A sharp pain shot through his chest as he shifted on the small sofa. Opening his eyes he glanced down at his midsection which was covered in white gauze. Stifling a groan he moved to a sitting position as he looked around the room for his wand and shirt. A nonverbal accio produced his wand which he used to summon a shirt.

He was only mildly aware of the yelling that was happening in the adjoining room. As his fatigue wore off he was much more attentive to what was being said.

"We're not staying here!" The voice of Vernon boomed. "It would be idiotic to remain in this-this place!"

"You can't leave-" Harry started only to be cut of by his uncle.

"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do! We've sacrificed enough for you." Vernon shouted, as a chair scrapped against the tiled floor.

"If you leave you're as good as dead." Harry shouted exasperatedly.

"We've survived fine these last fourteen years. Nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed! The man who has been trying to kill me is on the rise. He'll come looking for you. He won't show you any mercy. Voldemort will torture you ruthlessly until he has the information he wants." The boy gave a frustrated sigh as he tried to reason with his uncle.

"Dad I think we should listen to him…" A small voice joined the conversation.

"Dudley, don't let him scare you. We're packing our things and we're leaving." Vernon ordered as a fist contacted with the table making the plates quiver.

"I'm not leaving. I'm staying here." Dudley said his voice much more firm this time around. "Look at what happened to that man. He left the house and he came back gashed open and covered in blood!"

"I've had enough of this nonsense. I'm done with all this magic hogwash. For fourteen years I've had to put up with all of your freakish behavior."

Hearing this, Severus pushed himself off of the couch and slowly inched his way closer to the door. The constant pain shooting through his chest made every movement much worse.

"We've made excuses for your unnatural abilities to the neighbors, the school officials and now we're living in the slums. I'm done with all of this and we will be leaving."

Severus watched as Vernon turned from Potter to his own son. None of them seemed aware of his presence.

"I'm not leaving Dad. I'm staying here." Dudley rose as he and his father had a stare off.

"Vernon, Dudley wants to stay. I think we should stay." Petunia finally said placing a hand on her son.

"This is absurd. You two can stay, but I will not stay here any longer."

"Vernon!"

Snape watched as Petunia rose to her feet looking completely aghast.

"Petunia, I didn't sign on for this." He gestured to Harry and then the house. "I've had enough of it all."

Snape took a few long strides into the kitchen, doing his best to ignore the pains that were radiating throughout his body. "I must insist that you stay. I know that this situation isn't ideal for any of us, but it is the safest thing for your family. However, if you wish to leave I cannot stop you. Once you're out that door I can no longer protect you." His body felt weak and he was suddenly lightheaded, but he ignored it and continued staring at the large man.

"I'm leaving." He puffed his chest out and strode past Snape; knocking into his shoulder.

Snape flinched, and his hand gripped his wand tightly. It took all of his strength not to turn around and hex the man.

The sound of feet hitting against the stairs reached his ear, causing him to shake his head. His eyes fell on Potter who was looking down at the floor dejectedly. Petunia had found her seat again and was sobbing silently into her hands, as Dudley placed an awkward hand on his mother's back as to comfort her.

"Professor?" Potter's voice came, "maybe you should sit down."

"I'm fine."

For several minutes they were surrounded by an awkward silence. The only audible noise came from the sobbing of Petunia. Soon there was the familiar sound of Vernon descending the steps and he emerged seconds later with his luggage gripped between his stubby fingers.

"Vernon!" Petunia shouted, her eyes brimmed with tears as she stared helplessly at her husband. "You can't just leave us here!" Her body trembled as she sobbed.

"You both have the choice of coming along." Vernon eyed his family as if bidding them to join him.

"I'm staying here." Dudley said yet again, as he wrapped a comforting arm around his mother. "Mom, you can go with Dad if you want, but it's safer here." He whispered, as she turned her black eyes on him.

"Your mother needs to stay here. She needs to stay here for the protection to stay in place."

"Wait, what? I'm not sure I understand." Dudley turned and looked to Harry. "How does it work?"

Perplexed, Harry shrugged his shoulders and his green eyes fell on Snape.

Sighing and still trying to ignore the burning pain that was radiating within him he started to speak. "The charm itself is rather complicated, but I will explain the reasoning behind it to you. When Lily sacrificed herself to save Harry she was given the choice to live and let Harry die or die alongside him. She chose to give her life for her son which caused the sacrificial protection to fall into place. As soon as soon as she died Harry was protected from the Dark Lord. When he set his wand on Harry to kill him it rebounded vanquishing the Dark Lord. So after Harry was rescued from his parent's home he needed to live with a blood relative of Lily's. The only option of course being Petunia." He stopped momentarily as Petunia huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "As I was saying, Petunia needed to accept you-"

"She doesn't love me! She doesn't give a damn about me." Harry said his voice contorted in anger.

"But she took you. She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you, and in doing so, she sealed the charm Professor Dumbledore placed upon you. It's the best protection that Professor Dumbledore could have placed upon you. You had to move here mainly because the Headmaster felt the area you were living in was no longer safe."

"Yeah, like this hell whole is much better." Vernon grunted and Snape let out a frustrated sigh.

"I will continue when you all feel the need to no longer interrupt me." No one said anything for the longest time and Snape continued on again. "He felt that outside forces were moving to closely to your home. While the charm protects you from the Dark Lord it does not protect you from his followers. Professor Dumbledore has other protection wards in place for them but if they try hard enough they can enter. With the Dark Lord gaining follower we believe it would be only a matter of time before they broke through the wards."

"So," Dudley started his thick arm still wrapped around his mother's shoulders. "So you really don't need my mother. If I stayed, she could go?"

"Technically yes, but-"

"Dudley, I'm not leaving you alone here! Your father might feel the need to abandon us, but I'm staying here with you." She glared at her husband who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Very well. I really don't recommend any of you leaving. As much as I loath having you invading my home it is the safest place for you." Snape looked at Vernon, his brow raised. "If you leave there will be no turning back. Once you walk out that door you cannot return."

"I'm still leaving." He said gallantly his fingers tightening around his luggage.

"You've made you decision then." Snape gave him a curt nod watching the now broken family.

"This is goodbye then." Vernon said. Dudley nodded, but didn't move or say anything. He was looking anywhere, but at his father. Petunia was sobbing into her hands once again; unable to say anything. After several awkward minutes Vernon sighed and walked out front door.

Shaking his head and disregarding the pain he was feeling Snape headed after the man. Vernon hadn't made it far down the street when he had caught up to him. "You really think this is the best choice? Leaving your child and your wife?"

"What is it to you?" He grumbled as he set his luggage down and turned toward the towering Professor.

"Have it your way then." He raised his wand, pointing it at the center of Vernon's head. "Obliviate," he muttered as he erased all the information the man had of Potter and the new living arrangements.

After he was finished Vernon looked up at him confused. "What do you want? Bunch of filthy beggars."

Rolling his eyes Snape turned around and saw Potter standing on just outside the door-sill. "What are you doing out here?" Snape said, as he made his way up the steps and pushed Potter through the open door.

"You obliviated him." Harry whispered his face twisted in confusion.

"He knew too much. I needed to keep these arrangements secret. He made his choice and now he will have to live with it." He said, as he moved over to his chair, flinching as he sat.

"He didn't know you'd wipe his memory!"

"I didn't wipe it all. Just the information he didn't need. He still has all the knowledge of his family. He thinks that they're on holiday. Traveling to the states."

"Don't you think after a few weeks he'll start wondering where they are?" Harry asked, sitting himself down on the sofa.

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Snape said as he set his wand on an end table.

"What do you mean?" Harry inquired with an aggravated sigh.

"What do you think I mean?" Snape replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You really think that Voldemort will come after him?"

Snape flinched at the name, but nodded his head nonetheless. "I don't think the Dark Lord will personally come after him, but his followers will."

A/N: Reviews much appreciated.