A/N: Hi! This is my first fic so I hope you could send me a few feedbacks. I'm not a native english speaker so there might be a few mistakes in here. Read and Review to tell me if you like the story and if I should continue.

Disclaimer: These Characters do not belong to me, except from Jane Osborn. They all belong to the great JK Rowling.

Jane had to admit. It was not in her habits to spend her night in a strange bar. In fact it was probably the first time she had done that. She had just received word that she had got a teaching job in a school in Scotland. Her first ever job. She was a young woman full of ideas and full of life. However she was not an average young woman. Ever since her eleven birthday, she had been informed that she was a witch. Which meant she was to attend Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had graduated and went on to study in order to become a healer. She had just graduated from her degree in France when an owl came knocking at her window. She picked the letter up and saw that it was coming from her old Headmaster.

Dear Jane,

I trust you are enjoying the south of France. I am hoping the weather is agreeing with you. I have heard that you had graduated in Healing. I would like to be among the first to say congratulations. You always had a gentle hand and I'm sure you would be a great addition to any hospital that may employ you.

I have to be honest, my writing to you is not entirely a social call or a simple letter of congratulation.

Jane snorted when reading that part. "It rarely is just a social call with you Headmaster".

I was hoping you could be a new addition to the Hogwarts staff. You are not without knowing the trouble I find myself into in order to find a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I seem to recall a passion of yours for this particular subject. I would like you to take the post for no more than a year. The ministry is pushing to put in the post the undersecretary for the minister Dolores Umbridge. A woman however charming, but I will not allow the Ministry any more control over the school if I can help it. The ministry agrees to let me take on someone of my own choosing but insists that Dolores Umbridge remains on staff as a teacher for a new class "Philosophy of the Wizarding World". I must be taking you by surprise but you have my absolute trust over this matter. If you are to answer positively to my request someone will be waiting for you on August 12th in a muggle bar in London call "The black Swann". I can not reveal to you the identity of the member of staff meeting you because I do not know yet who would be available. He will be waiting for you at 8 pm.

Yours sincerely

A. Dumbledore

Jane took no more than a few minutes to decide on her answer. She had always had a soft spot for Hogwarts and it's Headmaster. She loved children and given the situation of the Defense against the Dark teachers as described by the Daily Prophet she thought she could give her old Headmaster a hand. She prepared her things and departed immediately for London. She stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for a few days before her meeting. On August 12th she put on some muggle clothes, a simple black dress and high heels and got to the bar. It was a comfy place. Many booth available to have a private conversation and most likely for couples to be left in peace. She surveyed the room trying to find a person she knew or someone to acknowledge her. She rested her eyes on a man dressed in a simple black shirt with jeans. He had black hair and seemed intensely preoccupied by the content of his glass. Jane glanced at her watch as 8pm rang and then took her eyes back to the man who looked straight into her eyes. Following her instinct she walked up to the booth where the man was seating and sat right in front of him. She noticed instantly the wand concealed in his sleeve and was relieved to see she had not been wrong. The man nodded to her and cast a silencing spell around them both before extending his long fingered hand to shake Jane's.

"Good evening. I'm Professor Severus Snape."

Jane took the hand he offered.

"Good evening. I'm Jane Osborn."

"Yes. I am aware." Professor Snape responded. Still not taking his eyes of her and wearing an unreadable expression on his face. "The Headmaster has seen fit that I should be the one meeting you to welcome you into our staff. I can not say that I'm please. The exchange of pleasantries are not something I find particularly amusing. I need to prepare you for what to expect during your time among us."

Jane's smile faltered. She did not expect such coldness.

"I am listening." She answered simply

"Very well." Snape said leaning back into his seat to observe Jane closely. His voice drop to a whisper. "I am going to ask you only one question. I am aware that you have been out of Britain for a couple of years. I trust you have kept yourself in the loop of what is going right now in our world?"

"You mean the return of Voldemort ? Even if the daily keep insisting that nothing is happening I know better and I trust Dumbledore. If he says He's back, then He's back." Jane said. Her face know serious.

"Very well." Snape started to visibly relax his hand on his wand. And the waitress came to take their order. It was going to be a long conversation Jane thought silently.

Harry woke up with a start. He did not know where he was. His body hurt everywhere and he couldn't remember why. His vision cleared somewhat and he took in the blurry details that were before him. He was at the Dursleys, in his bedroom. He tried to get up and suddenly felt his legs falling asleep under him. He fell on the floor. He rolled over and saw his mattress stained with blood. Uncle Vernon had outdone himself last night. Harry had simply forgot to put the broom back in the kitchen closet when he had cleaned the house. That cost him to once again skip dinner for the fourth time this week. His last meal had been four days ago. His relative didn't seem to think he deserved any more food. When Harry had try to protest his Uncle had lost it. He dragged him to his room and began yelling at him that he was a worthless freak who did not deserve any of the food in the house. It had quickly escalated to punches in the stomach and then Uncle Vernon took out the belt. Harry did not remember much after that.

He knew he could not go on like this. He would die without help. He thought about various ways of sending help but couldn't find any. His owl Hedwig was at Hogwarts as a precaution, he did not trust his relative to be above hurting her to get at him and to make sure he would not send words to his friends about the state he was in. Harry tried to get up again. He managed to get up and look at himself in the mirror. His face was swollen, his torso was laced with belt scars and he was pretty sure he had broken ribs and a severe concussion. He would cry if he could. But he had done enough of that already. After the death of Cedric and the return of Voldemort nothing seemed to be worth crying over. Harry thought of his options. He was trapped in his locked bedroom and couldn't use his wand. He knew he wasn't in the ministry's papers and if they detected a trace of magic at the Dursleys he could be expelled or worse sent to Askaban. He was going to die if nobody came to check on him. His relative would probably be glad. He would not have to pretend he did not exist once he was dead. The smallest flicker of hope came to him. He checked the clock in his bedroom, 11PM. His relative were asleep at the time. He summon his courage and said in a hush voice

"Dobby?"

He waited for a few seconds that seemed to be hours nothing happened.

CRACK !

Harry spirit was lifted as he saw Dobby the house elf looking at him. Before saying anything he gestured Dobby to be silent. Then talked through pained breaths.

"Dobby... I need you to bring someone... Someone from Hogwarts.. A teacher.. Madam Pomfrey.. Anyone who would help... Tell them I'm injured very seriously... Don't say anything just hurry..."

Dobby nodded fervently and another loud CRACK and he desappeared. Harry collapsed hoping that someone would take the elf seriously.

Severus was walking down the street to the Leaky Cauldron with miss Osborn. He knew she was staying there until the beginning of term and he had to floo back to Hogwarts from there. He had thought the young woman would be an absolute disaster. But he had to admit he had been surprise by the way she took things. She had not taken the matter of the Dark Lord lightly and seemed eager to do a good job at Hogwarts. Snape remembered her as a discreet yet brilliant student. A Ravenclaw. He had not remembered her very clearly at first. But as she began telling him that she used to be terrified of him in her seventh year he remembered the bright Ravenclaw teenager that sat at the back of the NEWT class during his first year as Potions Master. They walked silently. Jane did not seem disturbed by the lack of conversation. She seemed in deep thought. At their meeting they had talked about the duties she would have as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But mostly they had talked about the Ministry's action in response to the news that the Dark Lord had returned. Jane had been very quiet on the subject. She disagreed completely with the Ministry's allegation and was angry at Fudge for his lack of action. She was a lot more talkative on the subject of Dolores Umbridge. She had met her once, during her internship at St Mungos. Umbridge was inspecting the wards and Jane had thought of her as "a manipulative old toad" which had almost made Severus smile. Over all, Jane Osborn seemed to be a good addition to the Hogwarts staff.

They had just came into the Leaky Cauldron when a worried looking House Elf wearing a Hogwarts uniform hurried to meet them.

"You is required sir. Quickly sir" the elf was tugging on his sleeve like his life depended on it. Snape brushed him off rather abruptly.

"Who are you elf ? Do you come from Hogwarts? What's going on? And stop tugging at my shirt you are going to rip it." The elf's eyes widened but he started in his high squeaky voice.

"I is Dobby sir. I is come to get help for Harry Potter sir. He are very sick. Injured. Harry Potter asked Dobby to get help. Quickly sir. There is not time."

"Harry Potter asked you for help? What in Merlin name's going on!" Snape growled. He hated the boy. Potter could not for a second stop being an arrogant, attention seeking brat. When he found the boy he was going to kill him instead.

Jane had been listening intently and addressed the elf gently.

"Now Dobby. When you say injured ? Is he very injured or just a little scrap ?"

Dobby's eyes widened even more and he started to jump with worry. He suddenly grabbed both Snape's and Jane's arms and disappeared.

They apparated in a room. There was no light and a bundle of clothes was in a lump in the center of the room. Snape took out his wand and muttered "Lumos". He quickly realised that they were in a bedroom and that the lump of clothes was in fact Potter. Snape reached out a hand to touch the boy but Jane slapped his hand and hissed

"Let me. You don't know what you're doing."

Snape didn't even have time to say anything and Jane was moving the boy's head slightly to look at his face. He was bruised. Dobby the house elf was in the corner whimpering. Snape quickly told him to get lost and to notify the Headmaster that him and Miss Osborn would be arriving quickly with Potter in the hospital wing. He took his gaze back on Potter. Jane was muttering spells under her breath and suddenly took a vial from her handbag and put it under Potter's nose. He bagan to moan slightly.

"Hello Harry. I'm Jane. Try not to move too much. You are injured. Can you tell me were you keep your belongings so we can get you out of here?" Her voice was gentle but her fists were clenched.

Potter was still moaning. Clearly she would not get any answers from him. Suddenly they heard a loud noise from the hallway. Somebody was getting up. Jane was on her feet before Snape could do anything. Her eyes were fixed on the door and her wand raised. She looked deadly dangerous. The door opened and Jane came face to face with a fat, angry, purple faced man. She raised her wand to him and Snape followed suit.

"What are you doing here freaks ?" The man started to yell. " I won't have any of your kind in my home"

Jane spoke. A deadly whisper.

"Good evening. We are teacher from the boy's school. Now. I know what you did. You are going to kindly tell me where my colleague can find this boy's belongings and then you're going to scram. I don't want to here a peep from you. If you make on move that might indicate that you refuse I will curse you until oblivion. Am I perfectly clear ?" Jane was a small witch compared to the oaf before her but she seemed to have made her point. The muggle clench his fists but gestured Snape to follow him. He showed Snape the cupboard where Potter's belongings were kept and got upstairs. He heard a door closing then locking. He then heard Jane getting down the stairs. Potter on a stretcher behind her. She nodded at Snape and entered the living room, the stretcher following her. She blasted the condemned fireplace apart without a word and lit a fire. She took some bright powder from a bag and threw it into the fire. She held on to the stretcher and with a nod to Snape she yelled " Hogwarts Hospital Wing."

Snape followed her. When he arrived with Potter's trunk she was leaving Potter into Poppy's care. The matron nodded and got to work. The Headmaster entered the Hospital Wing in a hurry, closely followed by Dobby.

"What happened Severus ?" The older man asked. The twinkle in his eye had vanished for a moment.

"We were taken to Potter by the House elf sir. Miss Osborn checked on the boy and had me search for Potter's belongings. We floo here in less than ten minutes. He's in a bad shape sir."

"Thank goodness for Dobby then."

He went over to see Poppy and left Snape to look at Jane. She sat on the bed. She seemed in deep thought.

"I saw it in an instant Snape."

Snape raised an eyebrow and Jane went on.

"I've had cases like this before. Kids found almost dead at home. It never gets easier." she sighed. Allowing her shoulder to relax a bit. Snape was completely at a loss. He couldn't bring himself to understand what had happened. It was clear however that the boy's relative were to blame. Jane's reaction in addition to the muggle left no room for interpretation. The boy had been at Hogwarts for 4 years and nobody had noticed anything. The mental image he had of Potter as an ungrateful spoiled brat took a hard blow that night. Well the spoiled part anyway.