They walked up to Number Four and Severus knocked rather loudly and impatiently. A very obeast Dudley came to the door and gasped when he saw them.

"Um…can I h-help you s-sir?" Dudley asked, cowering under Snape's dark gaze.

"I am here to bring Mr. Potter back home for the holidays." Severus said, his instincts screaming at him to take the boy back with him.

"I-I'll get my d-dad." Dudley said before yelling, "Dad!"

"Yes, Dudley?" Vernon said, taking in the wizard standing in the doorway with his nephew.

"I am here, Mr. Dursley, to deliver your nephew to you. Dumbledore asked that all students be evacuated from the castle in light of recent events." Severus said, eyeing the muggle with distaste.

"Yes, well, come in." Vernon said reluctantly. "Go put your things in your room." Vernon said to Harry, managing not to glare too fiercely.

"Hold on, Potter, I will unshrink it for you." Severus said, retrieving the trunk from his coat pocket and muttering 'engorgio' to bring it back to normal size.

"Thank you, sir." Harry said, dragging it up the stairs and to his room.

"Sit down, Mr…?" Vernon trailed off.

"Professor Snape."

"What do you teach at that school?" Vernon asked, sitting down and offering Severus a drink which he politely refused.

"Potions."

"The boy's talked about you."

"Yes, I can imagine. Albus sent me here with other reasons than just to take the boy out for lunch and back here."

"You work for Bumblefore, don't you?"

"Albus Dumbledore, yes. He has suspected mistreatment and neglect since Potter arrived in September."

"No! No, I assure you Harry is very well cared for here. We would never dream of harming or neglecting him."

"I will be picking him up January 3rd. If I do find any reason to suspect any mistreatment I will make sure you regret it, Dursley. You will find I do not take kindly to child abuse." Severus said, glaring at Vernon.

"Yes, well…he will be fine here, I assure you, Professor." Vernon said, smiling at Severus.

"See to it that he is, Dursley." Severus glared one last time before Disapparating on the spot.

"Boy!" Vernon yelled, his face turning puce.

"Yes, sir?" Harry asked, coming down in a Weasley jumper and school trousers and shoes.

"You dare come back after what you did to Marge!? You dare to bring a bloody freak with you!?" Vernon yelled, closing in on Harry.

"Sir, I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do what I did to Marge! It's accidental magic."

"Don't say that word in my house!" Vernon said, slapping Harry across the face.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered, shocked that he had been so openly slapped.

"Stay in your room, ruddy freak. I'll show you your place in this house once and for all." Vernon said with a maniacal grin.

*********************************************

By January 3rd, Harry was wishing for Snape to get back and fast. He had been whipped raw every day for the last month and had to hide the scars and welts. Harry wondered for a moment if Snape was the one coming for him.

Harry couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts where he could use the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak to sneak into Snape's potion stores and nick a few painkilling potions as well as some fever reducers and the like.

By eleven, Harry was fully dressed and waiting with his trunk on the sidewalk. He was glad he had left Hedwig in the Owlrey. Who knows what Uncle Vernon might have done to her, had she come.

Harry was startled out of these thoughts by a rough blow to his shoulder.

"Look, it's wee Potter." Dudley's friend Piers said cruelly.

"Get away from me, Piers." Harry said, picking himself up.

"Why should I?"

"My teacher is coming to pick me up, don't want to meet him." Harry said, thanking the gods that his relatives had said he went to a criminal school.

"Potter! What are you doing out here?" Snape asked him in a dangerous tone.

"I…um…was…waiting. I wanted to wait outside rather than inside." Harry said lamely.

"Come, Potter." Snape said, waving a hand for him to follow.

Harry nearly ran to match his teacher's long strides and when they were in a somewhat abandoned place he Apparated them again, pulling Harry close to absorb the shock.

After going to Mc Donald's once more, Harry was Apparated back to Hogwarts, wincing from impact. He was about to go back to his common room when his teacher called for him to follow him.

Puzzled, Harry followed his teacher down to the dungeons which was mostly Slytherin territory. He was led to an area not far from the Slytherins' common room and he was sure he looked confused when Snape started muttering a complicated password to a portrait of an old man, whom Harry guessed to be Salazaar Slytherin.

"Potter, get inside." Severus hissed at him.

"Sir, where are we?" Harry asked, completely puzzled.

The room was tastefully done in blues and greens with a black leather couch that had a navy blue afghan thrown over it.

"Sit, Potter." Snape said, ignoring his first question.

"Sir?" Harry asked, completely confused.

Severus withdrew his wand and started running a scan on the boy who was still looking confused. The scan showed:

Numerous Welts

Whip marks

Cuts

Belt Marks

Severe Malnutrition

Neglect Signs

Severus frowned even more deeply and scowled.

"Potter, have you ever been abused or neglected by your relatives?"

"No! It-they're not like that, honestly. Sometimes my cousin accidentally pushed me but that's it! What would you know about that anyways? Why do you even care?" Harry asked, scowling at Snape.

"I know more about child abuse than anyone else because I was abused by my muggle father. That, foolish child, is what led me to the Dark Lord! Furthermore, you cannot possibly believe I would want any other child to suffer, I am not that cruel, Harry." Severus raged, surprising even himself at calling the boy Harry.

"They aren't abusing me." Harry said, staring defiantly at Severus.

"Then explain this." Severus said, handing the parchment with Harry's injuries on it to him.