Slytherin Saviors

Disclaimer-Not mine. But they look great in leather and chains.

Draco drew in a shuddering breath as Harry left the room. He would never admit it to a single soul but for a brief moment, staring into the glowing green eyes, he felt fear. Fear of a power that radiated from deep within the other boy.

As the door shut behind the new Slytherin Draco looked up and the four boys exchanged knowing looks. Okay, Draco and Blaise exchanged knowing looks, Crabbe and Goyle just gave them confused looks.

"I hate to admit it Draco, but I think Potter has a point," said Blaise calmly. He was a little nervous of Draco's response since the violent nature between Harry and Draco was legendary in Hogwarts. "I agree. I think it would be best if we moved Nott to Potter's spot and you into Nott's and give Potter your bed," Draco said, stepping forward.

"Mine? Wouldn't yours be better? I mean, if there was some attack or something yours is the furthest from the door," Blaise pointed out.

"Yes, but weren't you listening to him? He wasn't concerned about the attack from outside as much as from within. Yours is nearest the door with nothing blocking," Draco pointed out.

"Also, if we put me furthest, then Crabbe and Goyle, since he knows that our fathers are Death Eaters. It gets us furthest away from him. Nott next since his is, but I don't know if Potter knows that. Your family is neutral so you next to him," Draco started to list off his reasoning. If Harry had been in the room he would have been shocked to hear the group so openly discussing their family alignments.

"Anyhow, I think that we should be getting the room organized. He doesn't quite get the 'no harm' bit yet and Professor Snape should be explaining it to him in a few moments. Until he does, we'll make him comfortable," Draco finished his dialogue with a bit of a shrug.

The four boys began to rearrange the room. It was a while before they were joined by Theodore Nott who had been catching up with his girlfriend. Blaise explained what they were doing and in no time they had finished rearranging the room. Draco even resisted the urge to snoop through Harry's trunk as they moved it.

Severus Snape was already wondering exactly why he accepted the Head of House position after his meeting with the first year Gladys Gladstone who was a suspect for abuse but seemed was just painfully shy and very homesick. After she cried on his shoulder for ten minutes, Severus finally managed to pry her off him and give her a calming draught.

Merlin he hated being a shoulder to cry on. That wasn't in the job description when he accepted this position. Now he had to deal with Potter. He didn't even want to think about that situation. It made his head hurt just trying to. He reached for a headache potion and quaffed it quickly. Looking at the time he noticed that Potter would be there soon. Assuming the brat could actually make it on time. Severus went to his potions cabinet and shuffled around in it. He tried to remember everything Draco had told him earlier. Back injuries...just bruises? He grabbed a salve for bruising. Malnourishment was easy enough...maybe that explained why he was so small. His father wasn't that small and while Lily was petite even she wasn't small enough to explain the boy's stature. So Severus grabbed a high concentrated nourishment potion and a stomach soothing potion. If he wasn't getting much to eat it would make it difficult to eat normally.

He had just returned to his desk when a knock sounded on his door. "Enter," he said and watched as Harry entered slowly.

"Take a seat Potter," he waved to the chair in front of him. The Potions Master watched as the boy sat carefully in the seat. If he hadn't been watching so carefully he might have missed the slight sway that Harry couldn't fight during the brief moment of being off balance when sitting.

The boy didn't sit back but held himself carefully. Unknown to the student, his every movement was being noted by the professor in front of him. Harry wondered what all the potions in on the desk were but didn't want to ask. He really wasn't up for another verbal barrage from the snarky professor.

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for endless moments. Finally Snape broke the quiet with a decision to ease into what he most needed to talk about by pulling out the students OWL results and class schedule.

"I know that you had a discussion with Professor McGonagall last year before the end of term regarding your future. However, that was then and situations have changed. I believe that it would be prudent for the two of us to discuss where you wish for your life to head," Severus was pleased with the even tones.

Harry looked at his new head of house. "Um...well I sort of thought I would be an Auror but I didn't get the required Potions score so I guess...well, I don't really know. I mean..." his voice dwindled away. He really didn't know what was expected of him.

Severus watched the boy's hesitancy and confusion. He pondered the scores and realized that he had barely missed the required O for the class by the smallest of margins. Could he make an exception for The-Boy-Who-Lived, James Potter's offspring? Hell no! But he would for any of his Slytherians. It was with a suppressed growl of frustration that he set the paper aside and decided to move on with the meeting. He would get back to that.

"Potter, you were raised by Muggles is that correct?" Harry's head shot up in confusion from the sudden change in conversation. Mutely he nodded.

"Your aunt is well aware of the magical world. How much of the knowledge did she pass to you prior to your attending Hogwarts?" he asked the boy.

Harry's eyes dropped. His voice was a light whisper, "Nothing. They...they told me there was no such thing as magic."

Severus stared at the boy for several long moments. Finally he stood and made his way to his own personal potions stock. He opened the cabinet door and grabbed the nearest bottle of headache treatment. This was not going at all the way he had hoped. Quickly he downed the bottle and turned back to the annoying brat.

"Are you trying to tell me that when you came to this school you knew nothing about our world?" he asked with exaggerated patience. Somehow, he wasn't surprised by the silent nod from the boy.

"And how did you get your school supplies then?"

"Um, Hagrid came and got me. He took me to my vault and to get my stuff," Harry was rather confused by the change in topic. His Professor wasn't looking too good. He was being nice but since he had taken a potion Harry wondered if it was taking all his self control.

Which it was but not for the reasons that Harry was believing. Snape could not believe what he was hearing. The-Boy-Who-Lived wasn't taught about...any of it?

"What in the world did you think happened to your parents? With that scar?" he snapped.

"A car accident. They were drinking and driving and ..." Harry broke of the sentence and bit his lip, not wanting to explain any further. "Um, when I got back from the shopping trip with Hagrid, I wasn't allowed to have my stuff. Not until I left for school and um..." Harry was babbling. He didn't want to tell this man anything, but the questions he was being asked and the look and it was just too much. Especially when his head was fuzzy and his back was on fire. His side hurt where Dudley had kicked him yesterday. Oh, and the toes on his right foot from when Dudley jumped off the stairs onto his foot. His diet definitely wasn't working. He was almost wider than he was tall and this year ...He broke his thoughts off as he realized that Snape was staring at him like he was expecting an answer to something.

"I'm sorry sir?" he asked with confusion. He missed something.

"I asked if Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster or even those Weasley's have ever bothered to explain anything about the wizarding world? Or have you been forced to learn by trial and error?" Snape growled out. He was trying to keep his patience. Maybe instead of a Headache Draught he should have taken a Calming Draught.

"Um, they sort of told me stuff. Like Hagrid explained about my parents and of course Hermione has read everything practically and ..." he drifted off. The look in the Professor's eyes was furious. He bit his lip wondering if he was going to be thrown out of the office again.

"So in other words you know nothing of the wizarding world," Snape snarled.

"Very well. We will begin your lessons tonight. First, family structure. Weasley family not withstanding, most pureblood families as I am sure you have noticed have very few children. Most families consider themselves lucky to have one child, sometimes two. It is for this reason that most of them are raised rather...spoiled." Snape tried to work the conversation to where he needed to go to get the information he most needed. His mind was racing trying to determine how much time he had before the boy was incoherent. So far his mind had drifted several times.

"For example, child abuse in the wizarding world is considered amongst the highest of crimes. A pureblood magical child is a blessing to any family. One that is cherished," Snape saw the look of interest in Potter's eyes. Good, he was paying attention.

"Any time a student is found to have abuse within the school, 99 of the time it is a Muggle-born whose family did not understand or desire a magical child in the family. In most cases, the family knew of magic and either resented the child and their abilities, or feared it," he saw a flicker of fear in the boy's eyes. Time to move quickly before he lost the chance.

"Most of those students who were abused growing up have been sorted into Slytherin. The desire to prove themselves, to get back at the abusers, or to escape as well as having learned early what things to watch for, to say or not say as well as learning how to use their cunning to get out of potentially painful situations make them ideal Slytherins. Such as the Dark Lord," he saw the fear recede from the boy's eyes to be replaced by a different fear and curiosity.

"During his time at Hogwarts, the Dark Lord as Prefect and Head Boy established a 'rule' if you will. Regardless of family feuds, personal enmity or anything else that would go on outside of school, within the boundaries of Hogwarts, Slytherins would put everything aside for the good of the housemates. These students are feared and hated by the rest of the houses, for those that face abuse at home, they did not need the added pressure of fear, abuse and hatred within their own house," Snape looked at the boy. He looked slightly confused.

Harry was in fact hanging on every word. For a while he was afraid that Snape was talking about Harry and he had been ready to run. But now it seemed that he was just talking about what he had mentioned in the common room earlier. That was because of Riddle? But what did it mean for himself? If Riddle wanted him dead, and most of his housemates were Death Eaters children...it was all very confusing. So Harry asked Snape.

Severus Snape almost smiled. Logical question, unexpected from Potter but welcome. "It means you are protected. As your head of house, I am expected to protect you. To not do anything that will endanger you, including reporting to the Dark Lord. That also means Mr. Malfoy, Mr Goyle, and the rest are also sworn to protect you. Even the Dark Lord will respect this and honor it."

Harry's eyes grew wide. This must have been what the Sorting Hat meant about Slytherin protecting its own. It was almost too much to take in. Riddle himself had made it possible for Harry to be safe from his attacks? He reached up to rub his scar. His back burned at the movement and slowly he lowered his arm.

"So you are saying that since I am a Slytherin now, Voldemort won't hurt me?" he was not quite clear on how far it extended.

"Not exactly. The Dark Lord is no longer a student. Neither is Lucius Malfoy. Neither have any obligation to hold to the house rules. If you should encounter any of the Death Eaters outside Hogwarts they are not honor bound to protect you. These measures only hold true during school times. Hence I do not recommend that you accept any invitations to Malfoy Manor for holidays," Snape said this with a smirk.

Harry felt a smile at the very thought he would be invited to spend holidays with the Malfoys. He nodded his understanding. This was far more than he expected.

"So, um...this new sorting. It will also protect you won't it sir?" Harry raised his eyes to his professor, realizing now that the Potion's Master had a perfect reason for not reporting Harry's life and protecting his spy status. The said Potions Master nodded at Harry, a bit surprised at the fact that his student's first thought was of his own protection.

"Now, we have finished lesson number one. I would like for you to prove something for me," he decided the timing was perfect to attain his goal. The boy was off his guard.

"Okay." Harry answered.

"Please remove your robe and shirt," Harry's eyes widened impossibly wide and he started shaking his head.

When he moved to flee the room, Snape gave a flick of his wand and the boy was pushed back into his seat. His back hit the back of the chair and he gave an involuntary wince.

"I think that action was sufficient to prove my theory. As I mentioned, many half-bloods or Muggle raised in Slytherin are abused. It is for that reason that every Prefect is given training to recognize the signs. One of them reported the signs tonight. Now, please remove your robe and shirt or I will escort you to Madame Pomfrey. Either way, you will show me what you are hiding," his voice was firm and Harry realized that he was being given a choice. Snape or Pomfrey. Not much of a choice. But maybe Snape could be persuaded not to say anything. He knew if he went to Pomfrey, she would go straight to the Headmaster and before he could say Quidditch the whole wizarding world would be likely to know.

Slowly Harry removed his clothing until his chest was bare. He looked at the floor, torn between wanting to scream at Snape and being ashamed at his weakness. It was fortunate that he wasn't looking up to see the look of shock on his teacher's face.

Severus took a moment to school his features and approached the boy. He was categorizing the injuries as he walked around. There, around the throat were several imprints of fingers where it was obvious someone had tried to strangle the boy. The back was a mess of welts and cuts and bruises, some going below his trousers line. His side bore an imprint of a shoe. Slowly, very carefully Snape raised a hand to tenderly palpate the injured area. A flinch from the boy and he pulled his hand away. Draco was correct, the boy was severely malnourished. No wonder he barely ate at dinner. It wasn't just nerves.

He turned and went back to his potions cabinet. Bruise salve wasn't going to be enough. Something to knit together a few broken bones, a healing potion, something for pain as well as probably an ulcer potion, a stomach expander and another jar of the bruise salve. Quickly and efficiently he gathered the items and went to the quiet boy.

"Potter," he waited for Harry to raise his head. "Take this one first." Snape handed him a pain potion. Harry drank it down quickly, trying not to taste it. The effects began to work rapidly, the haze of pain lifting from him. His mind was becoming clearer and he raised his eyes to meet the professor's.

"Harry," Snape started, realizing he had just called the boy by his given name. "Drink this one next then this one. After that I need you to listen to me for a minute." He handed the boy the stomach expanding potion then the wound mending potion. The boy silently drank them, not arguing for once.

"The next potion that I am going to give you is one to heal bones. You have at least one broken rib. Before you can take it, I need to make sure they are lined up properly. I need you to tell me if there are any other broken bones," he looked into the boy's eyes trying to make sure that he was aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"You won't say anything to Dumbledore will you sir?" the boy pleaded softly.

"Harry, take the potions. When we are finished here, we will discuss this more," Harry nodded.

He took them in the order instructed. His stomach felt like it was going to rebel against the first potion. It was twisting around and it took several moments before he felt able to take the second potion. Or was it third? Harry sighed.

He sat down slowly. His back was feeling strange, it itched and burned. He kicked off his shoe and slowly removed his sock. Even he had to wince at the sight of the black and blue toes. It really was rather gross to look at so he averted his eyes.

Snape knelt down to examine the toes. He began to feel the injured appendages, sensing where the break was and preparing to realign the obvious break. "This may hurt in spite of the potion. I apologize in advance. I am a Potions Master, not a Healer. You may still go to Poppy if you prefer," he said, offering the boy a way out.

"No. Just do it. I'll be fine," Harry insisted. He gasped slightly and squeezed his eyes shut at the sharp pain. It was gone quickly and Snape had moved to his side, feeling the injuries there. The ribs there were cracked but not broken completely through he was informed. Then he was handed yet another potion.

It tasted horrible and Harry was instructed to remain seated to give it some time to work. Snape went back to his desk and returned with the items that he had left there. He set all of the bottles on the desk in front of Harry.

"This one is an ulcer potion. It will need to be taken on an empty stomach, so take it right away when you wake up tomorrow. Allow at least half an hour before you eat. This is a salve for bruising. There are two of them. If you need assistance with your back, you may ask Mr. Malfoy or come down here in the morning and I will apply it for you. Or ask whoever you wish, but please make sure you do it twice a day. I will apply it to your back before you leave. For now, let's give those potions some time to do their work.

"This potion here is to sooth your stomach. Take it right before you eat. I will supply you with enough of these for one week to help you readjust. You will also take this potion, a nutrient potion to help replace the food that you have gone without. You will take this twice a day after meals for no less than one month. I will assign Mr. Malfoy to ensure that you take them.

"I will send you with a couple more pain potions. You shouldn't need more than that. If you do, please come see me and I will have to examine more deeply for any injuries that I may have missed. Do you have any questions?"

Harry's mind was spinning with the volume of instructions that he had been given. One fact stuck out more than anything.

"MALFOY knows!" he exclaimed.

"Yes Mr. Potter. Who do you think alerted me to this," Snape asked him with a smirk. He went back to his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment. He started to write out all of his instructions, not wanting to give the brat an excuse for not following them. As he was writing he decided it was time to make a deal with the new Slytherin.

"I would like you to do something for me Mr. Potter. In exchange, I am prepared to allow you into my NEWTS potions classes," Harry looked at him in shock and was more than a little nervous about what would be demanded of him for that.

"What would that be sir?" he asked.

"You would report to this room Monday through Thursday at 8:30 pm. Mondays will be spent resuming your Occlumency lessons, this time hopefully with results. Tuesdays will be spent in lessons on the wizarding world with Ms. Gladstone. Wednesdays we will talk about your 'family' and what has been going on. Thursdays will be extra training. Focus on Potions if you prove to need it, or defense against dark arts, or whatever extra training you wish," Snape finished his writing and looked at the student.

Harry was listening in shock. He wanted to tell the professor where to take his extra lessons and counseling and everything else but more than anything he needed the NEWTS potions class.

Squeezing his eyes shut he nodded slowly. "Alright. Anything else or can I leave now?"

Snape walked around and approached the boy. He took up a jar of the salve and began to apply it to the bruises on the boy's neck. Methodically he worked his way to Harry's back. The wounds had sealed shut leaving only faint marks where the worst were. Those marks would be gone by morning he knew. There were various degrees of bruising, some would be gone by morning, and others would take up to a week to heal. With all the injuries Harry's body would be focusing its energies on the worst and working up to the lightest. Without the nutrients his body needed, his healing would take longer.

Finally he finished applying the salve and handed the jar to Harry. He waited in silence while the boy dressed. Harry made his way towards the door when Snape stopped him.

"Just a couple questions first Harry," he said.

Harry stopped. He bit his lip and debated. So far Snape had been very decent. He hadn't taunted him, or asked him about anything, or given him a hard time. He turned and nodded. "Okay, but I might not answer."

Snape nodded. "Fair enough. First, how long has this been going on?"

Harry pondered the question. "Um, well, Dudley was the one that broke my ribs and toes. He and his buddies always used to chase me and beat me up. I was rarely fed. But my uncle never really...I never...not until this summer." He couldn't bring himself to talk about what had happened.

"What changed?" Snape asked.

Harry lowered his eyes and turned to leave. He stopped at the door and decided to answer the question after all. "See, before...they just locked me up. After third year, um, they started to get tired of the magic that kept happening. But I told them that they had to treat me right because I had a godfather who was a convicted mass murderer and had escaped prison and was very overprotective of me. I sort of forgot to mention he was innocent."

Harry paused. "This summer, the Ministry attempted to 'make up' for what they had done to me, so they sent my Uncle a letter begging their forgiveness and informing them that they were sorry about the death of my godfather."

He looked at his professor. "I guess a dead murderer isn't as threatening."

With that he left the room leaving a stunned Snape behind. Severus moved to sit behind his desk. He was busy trying to process everything he had learned that night. The Golden Boy was more than a little tarnished.

I sort of forgot to mention he was innocent

Those words flashed back to Severus and he let out a snort of laughter. Yes, there was a Potter that had more than a hint of Slytherin. He sobered quickly and tried to decide what he was going to do about everything he had seen and heard tonight.