Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the parts of this story affiliated with the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. As such, I do not receive any payment for publishing these works.

Chapter 8: The Children in the Shed

Genre: AU/Family/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2,012

Content Rating: M

Italics: 'Thoughts' or "letters" or stressed words

Bold: Important information

Underline: Titles

"" - Character speaking

Horizontal lines: A break in time or scene

A/N: This chapter is rated mature for a reason! Mentions of severe child abuse, starvation, and pain. If you are too young to read this I will be posting an abridged PG-13 version. I do not support child abuse in any way shape or form and believe that those who practice such should be punished with the utmost severity.

A few days passed and other than the odd piece of processed cheese slipped through the gap underneath the door the children were uncared for. Harry sat in the back corner quietly hugging his knees while Hazel searched for a way out. They had tried unlocking the door by magic unsuccessfully, tried finding a hole in the worn roof, and even tried to pry the boards of the floor up and dig their way out. So far nothing had worked and each of them were beginning to fade away. Hazel slumped down next to her cousin.

"It's no use, Harry." Hazel said weakly.

"I just don't get why of all times our magic would stop working now." Harry growled bitterly.

"Maybe because we're weak?" Hazel winced as Harry shot her a glare, "I mean physically and mentally. We just found out about your parents and now we've been in here for at least two days with nothing, but cheese. There is nothing for our magic to run on."

Harry scowled, but nodded in agreement when the door swung open. The moonlight burnt their eyes, but they still scrambled to get out when the large boot of Vernon Dursley kicked them back in.

"Disgusting creatures. Look what you've done to my shed." The tools laid scattered around from various escape attempts, the back corner had some feces and urine, and the children themselves were dirty and now bloody. "You destroy everything you touch don't you?"

Neither of the cousins responded and Vernon kicked at them again – nailing Harry in the side.

"Don't you?" He shouted, spitting at them.

This time they nodded and Vernon seemed pleased. "Your mother begged I give you this." Vernon taunted holding a glass of water. "I don't think you deserve it though."

"Please, Da." Hazel whispered her voice dry and weak.

"What did you say?" He growled and Hazel repeated herself louder. She barely managed to cover her face when she felt Vernon smack her across the face with the glass. Hazel could feel the shards embedding themselves into her hands. "I am not your father. I should have suspected something when you turned out looking like her disgusting sister."

"B-but Dudley and I are twins." She reasoned as the blood seeped down her pale flesh. Hazel saw Harry watching in shock out of the corner of her eye. Vernon obviously couldn't respond with words and proceeded to kick and hit Hazel. Harry, brave and kind Harry, tried to protect his cousin, but Vernon just pushed him aside into a rack where he hit his head.

"S-stop please." Hazel begged through her sobs. Her body ebbed with unimaginable pain as she cried. Vernon just looked down in disgust and strutted out heading into the garden. Hazel dared not try to move. He grabbed the hose and returned blasting the curled up girl with cold water. She cried out as each droplet felt like another punch against her too fragile body.

Eventually she passed out on the floor of the shed next to Harry unable to take anymore.

A few more days passed and Hazel awoke to a worried Harry. His body was littered with bruises and cuts.

"You're awake." He whispered and Hazel nodded sorely. Oddly enough she didn't feel as hurt as she should have been. Harry followed her confused glance, "I think our magic did it. The gash on the back of my head is gone too."

Hazel noticed she still had far too many bruises, but nothing felt broken any more. She sighed in relief, "How long have I been asleep?"

"I think almost three days." Harry said looking at one of the cracks in the roof. It had become one of their only sources of light and time. "Drink this."

He handed her a bucket filled with water. Hazel looked at him in disbelief, "Where did you get this?"

"I don't know, but when I woke up the shed was covered in water. It filled some of the buckets; I tried to take the ones from the top so it wouldn't have any 'stuff' in it."

Hazel grimaced looking at the corner. She knew exactly what 'stuff' he was talking about, but drank anyways. Despite the low quality it felt amazing to have the cool liquid flowing down her throat.

"Has he come back?" She asked and Harry shook his head.

"No one has been in the backyard since I woke up that morning." Harry said thoughtfully, "Although I thought I heard a cat last night."

"A cat?" Hazel scrunched up her face - there was something important about that.

"I think it was scratching at the back door. I heard Petunia shoo it away."

Hazel sat in silence with her cousin for a while when the thought hit her.

"Harry,"

"What?" He asked sleepily.

"The cat."

"It was just a cat, Hazel." Harry said grumpily, "It is not going to be able to save us."

"B-but what if it could?" She said getting excited. Did they finally have hope?

"What are you talking about? Did you bump your head?"

"McGonagall." She replied, "She said she would check up on you and I don't think I've ever seen a loose cat. Mrs. Figg tends to take them all in too quickly."

Harry perked up instantly and began to listen intently for signs of the cat.

Several more days passed and the cousins had begun to get skinnier and skinnier. Along with their weight loss came weakness, but still they listened day and night for the cat. Finally two weeks after their initial lock up they heard it. A meow!

"McGonagall!" They shouted weakly. They hoped Vernon wouldn't hear them, but even if he did it might be their only chance.

They heard padded footsteps come closer when finally a small black nose poked its way underneath the door and sniffed.

"Minerva, please help." They pleaded, but it was too much. The cousins couldn't take anymore and collapsed before the door.

Minerva prowled the clean garden of the Dursley abode moodily. It had been two weeks since Severus and she had visited. Despite her constant visits she had yet to see either Hazel or Harry and it was beginning to worry her. What if something had happened?

She pushed the thought out of her frantic mind and sniffed around letting out a few cautious meows. Minerva hoped they would hear her and not the dreadful woman again when she heard voices. Her ears perked trying to hear the whispers, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She looked around and noticed the dark blue shed towards the back of the yard and headed towards it. As she did the whispers began to sound clearer.

Suddenly they stopped as she reached the shed. 'How strange.' Minerva thought and began to sniff around. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of waste 'How can Muggles live like this?' The witch wondered when she just barely heard it.

"Minerva, please help."

Her green cat eyes went wide as she frantically changed back into human form. She pointed her wand at the lock, but nothing happened. It seemed the wards were blocking her magic.

'I need Severus and Albus,' she thought and touched the tip of her wand to a small ring she wore on her right hand. It glowed and warmed in response and moments later Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape stood beside her looking alarmed.

"Is it Death Eaters, Minerva?" Albus asked, his typical twinkle gone.

She shook her head and Severus suddenly began prying the lock in recognition.

"It is them isn't it Minerva?" He asked as he tried to work the lock free.

"I-I think so."

"Merlin, I hoped…." Severus trailed off and the lock clicked open.

The three adults headed through the small door one by one shock by what they saw. The two children were wrapped together a few feet from the door. Around them laid various amounts of disarray. Severus got a dark look in his eyes as he scanned the two for any signs of life. Minerva stood crumpled against the door frame with her hand on her heart while Dumbledore looked gravely at the shed.

"Albus," Minerva said weakly, "He did this. That awful man did this."

"I know." He said sounding more like three hundred than one hundred and twelve.

She began to hit his chest as she sobbed, "How could you let them do this?" She screamed.

Albus took it wordlessly as Severus worked.

"They are alive." He said, "Just barely. They are suffering from internal injury, bruising, core depletion, dehydration, and starvation. Hazel seems to have the worst of it. Any longer and I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to stabilize them. They need to be treated immediately."

Albus nodded and with a swish of his wand the wards protecting 4 Privet Drive were destroyed. He glanced darkly at the house of Muggles before him, but carried Harry while Severus carried Hazel. In a pop all five of them were gone.

Hazel opened her eyes and was met by a bright white light – this wasn't the shed. Her body felt achy and weak, but much better than it had in a long time. She ran her fingers down her side and could feel her ribs jutting out. Her eyes finally adjusted and she looked around.

She was on an all-white bed surrounded by white curtains. There were two chairs at her bedside on a stone floor. Hazel peered upward and noticed the ceilings and walls were stone as well. A small light floated down from the ceiling and seemed to scan over her body. She giggled at its touch when it zoomed away flashing red.

In no time a plump looking woman with curly grey hair came through the curtains in red robes and a white apron.

"Hello there, dear. Gave us all quite a panic you did." She said sweetly.

"Where am I?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the Hospital Wing to be exact. You were brought here almost a week ago."

"Is Harry here?"

"Yes, he woke up a few days ago. I believe he is in the Great Hall eating some breakfast. I'm sure he'll be down soon – it has been a challenge keeping that boy away. Now, let me scan you." The woman raised her wand.

"W-wait!" Hazel cried out, "I don't even know who you are. How am I supposed to trust you?"

The woman huffed, "Severus, said you were a sharp one. I am Madame Poppy Pomfrey, I'm Hogwarts resident healer. I assure you this won't hurt you a bit, I give you my oath. "

A strange white light surrounded the healer's wand and Hazel nodded the magic somehow making her feel she was telling the truth. Smiling, Poppy ran her wand down the girl's body; tutting as numbers formed on the parchment she held.

"Better, but you'll need to stay for at least another few days."

Madame Pomfrey was interrupted from saying anything further as a ball of black shot across the wing to Hazel's bed. It began to hug her tightly and while Hazel winced she couldn't help but smile at her cousin.

"I told them you would wake up today!" Harry said holding her close.

"Mr. Potter, you have been saying so every day since you woke up." Severus said with small smirk.

He stuck his tongue out at the Potions professor who just raised an eyebrow. "I'll need to go tell the Headmaster and Minerva, if you'll excuse us." Madame Pomfrey said pulling Severus with her.

Harry's green eyes looked into their match, "I was scared you would never wake up, Hazel."

"Someone has to talk you out of trouble." She replied affectionately patting down his wild black hair. "How is Hogwarts? Everything we imagined?"

"Oh Hazel!" He exclaimed happily, "It is so much more. I've been mostly with Professor McGonagall so I got to see the Gryffindor common rooms! It was just like my Mum wrote."

They chatted happily for a few more minutes when Professors Snape and McGonagall returned with an old man with a long beard and purple robes.

"I am the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore." He introduced himself, "How are you feeling my dear?"

Hazel looked at him suspiciously, "As well as could be expected I suppose." His blue eyes twinkled at her and she scowled. He was the reason Harry had been sent to the Dursley's house, the reason Harry had to go through all that suffering. "It is not every day one is beaten and locked away by their family for being magical."

Next to her Harry stiffened, "It is okay, Hazel. He didn't know." Harry told his cousin.

"No, Mr. Potter. It is quite alright – your cousin is quite right to expect answers." Albus said with a sigh beside him Severus was smirking.