Chapter 4

Severus Snape carried the boy down to the dungeon as it was quicker than bringing him to the infirmary. Besides, he had potions to help the boy in his quarters. He wasn't the boy's biggest fan but seeing him looking so close to death filled him with fear. He was scared.

His quarters had two bedrooms, a living space, and a small kitchen. He set Harry down gently on the bed in the spare bedroom, turning on the lights. A few minutes later, Madame Pomfrey came rushing in, a blonde Malfoy trailing her.

"Malfoy leave now." Snape ordered.

"But Professor-"

Snape cut him off, "It isn't up for debate. Leave. I will update you when I can."

Draco sulked away and left.

"Merlin," Poppy muttered, surveying the boy, "What happened?"

Snape shook his head, "I haven't a clue. He's burning up."

Harry Potter truly looked terrible.

She inhaled, "Would you get a cold cloth for his head? We need to try to break his fever. I'm going to strip him to his boxers. We'll need to do an examination to find out what's wrong with him."

Snape nodded but when he returned a minute later, he found Poppy looking almost as pale as Potter as she stared at the bed. Snape followed her gaze to the now nearly naked boy. He dropped the towel he was holding and felt like he was going to throw up.

Bruises all in various stages of healing covered his entire body from head to toe. Scars and cigarette burns were scattered across his skin. His ribs were swollen and his stomach sunken in like he had been starved.

Snape had noticed the boy eating in the dining room like a glutton but had thought nothing of it more than a teenage boy's appetite.

"He must've been using bruise coverage creme," Pomfrey started solemnly.

Snape remembered Potter buying some two weeks back in Diagon Alley. He thought Potter to be a spoiled brat picking fights out of boredom. He had only seen a small bruise on his cheek at the time. However, thinking back, Harry had covered the rest of his body.

"Stupid boy," Snape snapped, lacking his usual bite. "If he paid any attention in my lessons he would know that bruise creme only conceals bruises under the skin. It prevents them from healing properly if used too long."

Snape picked up the towel and placed it gently on the boy's head. He examined the bruises and scars on his body and gulped, thinking back to his own childhood. These weren't accidental injuries. These were targeted and out of malice.

Guilt washed over him for not noticing the signs of abuse before. The times he had fallen asleep in class at the beginning of each school year. How he'd sometimes limp. All only the first few weeks of school.

But other than that, the boy seemed genuinely happy at school. No emotional baggage was present on his face. Maybe Snape was wrong. Maybe he was letting his own past cloud his judgement. Maybe he was jumping to the worst conclusions for no reason.

He'd wait until Potter awoke. These injuries could've happened anywhere. Right now they needed to focus on getting him to wake up and recover.

Just then, Potter started coughing violently before convulsing, eyes rolling back in his head. Poppy jumped to the other side of the bed, helping Severus hold the boy down. He held Harry's head to the side so he wouldn't choke on the blood and bile he was coughing up.

Poppy and Snape shared a concerned look at the sight of it. Harry Potter was very ill indeed.

When he stopped seizing, Snape rolled him onto his side in case he got sick again so he wouldn't choke. Snape released his hold on him cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest.

"He needs strong medication, Severus. This is going to be a painful recovery for him. I don't even know where to begin on his injuries." Poppy said softly.

"Can you do a scanning spell on him?"

Poppy nodded, pulling out her wand and running it over his body, "Concussion. High fever. Strangulation. Fractured collarbone. 3 broken ribs. Bruised spine. And…all of this visible bruising."