DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER! J.K. ROWLING DOES!

A/N: I'm finally posting a second chapter...I'm sorry if it seems rushed at all. I literally just finished it, and it's 2:30 a.m. right now, but I wanted to get this done. I've kept you guys waiting way too long. I'll try to update more often, I promise. I hope you enjoy the chapter, let me know what you guys think! Read and Review!

CHAPTER TWO

~5 hours after Harry came into the Hospital Wing, Harry's P.O.V.~

I woke up with a groan, and was surprised when I noticed I wasn't in my cupboard. I sat up, and looking around, I noticed I was in…the Hospital Wing. Wonderful. I have a feeling I'll be stuck spending a lot of time here during my time at Hogwarts.

I took stock of my injuries, and noticed my ribs didn't feel broken anymore, and the bruises seemed to be fading slowly. I was interrupted from my self-examination when I was caught in a terrible coughing fit. Mid-way through it, Madam Pomfrey rushed in to check on me. She helped me stay upright until the coughing subsided. Breathing deeply, I watched as Madam Pomfrey got me a glass of water. I drank it gratefully.

"Harry dear, you gave me quite a fright last night. When Severus brought you in…I did the best I could. I know it may be too soon to talk about it, but I know that the Dursley's have done this to you since you were very young. Your bruises should heal nicely, but the scars on your back…those will be a challenge. I will have Severus make you some salve to put on it each day in the hopes they will clear up. Now, what else was there…." She seemed to ponder on it for a while, and as I was processing what all she had said I started coughing again. "Oh, yes, that's it. You have a case of the flu, but it seems to be fairly mild at the moment. Need to keep a close eye on it though, or it may go downhill fast. Now, rest. I will wake you up for some food later." With that, she walked off to her office, and I slumped into my pillow.

As I fought off another coughing fit, I fell into a fitful slumber, unaware of how much worse I was going to be when I woke up.

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~In Dumbledore's office, after Harry is brought to Hospital Wing, Severus's P.O.V.~

I stepped out of the floo, and walked angrily up to Dumbledore's desk. I startled him when I slammed my hands on his desk.

"Why Severus, my dear boy, what ever is the matter? Did you get in an argument with young Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling as if he didn't know exactly why I was angry.

"No, Headmaster, as a matter of fact, I don't think I've heard Harry say a single word since I first saw him. Any idea why?" I didn't give him a chance to answer before I plowed on. "It's because he was barely conscious, let alone able to make coherent sentences when I found him. His relatives, the poor excuses for human being that they are-"

"Now now, Severus, there's no need to insult the Dursley's," he interrupted, his eyes twinkling like mad.

"No need, NO NEED?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DID TO HIM?! He has been severely abused, and it looks as if it's been going on almost as long as he's lived there! You placed this boy in a home where you said he had a wonderful life, that I had no need to worry about how he was being brought up. I told you, Minerva told you, anyone who knew Lily or Petunia and their relationship knew how bitter and jealous Petunia was, and how her husband was! Lily was my best friend, and she'd be absolutely disgusted at what you let happen! You said he was in good hands, that you'd be keeping an eye on him to make sure he's fine, but YOU DIDN'T! If you ever checked up on him, it would be obvious if things were as good as you claimed they were. THEY MADE HIM SLEEP IN A CUPBOARD!-" before I could continue, Minerva burst in the door.

"What in the world is going on Headmaster? Severus? I can hear the yelling all the way down by the Great Hall!" She exclaimed in exasperation, taking in Dumbledore's neutral expression, and my angry stance.

"It's nothing Minerva, just a small issue. You don't need to be worried," Dumbledore said, smiling reassuringly at Minerva.

I had had it. "She doesn't need to be worried?! I don't normally get like this, but Harry is her student, and he is in her house. She cares about him, and has more of a right to know than you do!" I yelled at him. Minerva looked startled.

"Severus, what is this about Harry? What happened?" She demanded.

"Dumbledore sent me to check on the boy since his friends were getting worried at his lack of contact this summer, and when I get there his relatives at first refuse to tell me where Harry is. Then I find out, he was in the cupboard under the stairs. It was his BEDROOM! I was disgusted at them. Harry was covered in bruises and I saw some whip marks along his back, and they had him living in a cupboard! I may not get along with the boy that well, but I cannot stand abuse on anyone. It makes me sick how someone can do that to anyone, especially a child. He has been being abused for years, that much is obvious. He's with Poppy at the moment, hopefully she can help him. OH, and on top of that, I think he has the flu or a cold. He was practically unconscious the whole trip from Privet Drive to the Hospital Wing." I finished my rant, and Minerva looked as angry as I felt.

"Now, don't get too hasty here. You may be over exaggerating Severus. Let's wait until Poppy comes with a proper diagnostic of Harry's well being." Dumbledore said in an attempt to diffuse the tension. That was not a smart move on his part. Now it was Minerva's turn to get her two cents in with Dumbledore on this matter. I sat in on of the chairs and attempted to calm down while watching Minerva give Dumbledore one of her infamous lectures.

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~Hospital Wing, approximately midnight, Harry's P.O.V.~

I woke up shaking, and I pulled my covers up as much as I could. I curled into a ball, but I kept shivering. But that was just the beginning. Soon the never-ending coughing started, and it just wouldn't stop. Within 5 minutes, Madam Pomfrey rushed in. I think I heard her mutter "oh dear…it got worse…" before I lost all ability to focus. I just couldn't stop coughing. It felt like my insides were on fire, and someone was trying to tear out my insides. I threw up in a bucket that Madam Pomfrey had conjured, and that was just more painful because I couldn't quit coughing even as the bile rose from my throat.

'Oh Merlin…please please just make the pain END!'

I blacked out after that.

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~Snape's P.O.V., following confrontation with Dumbledore and Minerva's lecture~

I was near midnight, and I was still steaming over the argument with Dumbledore. He denies any and all knowledge of Harry being abused, and is saying I should forget about it until Poppy has finished testing him. I decided I would go and check on the boy since I can't fall asleep without the picture of him lying in the cupboard, covered in welts and bruises haunting my mind.

When I reached the Hospital Wing, it was to the sound of Harry coughing and retching. I hurried over to his bed and saw Poppy sitting with him, making sure he's okay. After what seemed like an eternity, he passed out. Poppy turned around, and jumped slightly when she noticed I was there.

"How is he Poppy?" I asked in slight concern. 'This boy is causing my emotions to get the better of me…That hasn't happened since Lily…'

Poppy sighed, and gestured for me to come sit next to he rover by Harry's bed before she started on her findings. I sat down and waited patiently for her to begin.

"He has 3 broken ribs, 2 fractured, a sprained wrist, multiple burns, varying from 1st to 3rd degree along his arms, an old broken arm that healed wrong and needs to be rebroken and healed in the correct way. There are multiple lacerations on his back, some as old as 7 years old, some as new as just a few days ago. Bruising covering multiple parts of his body, I've put some healing salve on it earlier. I managed to heal his ribs easily enough, and his wrist. I will have to wait to deal with the arm that healed wrong, because that will need to heal naturally. I can't do it now because his body needs to be focused on fighting off the flu he has. It wasn't too bad earlier, and it seems he's had it for well over a week, but it came to a peak tonight. You came in not too long after he woke up and started coughing. I don't know how bad it's going to get, but I don't think this is the worst it will be. Let's hope for his sake that it doesn't get any worse."

At the end of her explanation, I was feeling a bit baffled. How the Dursley's could do that to Harry, I'll never know. I don't understand why abusers do what they do, but I despise them. Doing things like that, and to a child, is unforgivable.