It was dark before the trio reached Number 4 Privet Drive. Potter snuck around to the back and tried the door; it was locked.
Potter sighed and whispered, "Well, I can get you to my room, but I'll have to sleep outside tonight. If Uncle Vernon finds me in my room after he locked me out, I'll get punished." He waved his hand and the door unlocked with a muffled click.
Potter continued whispering to the silent animals as he pushed open the door slowly. "Thankfully wandless can't be detected by the ministry, since they've only got a trace on underage student's wands, and their sensors only detect large amounts of accidental magic. But small bursts of wandlessly controlled magic slip right through." A small, humor-less smile. "Luckily, or I'd probably be dead by now."
A look of alarm was exchanged between Lucius and Severus. Their worry and panic was escalating rapidly with every word from Potter's mouth.
They silently made their way through the house. In the dim light Severus could see the pictures on the wall from Potter's shoulder. All of them depicted a family of three- a whale-like man, a horse-faced stick woman- Petunia, Severus recalled- and the walrus-brat from their earlier encounter. But nothing of Harry Potter. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that he didn't even live here.
While Severus was distracted by his disturbed thoughts, he missed Potter's shudder as they passed the cupboard under the stairs. But Lucius didn't, and he filed that information away for later perusal.
Potter eased his way up the stairs, skipping the third step easily. "Creaks." He whispered in explanation.
Both friends were floored when Potter crept up to the door with seven different padlocks and the dirty cat-flap. The boy opened it half-way before slipping through.
The room itself made both animals wince and gag, sick to their stomachs. The stench was enough to almost cause the refined Lucius to vomit. It reeked of sweat, fear, waste, blood, and… something else. Neither Lucius nor Severus could figure out what the sickening, bitter smell was.
Severus' feline eyes made out the blood stains covering everything. The moonlight filtering through the bars on the window threw everything into stark clarity.
The walls, the floor, the ceiling, the desk, the bed, were all either covered or splattered with blood; new and old, dried and fresh.
"I'm sorry, I know it's bad." Lucius and Severus stared at the boy, too shocked to do anything else. "But it's better than the cupboard. There's a window." Then a hoarse whisper, "But… at least he couldn't get me in the cupboard… he was too big, he couldn't… couldn't touch me in there."
Lucius whined faintly and Severus trembled, both whispering in horror, ~No…~
Potter shook himself from his memories and walked over to the bed. "Sorry, this is the only hiding place in here. I can put a wandless disillusionment charm for the space under the bed, but it'll only work if you stay there. Understand? Do not come out, for any reason, if you want to live. I'll get in big trouble if Uncle V-Vernon finds out that I brought you home with me. As soon as you're healed you can get as far away from me as possible. It'll be better for you, trust me."
As he whispered all of this Potter crouched down with a wince and gently placed Lucius on the ground beneath the bed, missing Severus' horrified hiss as Potter bent over. And with a wave of his hand Severus- still on Potter's shoulder- couldn't see Lucius anymore. Potter nodded in satisfaction before gently prying Severus from his shoulder; he'd dug his claws in to keep himself from falling off in his shock and horror when he'd glimpsed over the boy's shoulder the newly revealed wound on his lower back.
Severus joined Lucius beneath the bed and promptly began coughing and hacking at the terrible odor; and Lucius wasn't faring much better. Potter winced before whispering, "Oh right, sorry. M'just used to it, I guess." Again, a snap of his wrist, and the small space was charmed and the air suddenly breathable.
But both disguised snakes barely noticed. They were more focused on Potter's subconscious need to apologize for anything and everything. Both were wishing that it wouldn't be a whole week before they could contact Tom.
"Alright," The boy nodded and smiled softly. "You should be safe for now. Just concentrate on healing. I don't know when I'll be back, since I've got to sleep outside tonight, and I don't know what U-Uncle Vernon's mood'll be. He might just hit me and throw me in here with no food or water for the rest of the week… if he's in a good mood. Oh Merlin, please let him be in a good mood." Potter whimpered slightly as he limped across the room and sneaked back out through the door.
He shut the door silently, leaving no evidence of his break-in… into his own house.
And suddenly the two Slytherins were alone… and they couldn't think of anything to say.
No words to summarize the terrible sight they'd been subjected to. They never, not in a million years, thought it might be this bad.
~Lucius,~ Severus whimpered. ~What has Dumbledore done? Did… did you see his body? His… his back?~ For the first time in his life, the normally composed and sharp-tongued Potions Master was lost for words.
Lucius was equally shocked. ~I can't even imagine… he's the same age as my son, as Draco… yet he looks no bigger than a second year. Oh Merlin, Severus…~ Severus' question filtered through Lucius' horror. ~His back? I saw the scars and welts on his chest, and the gaping wound closed with hand-done stitches with a frayed string,~ An indrawn breath of anger and pity from Severus, ~But I never saw his back. Why, Severus? What… how bad is it?~
Severus took a deep breath to compose himself, although his efforts seemed in vain. ~Remember what Potter said? When that boy-whale asked him about 'freaks'?~ Lucius nodded, dread creeping through his veins. ~Along with old and new scars from… what looks like a whip…~ Severus shut his eyes, trying to erase the horrible image of the boy's emaciated and scarred body from his mind, ~the word 'FREAK' is carved onto his back and… and I didn't see it until just now, when he crouched to set you down but… but 'WHORE' is branded into his lower back, just beneath the waistband of his trousers…~ Eyes opened in response to Lucius' pained and shaken gasp. ~Years old, Lucius. The scars are years old.~
~Merlin…~ Was all Lucius could whisper around his horror. ~Oh dear Merlin…~
And Severus found that he couldn't think of anything more articulate to say either.
The two friends laid there, in the dark and filthy sanctuary beneath the bed, trapped in their own swirling thoughts of sympathy, remorse, and shame as the night wore on and the sun began to rise.
And when they heard the loud, rumbling footsteps that shook the house like an earthquake, make their way down the stairs and to the back door; and the loud, angry yelling that echoed through the halls; they knew it would only get worse.
And they knew that this was going to be the longest week of their lives.