It had been several hours since Fawkes had left Dumbledore's office in a furious blaze of glory, and he still had no idea where his phoenix had gone. He had tried calling him, summoning him, and even tried to use the spell, 'Accio Fawkes', to get him back, but it was all in vain. Fawkes had gone, and deep down, Dumbledore knew that he wouldn't be coming back.

"Ungrateful phoenix. How dare he leave me after all these years of me taking care of him and giving him a place to live." Dumbledore continued to pace the floor in his office, grumbling to himself the entire time. Then he heard a bell sound from a drawer in his desk. He hurried over to it and opened the drawer to find a red crystal glowing brightly.

"Hm, it seems that Mr. Potter is no longer in his house. Damn, that boy! I wish he would just stay put in that house instead of wandering around all the time. He just got home for goodness sake. Maybe I should have a word or two with his relatives to see if they would be able to keep him in his bedroom all summer."

Dumbledore had secretly planted that very idea into Harry's relatives minds to keep him locked up for his own good. He knew that the boy's uncle was more than willing to do the job, but as far as Dumbledore was concerned, it was for the greater good. After all, he had to keep the boy around and alive long enough for him to reach his full potential so that he could syphon off his powers to himself, then he would be powerful enough to defeat Voldemort for good.

The red crystal kept shining brightly with no sign of dimming. He finally decided it was time to pay a visit to the boy's house and see why the boy had left the house this time. He fire-called his potions master, and to his frustration, found that Severus was nowhere to be found.

"I wonder where that man is? He's always in the dungeons brewing some sort of potion or another. Well, I suppose if I want to know what's going on with Potter, I'll have to go myself. I'll wait until tonight and apparate over to Privet Drive. Mr. Potter should be back in his home by then, and I'll just have to reinforce that spell on his relatives."

Dumbledore chuckled to himself as he sat behind his desk and began to sort through the mountain of year-end paper work that had accumulated. He failed to notice Minerva McGonagall standing just outside of the entranceway of his office, with a deep frown on her face. Just what had happened to the kind, caring, and benevolent man that had been her friend for all those years? she wondered. It seemed that Albus Dumbledore was slowly turning into a complete stranger to her, and she wasn't the only staff member to notice. Several of the other professors had mentioned it to her in private throughout the year, and after hearing what she had just heard from the headmaster's own lips, she suddenly felt that Harry Potter was not as safe as she had assumed. She hurried to her office to contact someone she knew she could trust to help her get to the bottom of this situation, hopefully before it was too late. Little did she know that it was already too late for Harry.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Remus Lupin sat in a shabby armchair in his Welsh cottage, sipping some hot tea. As hot as the summer was, he would have preferred something colder, but it was tea time. Where was Sirius? The Headmaster sent a message saying that Sirius was on his way and should be there by tea time. The sun was setting and the old mutt was nowhere to be seen. Had dementors found him? Had Death Eaters found him? Had he found himself a girl friend? Remus snorted into his cup as that thought filtered through his mind. He decided he would give his friend another hour before he would head out to look for him. Then he received a fire call; it was his former colleague-Minerva McGonagall.

HPHPHPHPHHPHHHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPPHPPHPHPHPPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Severus and Sirius arrived with a couple of loud 'pops' at the front door of number 12 Grimmauld Place, in London. The front door was old and heavy, and the door knob looked like a serpent's head, and it was covered with a light coating of rust. Sirius quickly opened the door and ushered his friend, who was still carrying an unconscious Harry, inside. He shut the door hastily and led the way up the old, creaking stairs to the closest bedroom on the 2nd floor. Sirius shoved the door open, and Severus hurried inside. Sirius quickly muttered a few cleaning spells and the bed was suddenly dust free with clean, fresh sheets and blankets. Severus gently laid Harry's battered body down on the bed.

Sirius yelled out for Kreacher, and an old, filthy house-elf appeared. He sneered at the man who called him for a moment before asking, "What can Kreacher do for the traitor?"

Sirius took a deep breath and slowly let it out before saying a word. Even though he had tried to calm down, he knew he would end up punching that elf before it was over.

"Kreacher, I need you to bring us up some supper, for both of us, and a basin with warm water, and some soap, and a couple of wash cloths, and some towels. And hurry!" he ordered the elf. Kreacher stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not to obey, but when Sirius stood up to grab his arm, he popped away. "I really hate that elf," he mumbled to Severus.

Severus, however, wasn't listening. He has spelled away Harry's clothes, and was now gasping at the site of the boy's broken and bruised body. It appeared that most of his skin had taken on the color of a dark colored plum, black and blue. There were bruises all down the boy's chest and over his lower abdomen, and once Severus had moved the waistband of the boy's boxers, he saw that the poor child was even bruised in his groin area as well.

His ribs stuck out of his chest, like he hadn't eaten in a month, and upon further examination, Severus felt at least 3 of them were broken clean into. He thought back to the last month of classes, and realized that even though Harry had been at the table with his Gryffindor friends, he didn't ever see him take even one bite of food. No wonder the boy was so thin.

He heard the elf 'pop' out of the room, and then heard Sirius gasp and start cursing under his breath. He had just taken a good look at Harry now that he had his shirt taken off. Severus quickly turned his attention to his friend and tried to allay his fears.

"Look Sirius, Harry will be all right, once we get him cleaned up, heal him, and get some food into him. He was only with that abominable muggle for a day, so his thinness isn't because of them. I think he was so upset about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he just didn't eat properly. Damn, Albus should have seen what was going on and seen to it that the boy had received the proper care." Severus kept mumbling to himself as he finished undressing his charge, and continued his exam. He didn't even notice when Kreacher came back with the items that Sirius had requested he bring.

It was at that moment that Harry began to regain consciousness and as his brain began to function a bit better, it quickly relayed that he was in pain all over, and he promptly groaned in agony. Sirius was right there by his head in an instant to hold his head still and try to offer some comfort while Severus continued to chant healing spells. But in Harry's weary condition, he just couldn't understand what was going on except one thing: He was in pain, and the last thing he remembered was hanging by his neck in his cupboard, slowly suffocating. He cried out, "Uncle, please!" but it came out a dry cough and was hardly recognizable. However, Severus heard it, and inwardly cursed Vernon Dursley and Albus Dumbledore: the first for committing the unspeakable act on his nephew, and the latter for putting the boy in that horrid place to begin with.

Severus quickly grabbed several vials of potions and spoke quietly so not to agitate the boy any further. Harry was still weakly trying to fight off the hands that were holding him, and it seemed he was reliving his experience in the cupboard.

"Sirius, will you sit the boy up slightly and help me get these potions into him? There's a blood-replenisher, one to mend his broken bones, one to heal his internal bruises, and a dreamless sleep potion."

"Sure thing Severus." Sirius quickly and gently slid his arms around Harry's thin shoulders and lifted his up enough so that he wouldn't choke on the potions that Severus was pouring down his throat. One by one each potion slid down the young boy's sore throat, and then finally, after the last one, which was a dreamless sleep potion, he slid blissfully back into oblivion.

Sirius sat down in a chair next to Harry's bed, and looked at his godson, who was now sleeping peacefully despite his injuries. His face was pale, and his long dark eyelashes stood out in contrast to his paleness. His dark hair, which normally stood out in all directions, was curiously flat, having been soaked with his own sweat while struggling to survive while hanging in that cupboard. Severus seemed to realize that his friend was sinking quickly into a dark depression, and he pulled a chair over next to him and sat down, levitating the food trays that Kreacher had brought up earlier. He handed a cup of hot tea to his friend and took one for himself.

Sirius looked up at his friend and smiled, and quickly took a long drink. He sighed deeply before speaking.

"Sev, I just don't understand all of this. Why did Albus make us forget that we were friends? Why did he put Harry with that sorry excuse for a muggle? All these years we've been harboring these vile, hateful feelings and it was all a lie! What would possess Albus to do this?" Sirius ended his questions with a painful sob that pulled at the heart of one Severus Snape. He too had questions of his own, and he also had his ideas of why.

"Sirius, I'm not quite sure why Dumbledore did this to us, but I do intend to find out. I've been noticing that he's been acting strangely for quite some time, even all the way back at our graduation from Hogwarts. I'm guessing that was when he cast whatever spell he used to make us forget about our friendship, and then planted all those 'false' memories of our hatred for each other. I regret that Lily and James went to their graves believing us all to be enemies." He stopped speaking for a moment as he remembered the way he had treated Harry since his first day at Hogwarts. He was still staring at the young boy when Sirius put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it firmly.

"Don't worry Sev, I'm sure we can figure this out. You may stay here as long as you like. I know that I'll appreciate your help with Harry here. I can heal a few cuts and bruises, but nothing like this! I can't thank you enough for what you did tonight..." Severus put a hand to stop him.

"There's no need to thank me Sirius. I was glad to help you. What do you say that we get something to eat, and get settled in for the evening? Harry should sleep all through the night and into the morning. I gave him some powerful potions and that dreamless sleep potion was laced with a pain reliever and a calming draught. I don't think he will wake up, but one of us should be here if he does."

Sirius agreed with a yawn. He smiled sheepishly at his friend. Then he had a thought.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "We left Harry's things at the muggle house. One of us needs to go back and get it, especially his wand."

"Indeed. I will go retrieve Harry's trunk and wand while you eat some dinner. I will return shortly to relieve you. If he starts to stir, try to give him another pain potion, the purple one. That should help him go back to sleep until morning. I shouldn't be gone but an hour at the most. I do believe I saw the boy's trunk in that cupboard." Severus then sneered at the thought of having to deal with that muggle Dursley again. He allowed himself the luxury of a smile to grace his lips.

"Sev, do be careful. I'm sure by now that Dumbledore knows that Harry's no longer there, and I don't want him to find Harry here, or anywhere for that matter. I just don't trust that man now." Sirius stood and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder before giving in and grabbing him in a manly hug. Severus felt a little overwhelmed by this display of emotion from his friend, but he also understood. He returned the gesture as best as he could, and quickly walked down the stairs, and out the front door.

He apparated back to Privet Drive and walked right through the front door. Vernon was no longer laying on the floor of the living room, much to Severus's dismay. He was hoping to have another go at the despicable muggle. He put his hand on the cupboard door to pull it open, but as he touched it, he heard wheezy breathing come up behind him. He quickly turned around to see Vernon leaning wearily on the wall, opposite the cupboard. He had a kitchen knife in his shaking hand.

Severus laughed at the absurdness of the situation and wordlessly caused the evil man to drop his knife. Vernon stood there, shaking and cursing the entire time, even as Severus hit him with another stupify. He silently slid to the floor. Severus laughed evilly and retorted, "Don't ever mess with a Snape!"

He quickly looked into the cupboard and found Harry's trunk still sitting in the corner, and as he shrunk it down and pocketed it, he couldn't help but look up to the ceiling to see that wire still hanging there, and the other wire that had hobbled Harry's feet to the floor. He just couldn't understand how anyone could be so cruel to a child in their charge. He shook his head and walked out of the cupboard, stepped over Vernon's body, and walked out the front door. He apparated back to Grimmauld Place none too soon, as just as he was leaving, Albus Dumbledore apparated into the living room of number 4 Privet Drive.

HPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHPHPHPHPPHPHPHPPHPHHPH

Hi everyone. To everyone who has reviewed the story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It seems that my writing partner is having a bit of trouble with her muse, so I was on my own this time around. I hope you all like this chapter. I did try to include some of the things that needed a little bit of clarification . Please don't forget to read and review...

Thank you again for your support and loyalty. It really warms my heart to know that you all are enjoying the fic and that makes it all worth while!

Until next chapter, yours...NitaPotter