Here's 15, as I promised. Some of the characters are OOC, but it's only
because that's the way I view them.
Read on!
Severus returned from yet another Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord wasn't spending so much time and energy on Harry this time, which was odd because he was always plotting ways to get Harry killed.
"I don't want him dead anymore," Voldemort said one evening, when Avery questioned his seemingly weakened desire to kill Harry. "I've got other plans for that boy."
'Which was just fine and dandy for him,' Severus thought to himself as he stormed through the castle doors. He was in a particularly nasty mood that night, because he had to feed those rats a serious of bullshit, and now he had to go and tell Dumbledore what he said so they could plan their next move.
After he left the headmaster's office, he made his way to the dungeons in a much slower pace, allowing himself to calm down. The thought of brewing another potion came to mind, as it always had a calming effect on him. Sometimes too calming, as he got so into it that Minerva had often scared the living daylights out of him. She found it quite amusing most of the time, even if the potion became a complete waste of ingredients and water.
He'd reached his office. He didn't even need to use a password, since the office was his. Most of the offices in the school required passwords, even if their owners were trying to get in, but some recognized their owners. The only ones who needed passwords were those who did not occupy these rooms, including the headmaster. Several times in previous years Severus had wondered if the rooms would allow previous owners to enter whenever they felt the need, and it was this thought that made him choose a different room for his office. Just in case.
Now that he was comfortable in his chair, he thought about some of the recent events. Professor Jones had been brutally murdered by Voldemort himself. So now they had to find another DADA teacher. Severus himself had stumbled upon the perfect Quidditch teacher, even though he never seemed the type to want anything to do with the sport. He found that Larius Kendler, an old classmate from Ravenclaw, was already teaching kids how to play the sport, so he brought him to the headmaster, who happily agreed to let him teach. Their replacements for Herbology and Ancient Runes were sisters, Eliza and Beth Vance, both of whom preferred to be called by their first names, as they shared the same surname.
That left the DADA position open. Severus didn't even bother trying to ask for it. He didn't want to this year. The job seemed to be cursed, but then again, maybe some twist of fate would bring the perfect teacher. He had to admit, Lupin was the best they'd had since he himself started.
Severus hoped that it wouldn't be another Death Eater posing as someone else that got the job.
Harry sat in the corner of his room. It was night, sometime around the end of July. It seemed perfect that there would be a break in the beatings around his birthday, which was when things got dramatically worse. For him anyway.
He was covered in bruises and dried blood. His own blood. He was dirty and smelled awful. He was lucky enough to be able to go to the bathroom, but that was only because it was a spare bathroom. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to wash himself, because the Dursleys thought he'd contaminate the shower.
There was a loud thumping noise. "Imbecile! Get your smelly ass in the shower now!"
It was Aunt Petunia. It was obvious that his uncle was out because otherwise she'd never let him get cleaned up.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry answered, struggling to get up. Head spinning, he made it to the doorway before he had to stop, leaning against the frame.
His aunt looked at him from down the hall.
"You reek, boy," she commented. "Hurry up, before Vernon and Dudley get back."
Harry nodded, and shifted himself so he could try and walk. Aunt Petunia handed him a washcloth and towel before she closed the bathroom door behind him. He managed to get his filthy clothes off and get into the shower. The warm water stung at his cuts, and it was hard to move because he was so sore. He could barely wash his hair because having his arms raised made him lightheaded. He was halfway through washing when he became so dizzy that he fell to the floor of the shower.
'Great,' he thought, 'Now I'm in for it and she'll never let me shower again.'
He heard the door open. "What was that noise?" His aunt asked.
"It was me, Aunt Petunia," Harry said, miserably. "I got really dizzy and I collapsed. I'm sorry."
She poked her head around the shower curtain and looked down at him.
"I'm really sorry," Harry said, hanging his head.
She turned off the water. Harry looked at her.
"Give me the washcloth." She held out her hand. "I'm going to help you finish, as it's obvious you're not capable of doing it yourself."
She finished washing him and rinsed him off. She gave him the towel to dry off with as she got him some clean clothing. He tried to get dressed, but he was too dizzy and when she helped him, he began to cry.
"I'm sorry for making you do this," Harry said between sobs. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble, I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that," Aunt Petunia said, trying to hold him steady so he wouldn't fall over again. He was shaking so hard that she let him fall into her lap, and she held him until he was done crying. It wasn't until he stopped that she realized that he'd cried himself to sleep.
Half an hour later, she heard the car pull into the driveway.
"Harry!"
He started, then looked at her, eyes wide.
"They're here! You need to get back in your room!" She pulled him up, and together, they made it back to his room. Before she closed his door, he opened his mouth.
"Aunt Petunia?"
She looked at him.
"Thank you."
She nodded and closed the door.
The days passed slowly. Harry was surprised that his cousin and uncle were leaving him alone, but he thought they were saving all their energy for his birthday. He had no idea just how much energy, though.
His birthday fell on a Saturday. He had woken up to drizzling rain and dark skies. Even though it was only half past noon, Aunt Petunia had been bustling around in the kitchen for several hours. Since it was a weekend- day, it was perfectly normal for Uncle Vernon and Dudley to sleep rather late, even if it was Harry's birthday.
So Harry just sat there, staring out the window as the skies grew more ominous. He had a horrible feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was given a 'proper birthday,' as his uncle called it.
He heard his uncle moving around in the other room. Harry quickly moved to his usual corner, for his aunt was the only one who knew he looked out the window in the mornings. He listened for his uncles footsteps to near his door.
"You better be up, boy!" Uncle Vernon said, pounding on the door. Then he walked down to his son's room.
"Dudders!"
"What?" Came the grouchy reply.
"Get up, son," Uncle Vernon responded. "We have a birthday to celebrate!"
Harry's heart sank.
A short while later, it was Dudley who yanked him out of his room and into the hallway.
"Why did you wake me up this morning, you stupid, useless moron?" Dudley roared, knowing full well that Harry had done no such thing.
"I-I didn't!" Harry gasped through his cousin's chokehold.
"Did I give you permission to talk, imbecile?" Uncle Vernon growled. To Dudley, he said, "Do with him what you like, son."
Dudley grinned devilishly as he threw Harry into the wall and began kicking him.
Severus was brewing another potion for the Cruciatus Curse. He was in extreme pain and very sore from the previous night's meeting. Everyone had gotten the Cruciatus, just to make sure the Dark Lord still had them all in his control. Of course, the closer and more loyal you were, the less pain you experienced, but pain it was nevertheless. And it hurt like hell on fire.
Not only that, but Severus had a bad feeling about this day, and he wasn't sure why. He knew it was HHHHH Harry's birthday, but that didn't explain why he had such an odd feeling.
Severus ladled his potion into a few vials and stoppered them all, placing them carefully in his cupboard. Turning around, he felt an enormously painful sensation in his ribcage. It was so strong that he had to support himself with the corner of his desk until the pain faded. Then he looked up at the clock.
It was only 1:30.
Severus had a feeling this wouldn't be the only pain he suffered for the day.
At seven that evening, Harry was to be found in the kitchen, trying desperately to make a decent meal. This task was made difficult by the fact that he was becoming dizzier with the blood he was losing. He'd been beaten rather hard the last six or so hours, and knew it wasn't over yet. Especially as he'd just burned the lasagna.
"How dare you burn perfectly good lasagna!" Uncle Vernon roared in his face. "Are you trying to kill us all? You won't live to see us die, you worthless bag of skin and bones!"
With that, he flung Harry across the kitchen. Harry's head just missed the table, but it didn't miss the kick his uncle sent his way. Groaning, Harry rolled over onto his side.
"Get up!"
Harry tried, but he fell over before he got to his knees.
"I said, GET UP!"
Once again, Harry tried, but he could barely move.
"Fine," his uncle said, standing over him. "If you won't get up when I tell you, I'll make you. And give you an incentive to follow my directions when I give them to you!"
He grabbed Harry's arm and yanked him up. Harry yelped in pain and tried to stand, but the only result was him being dragged along by his uncle. Uncle Vernon dragged him up the stairs and into Harry's room, pushing him onto the floor. Harry looked up at him. His uncle's eyes were large and dilated, his face more purple than he'd ever seen it. It was apparent that his uncle had been drinking, perhaps a bit too much.
"Get undressed!"
Harry's blood froze. He couldn't believe this.
"NOW!"
Harry couldn't move for fear and utter disbelief. So his uncle did it for him. Only one word was going through his mind, before he passed out.
NO!!!!!!!!!!
Harry regained consciousness sometime during the night. The house was still and quiet. Harry struggled to put his clothes back on, still in shock. He couldn't believe his uncle had gone that far.
Harry pulled his necklace off and looked at the orb with the moonlight from the window. It was still green, but Harry knew how to make it turn red. Clutching it tightly in his fist, he could feel it get warm, until it felt like it was burning.
At least Severus would know he needed help. Harry passed out again.
Severus felt the orb on his necklace begin to get warm, but he was half asleep and thought little of it. That is, until it started to burn nearly as bad as his Mark. He sat bolt upright in his bed, pulling the necklace from his neck hurriedly. When he saw that it was blood-red, his heart nearly stopped.
He jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. He didn't bother with robes, as he knew it would be too hot where he was going. So he left Hogwarts in a long T-shirt and jeans. He ran to Hogsmeade, where he Apparated to Harry's door.
A simple unlocking charm opened the front door. He thought it was luck that the house was so quiet, but he was immediately corrected.
"Who are you?" Asked a voice from behind him, as he set a foot on the stairs. He turned around slowly
"What business is that of yours?" Severus asked quietly.
"If you're here to take that imbecile, you can't have him." A man, obviously Harry's uncle, said.
"And why, dare I ask, can't I?" Severus asked, his voice deadly.
"Because he's mine." Uncle Vernon said, with a sick smile on his face.
A quick surface scan of Vernon's mind gave Severus all the information he needed, and a greater desire to get Harry the hell out of there.
"Over my dead body—not that you could kill me," Severus hissed, and went up the stairs. With surprising speed for a person so large, Vernon blocked Harry's door.
"Move aside, Dursley," Severus said, drawing his wand. "Unless you'd like to be on the receiving end of some very painful magic."
Vernon didn't move. With a flick of his wrist, Severus sent him into the opposite wall. Then he opened the door to Harry's room, gasping at what he saw.
Harry woke suddenly, having heard a loud crash just outside his room. Hearing his door open, he raised his head.
"Severus!" He cried out, his voice hoarse.
"Oh. My. God." Severus said, shocked beyond anything he'd ever experienced. Harry was, well, Harry was in a mess. He was a mess.
Severus walked over to him. "What the hell have they done to you?"
Harry shook his head.
"Just get me out of here. Please."
I think I've been reading too many horror books......sorry to make Harry go through that, but it was in the original storyline. Anyway, there's more to come, don't worry. As always, feedback is more than welcome (I tell you, I have no life!), and I'll try to get 16 and 17 up as soon as work will let me.
Severus returned from yet another Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord wasn't spending so much time and energy on Harry this time, which was odd because he was always plotting ways to get Harry killed.
"I don't want him dead anymore," Voldemort said one evening, when Avery questioned his seemingly weakened desire to kill Harry. "I've got other plans for that boy."
'Which was just fine and dandy for him,' Severus thought to himself as he stormed through the castle doors. He was in a particularly nasty mood that night, because he had to feed those rats a serious of bullshit, and now he had to go and tell Dumbledore what he said so they could plan their next move.
After he left the headmaster's office, he made his way to the dungeons in a much slower pace, allowing himself to calm down. The thought of brewing another potion came to mind, as it always had a calming effect on him. Sometimes too calming, as he got so into it that Minerva had often scared the living daylights out of him. She found it quite amusing most of the time, even if the potion became a complete waste of ingredients and water.
He'd reached his office. He didn't even need to use a password, since the office was his. Most of the offices in the school required passwords, even if their owners were trying to get in, but some recognized their owners. The only ones who needed passwords were those who did not occupy these rooms, including the headmaster. Several times in previous years Severus had wondered if the rooms would allow previous owners to enter whenever they felt the need, and it was this thought that made him choose a different room for his office. Just in case.
Now that he was comfortable in his chair, he thought about some of the recent events. Professor Jones had been brutally murdered by Voldemort himself. So now they had to find another DADA teacher. Severus himself had stumbled upon the perfect Quidditch teacher, even though he never seemed the type to want anything to do with the sport. He found that Larius Kendler, an old classmate from Ravenclaw, was already teaching kids how to play the sport, so he brought him to the headmaster, who happily agreed to let him teach. Their replacements for Herbology and Ancient Runes were sisters, Eliza and Beth Vance, both of whom preferred to be called by their first names, as they shared the same surname.
That left the DADA position open. Severus didn't even bother trying to ask for it. He didn't want to this year. The job seemed to be cursed, but then again, maybe some twist of fate would bring the perfect teacher. He had to admit, Lupin was the best they'd had since he himself started.
Severus hoped that it wouldn't be another Death Eater posing as someone else that got the job.
Harry sat in the corner of his room. It was night, sometime around the end of July. It seemed perfect that there would be a break in the beatings around his birthday, which was when things got dramatically worse. For him anyway.
He was covered in bruises and dried blood. His own blood. He was dirty and smelled awful. He was lucky enough to be able to go to the bathroom, but that was only because it was a spare bathroom. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to wash himself, because the Dursleys thought he'd contaminate the shower.
There was a loud thumping noise. "Imbecile! Get your smelly ass in the shower now!"
It was Aunt Petunia. It was obvious that his uncle was out because otherwise she'd never let him get cleaned up.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry answered, struggling to get up. Head spinning, he made it to the doorway before he had to stop, leaning against the frame.
His aunt looked at him from down the hall.
"You reek, boy," she commented. "Hurry up, before Vernon and Dudley get back."
Harry nodded, and shifted himself so he could try and walk. Aunt Petunia handed him a washcloth and towel before she closed the bathroom door behind him. He managed to get his filthy clothes off and get into the shower. The warm water stung at his cuts, and it was hard to move because he was so sore. He could barely wash his hair because having his arms raised made him lightheaded. He was halfway through washing when he became so dizzy that he fell to the floor of the shower.
'Great,' he thought, 'Now I'm in for it and she'll never let me shower again.'
He heard the door open. "What was that noise?" His aunt asked.
"It was me, Aunt Petunia," Harry said, miserably. "I got really dizzy and I collapsed. I'm sorry."
She poked her head around the shower curtain and looked down at him.
"I'm really sorry," Harry said, hanging his head.
She turned off the water. Harry looked at her.
"Give me the washcloth." She held out her hand. "I'm going to help you finish, as it's obvious you're not capable of doing it yourself."
She finished washing him and rinsed him off. She gave him the towel to dry off with as she got him some clean clothing. He tried to get dressed, but he was too dizzy and when she helped him, he began to cry.
"I'm sorry for making you do this," Harry said between sobs. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble, I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that," Aunt Petunia said, trying to hold him steady so he wouldn't fall over again. He was shaking so hard that she let him fall into her lap, and she held him until he was done crying. It wasn't until he stopped that she realized that he'd cried himself to sleep.
Half an hour later, she heard the car pull into the driveway.
"Harry!"
He started, then looked at her, eyes wide.
"They're here! You need to get back in your room!" She pulled him up, and together, they made it back to his room. Before she closed his door, he opened his mouth.
"Aunt Petunia?"
She looked at him.
"Thank you."
She nodded and closed the door.
The days passed slowly. Harry was surprised that his cousin and uncle were leaving him alone, but he thought they were saving all their energy for his birthday. He had no idea just how much energy, though.
His birthday fell on a Saturday. He had woken up to drizzling rain and dark skies. Even though it was only half past noon, Aunt Petunia had been bustling around in the kitchen for several hours. Since it was a weekend- day, it was perfectly normal for Uncle Vernon and Dudley to sleep rather late, even if it was Harry's birthday.
So Harry just sat there, staring out the window as the skies grew more ominous. He had a horrible feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was given a 'proper birthday,' as his uncle called it.
He heard his uncle moving around in the other room. Harry quickly moved to his usual corner, for his aunt was the only one who knew he looked out the window in the mornings. He listened for his uncles footsteps to near his door.
"You better be up, boy!" Uncle Vernon said, pounding on the door. Then he walked down to his son's room.
"Dudders!"
"What?" Came the grouchy reply.
"Get up, son," Uncle Vernon responded. "We have a birthday to celebrate!"
Harry's heart sank.
A short while later, it was Dudley who yanked him out of his room and into the hallway.
"Why did you wake me up this morning, you stupid, useless moron?" Dudley roared, knowing full well that Harry had done no such thing.
"I-I didn't!" Harry gasped through his cousin's chokehold.
"Did I give you permission to talk, imbecile?" Uncle Vernon growled. To Dudley, he said, "Do with him what you like, son."
Dudley grinned devilishly as he threw Harry into the wall and began kicking him.
Severus was brewing another potion for the Cruciatus Curse. He was in extreme pain and very sore from the previous night's meeting. Everyone had gotten the Cruciatus, just to make sure the Dark Lord still had them all in his control. Of course, the closer and more loyal you were, the less pain you experienced, but pain it was nevertheless. And it hurt like hell on fire.
Not only that, but Severus had a bad feeling about this day, and he wasn't sure why. He knew it was HHHHH Harry's birthday, but that didn't explain why he had such an odd feeling.
Severus ladled his potion into a few vials and stoppered them all, placing them carefully in his cupboard. Turning around, he felt an enormously painful sensation in his ribcage. It was so strong that he had to support himself with the corner of his desk until the pain faded. Then he looked up at the clock.
It was only 1:30.
Severus had a feeling this wouldn't be the only pain he suffered for the day.
At seven that evening, Harry was to be found in the kitchen, trying desperately to make a decent meal. This task was made difficult by the fact that he was becoming dizzier with the blood he was losing. He'd been beaten rather hard the last six or so hours, and knew it wasn't over yet. Especially as he'd just burned the lasagna.
"How dare you burn perfectly good lasagna!" Uncle Vernon roared in his face. "Are you trying to kill us all? You won't live to see us die, you worthless bag of skin and bones!"
With that, he flung Harry across the kitchen. Harry's head just missed the table, but it didn't miss the kick his uncle sent his way. Groaning, Harry rolled over onto his side.
"Get up!"
Harry tried, but he fell over before he got to his knees.
"I said, GET UP!"
Once again, Harry tried, but he could barely move.
"Fine," his uncle said, standing over him. "If you won't get up when I tell you, I'll make you. And give you an incentive to follow my directions when I give them to you!"
He grabbed Harry's arm and yanked him up. Harry yelped in pain and tried to stand, but the only result was him being dragged along by his uncle. Uncle Vernon dragged him up the stairs and into Harry's room, pushing him onto the floor. Harry looked up at him. His uncle's eyes were large and dilated, his face more purple than he'd ever seen it. It was apparent that his uncle had been drinking, perhaps a bit too much.
"Get undressed!"
Harry's blood froze. He couldn't believe this.
"NOW!"
Harry couldn't move for fear and utter disbelief. So his uncle did it for him. Only one word was going through his mind, before he passed out.
NO!!!!!!!!!!
Harry regained consciousness sometime during the night. The house was still and quiet. Harry struggled to put his clothes back on, still in shock. He couldn't believe his uncle had gone that far.
Harry pulled his necklace off and looked at the orb with the moonlight from the window. It was still green, but Harry knew how to make it turn red. Clutching it tightly in his fist, he could feel it get warm, until it felt like it was burning.
At least Severus would know he needed help. Harry passed out again.
Severus felt the orb on his necklace begin to get warm, but he was half asleep and thought little of it. That is, until it started to burn nearly as bad as his Mark. He sat bolt upright in his bed, pulling the necklace from his neck hurriedly. When he saw that it was blood-red, his heart nearly stopped.
He jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. He didn't bother with robes, as he knew it would be too hot where he was going. So he left Hogwarts in a long T-shirt and jeans. He ran to Hogsmeade, where he Apparated to Harry's door.
A simple unlocking charm opened the front door. He thought it was luck that the house was so quiet, but he was immediately corrected.
"Who are you?" Asked a voice from behind him, as he set a foot on the stairs. He turned around slowly
"What business is that of yours?" Severus asked quietly.
"If you're here to take that imbecile, you can't have him." A man, obviously Harry's uncle, said.
"And why, dare I ask, can't I?" Severus asked, his voice deadly.
"Because he's mine." Uncle Vernon said, with a sick smile on his face.
A quick surface scan of Vernon's mind gave Severus all the information he needed, and a greater desire to get Harry the hell out of there.
"Over my dead body—not that you could kill me," Severus hissed, and went up the stairs. With surprising speed for a person so large, Vernon blocked Harry's door.
"Move aside, Dursley," Severus said, drawing his wand. "Unless you'd like to be on the receiving end of some very painful magic."
Vernon didn't move. With a flick of his wrist, Severus sent him into the opposite wall. Then he opened the door to Harry's room, gasping at what he saw.
Harry woke suddenly, having heard a loud crash just outside his room. Hearing his door open, he raised his head.
"Severus!" He cried out, his voice hoarse.
"Oh. My. God." Severus said, shocked beyond anything he'd ever experienced. Harry was, well, Harry was in a mess. He was a mess.
Severus walked over to him. "What the hell have they done to you?"
Harry shook his head.
"Just get me out of here. Please."
I think I've been reading too many horror books......sorry to make Harry go through that, but it was in the original storyline. Anyway, there's more to come, don't worry. As always, feedback is more than welcome (I tell you, I have no life!), and I'll try to get 16 and 17 up as soon as work will let me.