My Master, My Savior

In the darkness of the alleyway a crack sounded followed by the soft footsteps walking towards the busy street at the opening. Animals scurried out of the way of the tall wizard making noises of protest, noises he paid no attention to. One noise though made the tall wizard stop in his tracks though and reach for the wand in his pocket. In the dark of night the alleyway was pitch black, the sound of another human there set his nerves on edge.

“Master... Please Master I’ll be good...” It was a boy whimpering in the darkness faintly. Severus heard sniffles coming from the direction of the voice as well, he made a face trying to hear if anyone answered the boy’s pleas. “Please don’t leave …”

Severus frowned he was fairly certain only he and the boy were the only ones in the alley without counting the numerous animals looking for scraps of food. His feet carried him towards the voice still in the same direction as the busy street. His wand pulled out he uttered “Lumos” to light up the wand tip. He elicited a startled squeak from the boy as he swept the light around to find the boy begging for the Master who wasn’t there.

When the light swept over the nude body Severus stopped still, he’d never thought he’d see more such torture since the Dark Lord was vanquished sixteen years ago. The boy’s body was covered in various open wounds all looked fresh or reopened, the boy’s legs were clearly broken in many different places and there were signs of sexual abuse. Dirt covered what skin that wasn’t a wound and ground into the wounds where infection was already starting to show. ‘How long has the boy been here like this?’ Severus wondered as he stared.

“M-Master…” the boy whispered, hope filled his voice as the boy looked towards Severus without seeing him. Severus felt sick to his stomach. The boy was begging to return to the man who’d done this to him. “I’ll be good Master, I promise I will... Just don’t leave me again.”

His task in London lay forgotten as Severus put his wand away and bent down to pick up the boy’s broken body, wincing in sympathy as the boy cried out in pain. Another crack was heard in the alley way that night as Severus returned to his small home miles away from London just outside a small town. The boy was too pain stricken to realize the change of scenery or the fact Severus was not his Master, it would be a panic attack soon to happen Severus was sure but that could wait until they were inside his house where no passersby could overhear.

Walking up his walkway the door opened before him with a muttered spell and swung closed behind. He carried the boy up the stairs to his one spare bedroom to lie him on the bed ignoring the blood that stained the sheets. He stepped back out of the room and paused outside the doorway his back against the wall to take a breath and gage the potions that he would need.

What was he to do? The summers were his freedom from boys that age. He mustn’t be any older than his godson Draco and already seen a lifetime’s worth of torture. He wasn’t able to socialize properly with the spoiled brat, how was he going to help a boy so emotionally scarred already? There was no way he could do it, however he planned to try.

Stepping away from the wall Severus retrieved the potions he would need and returned to the room to spot the boy looking around the unfamiliar room, fear evident throughout his battered body. Emerald eyes turned his way widening even more, in the light Severus could not hide that he was not the boy’s Master.

“Where’s my Master?” the boy demanded but his voice was small and feeble and sounded more like a whine instead.

“I do not know your Master,” Severus said in a soft voice moving towards the bed slowly. The boy attempted to sit up to further move away only to whimper in pain. “Do not move.” Severus told him and the boy froze.

“I cannot perform without my Master to watch,” the boy informed Severus.

Severus set the potion vials on the bedside table staring at the boy as he did so. ‘What is the boy talking about?’ Severus wondered as he picked up the calming drought he was certain he would need. Realization set in perhaps too slowly for the Potion’s Master as the answer came to him. The boy expected Severus to rape him. The ex-Death Eater shuddered at the thought, it was one thing he’d refused to do in the Dark Lord’s service.

“I do not ask that of you,” Severus told him finally after too long of silence. He sat on the edge of the bed reading every sign of disbelief on the young boy’s face as he lay there defenseless. “I’ll help you sit up though and you must drink these potions.”

Severus waited for some sort of acknowledgement but the boy only stared at him more. “Where’s my Master?” He asked again in the silence.

“I already told you,” Severus told the boy trying to hold onto his patience. “I do not know your Master. You were alone in the alley I’d found you in.”

“Master brought me here, I know he did.” The boy insisted.

“I brought you here,” Severus told him.

“I want my Master!” The boy yelled and Severus ground his teeth as the boy repeated it over and over getting louder and louder.

“Shut up!” Severus yelled over the boy’s hysterics. The green eyes went wide again but thankfully he went quiet shifting was the only thing to tell Severus the boy was still in a worked up state if the boy didn’t even show that he felt pain as he moved. Severus leaned forward sliding as gentle of a arm as he could beneath the boy’s shoulders to help him sit up, he held the vile of calming drought to the boy’s lips. “Drink this.”

Severus was pleased that though he was not his Master the boy obeyed the small orders. It shortened the time he thought it would take to gain the trust to get the boy to drink down all of the potions until finally all but the worst wounds were fully healed but infections were not to be found. The boy’s legs were on the mend, thought the bones were healed they would not carry the boy’s slight weight for another couple of days. Dirt and dried blood still covered the boy’s body though and so after gathering washcloth and warm soapy water he began the slow task of scrubbing away the dirt and blood.

The boy remained silent, a dazed look in his eyes from the calming drought too strong for such a small figure. Severus made a mental note to only give the boy a half dose the next time he needed it, for now he took advantage that the boy would probably answer any of his questions.

“What’s your name?” Severus asked softly as he worked a gentleness to his touch that would not be seen by anyone else.

The boy’s shoulders shrugged. “Master calls me Slut.”

“Did your Master do this to you?” Severus asked receiving a head nod, affirming what he already knew. “Why did he do this?”

“So…” The boy paused seeming to try make sense of the reason. “So… I wouldn’t follow him… Master does not want me anymore…” Tears leaked from the boy’s eyes as sobs began to shake his body.

Severus was silent as he worked trying to figure out what was so upsetting over losing the one who’d tortured him. As he scrubbed at the boy’s face removing the layers of dirt he found an old scar, one that made hims sit back in horror. The lightening bolt scar was famous in the wizarding world, the baby who defeated the Dark Lord with only a small scar to tell of it. The child had gone missing at a young age, Dumbledore had not kept a close enough watch and the Savior had disappeared. Severus was horrified that he was the one who found the boy.

“Lily…” Severus whispered as he looked into those emerald eyes again so much like the boy’s mother’s, the only woman he had loved. “Potter…” The fate of his tormentor's son was in Severus' hands and he found he did not wish to harm the boy further, he could not become like the boy’s former Master.

Those green eyes looked up at him fully dazed still but holding enough emotion that Severus recognized confusion. “Your name is Harry Potter.” Severus informed the boy uncertain if the boy would remember once he fell out of the drugged stupor.

---

Hope you'd enjoyed! Please review!