenge on you, but I assure you, if he doesn't, I will." And with that he chose the most dramatic, most ominous, and to many wizards, when residing in ones house, rude. He apparated.