"Severus? Severus? Did you hear me, Severus?" The Potions Master shook his head and stood up abruptly, glaring into the blue, twinkling eyes.
"You want me to do what?! Absolutely not, Albus! There's no way you can convince me to do this! Find someone else to do this task!" Severus glared at the Hogwarts Headmaster, who looked back at him sadly.
"If there was someone else available, I would send them, my boy. But, alas, everyone else is busy. Please, Severus. For Lily." Severus, who had begun heading towards the door, stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened in pain, and he sighed.
"Fine. I'll go check on the Potter brat. But when I come back, you won't ever send me to check on him again. Got that?" Severus stormed out of the room, his robes billowing out behind it. Albus's eyes twinkled again.
"Don't worry, my boy," he spoke to the air. "If my suspicions are correct, you won't have to."
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At Number 4 Privet Drive, a young, raven-haired, emerald-eyed boy bit back a scream as his aching body was mercilessly thrown into the cupboard under the stairs. His uncle gave him one last kick before slamming the door shut and locking it.
Harry lay on the floor, closing his eyes in pain, and finally allowed himself to cry. He cried silently, desperately wishing that someone could come and take him away, but he knew that no one would come for him. After all, who would care for a freak like him?
So he lay there, his hope long lost in his silent tears. He felt something inside him spread through his body and, as usual when Uncle Vernon beat him, the cupboard was faintly illuminated by a blue light. It seeped into his broken ribs, fixing them. It glided along his body, clearing away the blood and dirt. And when his major injuries were mostly fixed, it faded back into him, just over his lightning scar.
He allowed the blue light to wash over him, feeling a sense of comfort and a very familiar vanilla and rose scent come from it, and he succumbed into unconsciousness, feeling safer than ever.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Severus stood outside the white door of Number 4, glaring at the perfect door. Why was he stuck with this job? Why couldn't Minerva, Sprout, or even Trelawney check on the brat? Why him?! Severus growled and cast a concealment charm on himself before opening the white door that led into the blasted, perfect house that resembled every other on the block.
It was half past midnight, and he knew everyone would be asleep. He cast a Lumos charm and his wand's tip lit up, casting a cold, blue glow around the room. He looked around, seeing many pictures of a chubby boy lining the hallway walls. Some contained a much older, chubbier man and a thin, snobby-looking lady. But none contained the messy, onyx hair that screamed of Potter.
Severus sneered. The brat probably had a whole room full of pictures of himself, just like his arrogant father. He moved on into the living room, and sneered at the way it looked so...stereotypical. Like they were trying way too hard to fit in. He shrugged and walked back out into the hallway, subconsciously noticing that the pictures there also lacked the six year old he was looking for. He was about to go into the kitchen when he heard a small whimper. He looked around him, but saw no one.
He frowned, and was walking past the stairs towards the kitchen when he heard it again. It was louder this time, and seemed to be right next to him. He stood still, and waited for it again. After a minute, the whimpering sound started once more, only more pained than last time. He looked towards the cupboard under the stairs, and his frown deepened as he bent down to open it. He felt stupid doing this. There was probably just a forgotten puppy in there; there couldn't possibly be a six-year-old in there. The cupboard was much too small. But no matter how much the logic hit him, there was something in him that kept telling him to open the cupboard, Severus.
Severus undid the lock magically, and, ever so slowly, opened the cupboard door. And nothing in his seven years of teaching, or his five years with the Death Eaters, could have prepared him for the sight that lay before him.
