Just a reminder, this is a slash story, and if you don't like this concept or dislike the pairing then either hit the back button or click here.

"Daddy, the Freak’s been sick!" Dudley’s whiny voice broke the silence of number four Privet Drive.

"Boy!" Bellowed Uncle Vernon as he propelled himself out of his favourite armchair. He’d just returned from a busy day at Grunnings, and was in a foul mood.

Out in the hall Harry was leaning against the banisters, and not just because he was feeling sick and dizzy, but because he also had a rather painful and very broken ankle. There was a puddle of blood streaked vomit covering his bare feet.

"I will not have you fouling up my house! Go and clean that up at once." When Harry made no move to clean up the mess Uncle Vernon raised his fist and smacked him hard across the side of the face propelling him heavily into the front door, just as someone knocked on it.

~*~*~

Severus Snape hated Muggles, as much if not more than he hated Harry ‘the Boy-Who-Lived’ Potter, it was a well known fact. So why Dumbledore had chosen him of all people to check on the blasted boy and his muggle relations was a total mystery.

But here he was surrounded by muggle suburbia, dressed in his best, black, muggle clothes and headed for number four Privet Drive. When he got there he was stopped in his tracks outside the front door by a high pitched whiny voice

"Daddy, the Freak’s been sick!"

This proclamation was followed by an animalistic bellow of "Boy!" and the sound of a door being wrenched open.

‘What kind of trouble has the wretch got himself into now?’ wondered Severus as he raised his hand to knock, but was stopped by the sound of what must be Vernon Dursley.

"I will not have you fouling up my house! Go and clean that up at once." There was silence for a minute as Severus prepared to knock, but then there was a sickening crunch and a loud bang as something was propelled heavily into the door just as his fist hit the wood.

After knocking again to make sure that he was heard there was the sound of movement and a shout of "Get out of my way stupid boy!" The door was then wrenched open a fraction to reveal a large red faced man with no neck and a very bushy moustache.

"What do you want?" Asked Vernon and Snape glared at him.

"I am here to check on the Potter boy. Now if you please…" Snape made to enter the house but Vernon held tight to the door.

"Oh no! I am not having another one of you freaks in the house." And he attempted to close the door but Severus got his boot on the step just in time. He then drew his wand and pointed it at Vernon Dursley.

"Open this door, NOW!" Severus commanded in his best classroom tone, and the colour instantly left Vernon’s podgy face, leaving it looking like three day old porridge. Obeying the order he moved back and allowed Severus to step into the hall.

Severus’ eyes roved over the whale sized boy cowering at the back of the hall and then to the foot of the stairs. He was forcibly reminded of Lord Voldemort’s more unlucky torture victims as he took in the sight of Harry Potter covered head to foot in cuts, bruises and his own blood, lying at the foot of the stairs in a pool of his own vomit. And what was more impossible, it was apparent that the boy was still conscious because he blinked fuzzily up at Severus through his blood specked glasses.

Severus stood mute with shock at the sight before him, never in his wildest dreams had he suspected anything like this. A shrill voice broke the silence that had fallen as a thin horse faced woman entered the hallway from the kitchen.

"Vernon? What’s the – " Her speech was cut short as she caught sight of the wand still pointing at Vernon and uttered a small scream before flattening herself against the wall beside the whale boy.

Ignoring the woman for the moment Severus waved his wand and cleared up the mess Harry was lying in and then knelt down beside him. Up close he could smell that the boy had not been allowed to wash for several days, and amongst the scents he could clearly distinguish stale sex. It made his stomach drop a further foot or two and he felt close to vomiting himself. Perhaps some of the disgust and nausea showed through as Harry refused to meet his eyes and tried to edge away, but the movement only succeeded in making him gasp in agony.

Severus sat back on his heals and glared up the cowering Dursleys. It wasn’t as effective as when he was upright, but it served its purpose as Vernon started to stammer something about wrongdoing and punishment.

"Enough! This boy could have done nothing which warrants this kind of treatment." Severus’ voice was full of suppressed anger and his eyes flashed dangerously. The Dursleys increased their attempts to fade into the walls. Severus turned to Harry who was staring at him in astonishment.

"Harry, where are your things?" He asked making and effort to keep the bite out of his voice. Harry blinked in surprise and then winced as he tried to speak.

"My room, under the floorboards by the bed." He managed to croak out breathlessly. Severus got to his feet and after glaring at the Dursleys again climbed the stairs.

It was obvious which room was Harry’s as there was a large padlock on the door. Just the thought of Harry being locked up like that made his blood boil, which in turn made the lock literally jump off the door at his growled ‘alohomora’. Inside the room was bare, just a bed and a desk, and even worse was the sight of bars outside the window. Severus knelt down beside the bed and felt for the loose floorboard. Underneath it he found Harry’s invisibility cloak, wand, what looked like a journal and a quill. He wrapped the wand, journal and quill up in the cloak and shrank them to fit into his trouser pocket before getting up and returning downstairs.

Harry and the Dursleys were just as he’d left them, and Severus knelt back down beside Harry.

"I’ve found your cloak and wand, but what about your school trunk and books?" Severus enquired carefully.

A look of severe pain crossed Harry’s already pain filled eyes as he whispered one word.

"Burnt."

That was the final straw, and Severus’ control snapped. In seconds he was on his feet and facing the Dursleys, a look of pure hatred on his face. Severus muttered a stream of Latin and the Dursleys began to scream, ignoring them he turned back to Harry and conjured a stretcher and levitated him on to it. Throwing caution to the wind Severus then opened the front door and practically ran down Privet Drive with Harry floating beside him. Once on the far corner, and outside the protective wards, he summoned a portkey and they disappeared.

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