Harry Potter doesn't belong to me , but to JK Rowling. Harry Potter characters, settings, ect. are not my property. I'm only borrowing them!

Rated for mild language and child abuse. I don't condone the abuse of children (or anyone) but this is how I see the Dursleys.

Term had just ended a week ago and Severus was looking forward to enjoying his time off with no dunderheads to annoy him when there was an impatient knock on his door.

He opened it to see a very angry Minerva, "Mind if I come in?" she asked stiffly

He motioned for her to come inside and moved his journals from the couch to the table. She sat and immediately broke down into tears.

Severus had no idea what to do so he just watched as his colleague and ex-teacher cried for the first time in his memory.

About five minutes later she composed herself and turned to look at him.

"What has happened?" he asked her, trying not to sound as alarmed as he felt

"What do you know of Harry Potter's homelife?" she asked

Severus sneered, he knew the boy was doted on by his relatives and more spoiled than Draco, "Potter is an absolute brat. His behavior suggests he has had everything handed to him on a silver platter," he said, his lip curling.

Minerva stared at him, "Get me your pensive and brace yourself," she said, "I am going to show you Harry's real homelife."

Looking for proof of his impressions of Potter, Severus stood up and grabbed it without a word.

Minerva placed three memories in the bowl and dipped her head in.

"Minerva, I need your help…"

Minerva raised her eyebrows, an indication to continue.

"I was talking with Ron and the twins and they were saying they think Harry is in trouble."

"What makes you say that?"

Molly's eyes got glassy, "They flew a car to his house before Ron's second year because he wasn't responding to their letters and they… they found…"

"Molly, what did they find?"

"He had bars on his window, they were starving him, and his door was locked."

Severus' lip curled, "There's no way that's true, trust Weasley to gather sympathy for Potter."

Minerva's eyes were watering, "It was true. You'll see."

Severus knew Minerva was overreacting. As a child who grew up being abused by his muggle father, Severus knew the signs of abuse.

Minerva's eyes widened, "He was always small and skinny for his age…"

"He would always try to do all the chores for us and was always apologizing…"

"He never asks questions in class…"

Severus rolled his eyes again, "Oh please, he doesn't ask questions because he is too thick to understand what we are talking about."

Minerva glared at him, "Save it, Snape"

Molly started to cry, tears leaking out from her eyes, "I told Albus but he told me not to go and Harry is safest there."

"So we go without telling him. We can disguise ourselves and pretend we are moving here and need someplace to stay for a week. We can get evidence of the abuse, get the monsters arrested, and find Harry and his cousin a new home."

Molly nodded. She waved her wand and she grew taller with long brown hair. Minerva looked younger and her hair turned to a pale blond. The girls left the house and apparated to the Dursleys' home.

"Is that why you and Molly were nowhere to be seen yesterday and the day before?" Severus asked

Minerva nodded and the next memory began.

"Follow me, Ms. Amelia, your room is upstairs!"

"Why thank you young man, should Mrs. Emory follow us too?"

"Oh yeah…"

Minerva rolled her eyes as she followed the blond elephant.

"Minerva, you really are thick if you don't see the similarities between the fat boy and his cousin."

Another tear leaked down Minerva's cheek, Severus ignored it.

Dursley stopped in front of a door, "This door is the bathroom, the one next to it is my parents, then mine, and finally the one on the far right is yours."

Minerva nodded, "What about the room next to ours, the one with the five locks?" She asked

"Oh! That's… That's… Erm just a spare room. It has all the locks because… we have a dog and a cat and that's where the cat hides from the dog! That's why there's a cat flap…"

"May we look in there? I love cats!"

Molly nodded beside her encouragingly.

"NO!" Dursley screamed. Molly jumped and Minerva's eyes widened.

"Sorry, but no the cat doesn't like other people…"

Her and Molly entered their room and Dursley left.

Molly's face was pale, "I think we found out where Harry is."

Severus snorted, "And was it Minerva? I'm sure Potter was sitting in his mansion next door, not bothering to come meet the guests!"

"Yes. It was his room."

"Then I'm sure Potter asked to be locked in there so he didn't have to meet the guests."

Minerva smacked him, "Never. Say. That. Again!"

Minerva nodded, "You were right, but we need evidence of anything else going on before we get him. If they are beating or starving him we need proof."

Molly went downstairs to distract the Dursleys while Minvera went through the catflap on the door with all the locks.

What she saw made her lose her composure. Potter was unconscious, wearing only shorts, and had some sort of medal tying him to the bed.

Severus didn't know what to say. Apparently he was wrong.

She transformed back into a human to assess his injuries. He had a black eye, broken nose, leg, and ribs; and blood all over his torso and bedsheets. She turned him over lightly, trying to disturb him as little as possible. His back was worse. He had blood everywhere and when she put her finger to the wounds, she felt glass still lodged in his back.

"It was that bad?" he asked Minerva, wondering how he could be so wrong.

She nodded, Severus didn't think she trusted herself to speak.

Using a spare towel to wipe off some of the blood, Minerva threw up in a bucket on the foot of the bed. His back was littered with welts from a belt, bruises from a cane, whip lashes, cuts from glass, and knife carvings. She moved him back onto his frontside. It was more of the same as his back, just to a lesser extent. His left leg is where it was worst, 'freak' was carved into his leg, hard.

"Tuny called Lily and me that," Severus said quietly.

Minerva made some sort of nose in her throat.

Moving to the desk she saw a sheet of paper.

Severus read the note over Minerva's shoulder, "He thought it was his fault?" Severus asked, he was an abused child but he didn't think it was his fault because of his mother. She got him through it.

Minerva's only response was another sob.

Minerva stroked Potter's bloody hair muttering to him soothingly until she heard voices climbing the stairs.

"Where is Ms. Amelia at?"

"She's already at Kings Cross, why don't we go meet her there?"

"Alright. You go with Petunia and Dudley, I'll be out in a few minutes. I just have to check something."

"Please don't tell me you are going to see this…" Severus pleaded

Minerva looked at him and nodded, "It w-was either that or g-give away my position a-and risk getting both of us hurt. I didn't have my w-wand," she explained

"Alright"

Minerva hid inside the closet in cat form with Potter's letter right as the door opened and Vernon Dursley walked in.

The monster raised his fist at the same moment as Harry awoke and Minerva could do nothing but watch.

He punched the boy in the stomach hard. He took his belt off and hit the boy again. He did this for about 5 minutes before switching the knife.

Minerva had tears streaming down her face again and she was turned away from the man in the memory.

He carved into the boy's arm. He had tears streaming down his face as he begged his uncle to stop.

Severus had never been so wrong before, not when he called Lily a mudblood or even when he joined the death eaters. Severus never knew he could be so wrong

Vernon laughed, a cold sound. He carved the word 'freak' on the boy's arm, just as he had his leg that same morning. "You're lucky the guests are waiting or I would kill you right now."

The boy looked up at him, his eyes full of pain, "Why?" His voice was weak and raspy.

"Don't ask questions!" Vernon bellowed before an evil smile overtook his features. "But for your information, it's for burning breakfast this morning. You wasted a piece of bacon."

Burning the bacon! Even his father didn't punish him for that! Although he also never carved him up with a knife…

"And, for your question you will be taught a lesson tonight at midnight. You will be lucky if you make it out alive!" Vernon laughed again and punched Potter hard in the head. The boy lost consciousness once more.

The man turned around and headed out the door, cackling aloud once more before leaving the room and slamming the door and locking it behind him.

Minerva looked at Severus, her grey eyes full of tears, regret, and pain.

"I was wrong," He said, "I-I was wrong."

Minerva nodded, "I showed you these memories because I need help with the headmaster," she explained.

She took a breath and continued, "There was another memory, the one where me and Molly stopped them, but they were whipping him and planning on killing him so I'm not going to show you," she said

Severus nodded, he didn't want to see any more of Potter's unfair life.

"Lemon drop?"

She ignored his question and grabbed his wand off his desk, "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE. WHY ON EARTH DID YOU LEAVE HARRY WITH PETUNIA AND VERNON DURSLEY?!"

Albus met her eyes, "I thought it would be the best fit for the boy. He is the safest there and I thought the blood wards could keep him safe until he comes of age,"

"Why did no one ever check on him?" Severus asked

Minerva looked at him, her eyes full of a rage, "He knew. He just didn't want us to."

Minerva handed him a note written on muggle paper, "You're lucky he is still alive. They admitted to us they were going to kill him that night!" She yelled

"Death Eaters? How did they get through the wards?"

"NOT DEATH EATERS YOU MORON! READ THE NOTE!"

Albus looked down and read. After a minute his expression had not changed, "I'm sure he was overreacting," he said airily

"ALBUS YOU IDIOT! HE WAS IN CRITICAL CONDITION! IT TOOK POPPY AN HOUR AND A HALF TO STABILIZE HIM!"

Albus looked at her doubtfully, "Bring the Dursleys here, I will explain the situation to them and he will return good as new,"

"He tried sending him back?!" Severus yelped

Minerva nodded, "That's why I need help."

Minerva laughed coldly, "No. They are currently in Azkaban, I just received a note from Madame Bones"

"I'm sure the cousin is overreacting. Petunia is likely correct. Her son is spoiled, why wouldn't Harry be?"

She glared at him again, "Have you read Harry's note?"

Albus nodded, "It helps my point. It says in the letter is is his fault, There is no reason not to believe him,"

Severus' mouth dropped, "He did not just blame being severely abused on the victim?" he yelled. It was ridiculous. Obviously Potter wanted to die; he was being tortured! Both physically and mentally.

Minerva picked her hand up off the desk and slapped him hard in the face, "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, HARRY IS AN ABUSE VICTIM, WHY WOULD IT BE HIS FAULT? HE IS A WONDERFUL CHILD!"

Albus felt his stinging face gingerly, "He said he was a burden on them and his cousin didn't get the same treatment, therefore he can stop doing that thing and this aunt and uncle would treat him better"

Severus stared at the old man. Minerva looked at him grimly

Minerva threw his wand back on the desk and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"So can you help?" She asked

Severus nodded dumbly, "He is trying to put him back with his abusers, one of which is serving a life sentence!"

Minerva smiled sadly, "I knew you would. Thank you."