DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER.
Harry had woken up in his small, cramped, cupboard, since no one had decided to let him out. He checked the handle which was thankfully unlocked and made his way to the loo.
As Harry checked the list of chores by the phone he could hear his 'loving family' sleeping upstairs. He decided he would start with weeding the garden and watering Aunt Petunia's plants.
As Harry opened the door he stifled a yell. On his back doorstep was an unconscious man with his Death Eater attire still on. Harry almost ran to floo the Order when he took off the hood and mask and saw the familiar hook-nosed professor.
Professor Snape was unconscious and his shirt was soaked with blood. There was a small gash on his face that was bleeding a little, but nothing severe. Thank Merlin for that.
Harry was not very strong but he knew what he had to do, he grabbed him by his shoulders and literally dragged him up to his room. Once there he ripped the Death Eater's cloak and his normal black robes off. He discarded them along with his mask into a corner of his room, and set to get his stash of potions he had nicked from Snape's office at the end of the year.
Getting a pain-relief potion, an anti-cruciatus potion, and a blood-replenishing potion, he stood them up on his nightstand.
Making sure his professor was asleep he quickly darted downstairs to make breakfast for the family.
Once the Dursley's woke up and had eaten, his Uncle and cousin, left for the day, leaving him with his Aunt Petunia.
"Boy, you'd better not think you're going to laze about all day. I want your room cleaned, and the garden watered. Here's some bread and cheese." She said as she thrust a plate full of it into his hands.
Severus opened his eyes, looking around he saw that he was now in a small room. Memories of the previous night came flooding back towards him. He was now at the mercy of the Boy-Who-Lived. 'How wonderful.' He thought to himself sarcastically.
It looked like a sort of muggle prison. No doubt it was a storage room, and he had been thrown in like a worthless rag.
Severus took in his surroundings carefully and noticed the three potion bottles on the nightstand. 'Probably stole the from my stores, I knew I was missing potions this year.' He thought darkly as he took all three of them.
As the door opened he saw Potter carrying a plate f bread and cheese. Severus raised and elegant eyebrow, looking questioningly at the plate.
"Here sir, it's all I can give you I'm afraid." Potter said as he handed Severus the plate. The took two slices of bread and cheese and ate hungrily, devouring it quickly.
Severus grimaced but took a few slices of each as well eating quickly but not messily. He took in the boy's appearance as he ate. His hair was still messy as ever, just like his father, but he was so thin. Thinner than Severus himself was at his age.
His clothes looked three sizes too big for him, and he had a mark resembling one a whip or belt buckle left, on his arm.
"Potter what happened to your arm?" Severus questioned in between bites.
"I fell and got hurt." He answered looking down. Severus narrowed his eyes.
"That is a mark only left by a belt buckle or a whip." He retorted looking at the boy again in suspicion.
Potter's eyes were wide as he tried to come up with an excuse.
"Sir, no, it's just that I fell down, honestly." He said trying to cover up his unease.
Severus sighed, and took hold of one of the boy's shoulders. Potter flinched and stumbled back, catching himself before he hit the floor.
"Potter, however hard this may be to get through your thick skull, I'm not going to ridicule you if you tell me the truth.
Uncle Vernon did that one day. It started this summer though. I mean, it's not something that's been going on for a long time. But how did you know sir? How did you recognize it?" He said, staring back at Severus with wide green eyes.
Severus took a deep breath, he could either tell the boy about his childhood, or rather lack of, or he could simply ignore the boy. But since Potter had actually told the truth he decided on the former.
"I don't want this story all over the school, Potter understand?
Yes sir.
Very well. My father, when he was drunk, used to beat my mother and I. Me with a whip, and her usually with brute force. One day when he couldn't find his whip he simply used his belt buckle on me. I grew so accustomed to the marks that I can recognize them almost anywhere.
Um…why did he beat you? Sir.
He hated magic, loathed it. He snapped my mother's wand one night, but I always hid mine so well they could never find it. I always did summer homework before term ended, he usually locked up anything magical when I got home.
My relatives hate magic too. They lock up my things, and my uncle beats me sometimes." Severus took a sharp intake of breath. Never in his wildest imagination would he believe that the famous Harry Potter would be abused.
When he looked at Potter again he saw himself as a child, cowering away from his father. His room was about the same size as this one, except without the bars on the window.
"Po-Harry, do they usually treat you like this?
Yes sir." He answered, meekly.
"Boy! Get down here now!" Petunia Dursley said coming down the hall.
"Professor, it's my Aunt, you have to hide they can't find you here." Harry said with panic in his eyes.
"No need to hide. I'll confront her directly." Severus said, malice clear in his coal black eyes.
"Professor, you don't know them , please. They'll kill me." Harry said, nearly begging, as he tried to pull his Professor back. Severus merely shrugged him out of his way and…….