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Chapter Text

Harry couldn't feel his body anymore but Vernon didn't need to know that. The fat ass was trying to beat him into submission. Key word: trying. He was kind amused in the middle of the extreme pain. Vernon had come in swingging for a while but after 10 minutes of punching him black and blue the man was so sluggish Harry was now holding him up. The funny part was that the man was still swingging at him, mostly hitting himself and cursing at Harry rather colorfully.

"You brat. Just because you grew this summer you think it gives you the right to hit me! I'll show you, you freak!" Vernon yelled as he went to slap him. Harry had finally had a growth spurt and not even the years of starvation and beatings had stopped him from growing to 5'5" in a month, a record considering he was 4'11" when the summer started. He had had double chores all summer and, while he was still skinny as hell, he now had some muscles to show off. His 6-pack didn't hurt either.

Harry dodged the slap and the man actually twirled and fell on the bed, breaking the box spring and causing the bed to fall on the floor. He sat on the window seat and stared at his broken arm. The bone was sticking out and he realized he'd been bleeding profusely now that the adrenaline rush left him.. As he fell unconsious, he couldn't help but wonder who was gonna save him this time.

RDSL

Severus shot up in bed as Harry went unconsious. He ran out the bedroom door and banged on Lucius's door franticly. He knew he had to calm down but right know all he could think about was saving his soulmate. The door burst open and Lucius grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

"Is there a reason as to why you are banging on my door at 3 in the morning?" Lucius asked him, somehow managing to make him feel tiny under his gaze, which was saying something considering his 6 feet 4 inches made him 8 inches taller than Lucius.

"Harry is in trouble." Was all he said but it was enough.

Chapter Text

"What happened?" Lucius asked as he guided Severus to the couch. His rooms was technically an apartment just like the rest of the rooms in Riddle Manor. Lucius's rooms were the biggest in the Manor, as he shared them with his mate and owner of the Manor. All done in light woods with the walls and accesories done in creams and browns, it was homy and it always reminded Severus of the fact that Lucius was a stay at home dad. Everyone believed Lucius worked at the Ministry but, in reality, he only went to run errands which he seemed to be doing a lot lately.

"His uncle got drunk and tried to beat him up. He managed to break Harry's arm before he passed out. Lucius, his bone was sticking out and he was practically bleeding a river before he realized his arm was broken. Last thing I saw was Harry passing out on his window seat. Luc, we have to get to him now." Severus said. He had started pacing as soon as he started talking and Lucius was torn between the amusement at Severus's out of character behavior and the fear he felt for his best friend's soulmate. He touched the locket he always wore and his own soulmate came in 5 minutes after that, storming in like he owned the place, which he did. Tom immediately went towards him, barely noticing Severus.

"Whats wrong? What happend?" Tom asked checking him to see if he was injured. Lucius simply gave him a small smile and a sweet short kiss before pointing to Severus, who was now making a grab for the water on the table. Severus didn't drink alcohol unless the occassion asked for it because of his acoholic father. He simply refused to end up like Tobias Snape, drunk and alone.

"I'm fine, Tom, but I'm afraid Harry isn't. We need to go get him." Lucius said as Severus sat in the arm chair next to the couch and buried his face in his hands. He looked defeated and Tom hated that look. Always had and always would. He'd seen it on Severus a handfull of time but since the first time he saw it, he hated it. Tom thought about what they could do. No one associated with him could get in. Except maybe...

"Lucius, get Draco, now." Lucius went to the fireplace and called Draco. Draco was staying with Blaise this summer because of the danger Narcissa posed. The woman had tryed to kill them both last year and he wasn't going to take that risk again. Draco came out of the fireplace gracefully and greeted his parents with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. He hugged Severus and sat down silently. He knew they would not have called him unless it was important.

"Draco, I have a task for you..."

RDSL

"If I didn't know my father like I know him, I would have thought he was lying." He muttered under his breath as he made his way to Potter's house. The plan was simple, he would get Potter and take him to Riddle Manor. They were blowing Dumbledore's cover, at last, the compulsions were to be broken, and they would finally have the opportunity to explain.

Draco walked straight to the front door and the wards didn't even twitch. Since Dumbledouche had no idea he was Tom Riddle's son, he hadn't warded the house against him. Sucker. As he opened the door, he found himself bombarded with pictures of Potter's 'family'. He didn't stop to look, just made his way up the stairs and toward where he sensed the young man. He silently thanked Merlin for having inherited the magic sensing ability his dad was so proud of. The closer he got to the door from where sensed Potter, the angrier Draco became. How dare these people imprison someone as nice as Potter with so many locks? He almost didn't want to open the door... Almost.

The sight that greeted him had him seeing red. Potter lay prone on the floor, his arm in a twisted angle that had Draco wincing in sympathy. He'd have to apparate from the room since he wasn't gonna even try lifting the younger without help from a trained mediwizard. He knelt next to Potter and grabbed his uninjured arm firmly and pictured the hospital wing at the Manor, making sure that he pictured them landing with Potter on one of the beds. It was a trick Severus had taught him when he had learned to apparate. It wasn't hard, just different than what was taugh by the Ministry. There was no sound other than a nearly imperceptible crack and they were gone. Hopefully for good.

RDSL

In Riddle Manor, everyone was moving to get ready. They had called Poppy at her house and she had shown up within a minute. Severus sent a patronus to Sirius and Remus at their bedroom at Grimmauld Place. He knew he was interrupting the little time they had together but Harry was practically their son and if something happened to him and he didn't inform them, well, he was pretty sure all his pieces wouldn't be found.

In a matter of minutes, the 2 men were coming out of the fireplace as well. Between Poppy's and Sirius's training in mediwizardry and his own empathy, Severus was sure they wouldn't have to wake Harry for the extensive procedure. They had to right his arm but also had to check the compulsions and any other charms Harry was bound to have for being Dumbledouche's chosen weapon. They would have to check those when Harry woke up later. He refused to force himself into Harry's mind, among other things (I'd ask you to guess but I'm pretty sure you know what I mean).

The amout of potions he had out was insane but he needed to check for other things, if anything for his own peace of mind. They finished setting everything up just in time too, because the second they finished Draco appeared with Harry, the latter looking worse for wear though his only real injury was his broken arm and that didn't take more than a minute to fix before Sirius and Poppy started casting spell after revealing spell while Severus gave Harry a potion for what needed one. Several hours later, they looked like they had been run over by thousands hippogriffs but they had undone small parts of the damage caused by the malnurishment and abuse of years.

"At least he'll get taller. He'll enjoy that." Sirius said as he landed on Remus's lap afterward. Severus couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. He really appreciated Sirius's effort to make them laugh in this kind of situation. Remus only smiled. The full moon had been 2 days ago and he was still recovering from the fight he had had with one of the enemy werewolf attacking his pack in the Forbidden Forest. Severus could tell the pain was lessening every second he spent with Sirius and couldn't help but feel a little guilty at interrupting their alone time.

"Severus, what is it? I can smell your guilt." Remus asked. He had known Severus since the womb because their mothers were best friends. Severus had been the first to stay with him during the full moon when he had first come in contack with his inner wolf. He had risked his life to ensure he bonded with Moony and they became one pack and, years later, made sure the children were protected from his angry, rampaging werewolf self after nearly a year of tranforming with that disgusting and weakening potion. He always knew when Severus was feeling guilty. The way he frowned and looked everywhere but at him was enough to tell him the man was feeling guilty about something and it had to do with him and Sirius.

Severus looked like he was going to dismiss Remus's comment but he knew Remus wouldn't let it go and neither would Sirius now that he had metioned it. He couldn't lie either because Remus could smell a lie from the other side of the Manor. "I guess I can't help but feel a little guilty about interrupting your alone time because I know that it isn't often you're aloud to be alone together and- "

"Severus, stop right there." Sirius said interrupting what he realized was becoming a ramble. "Severus, you know as well as we do that if you hadn't called us immediately,we would have murdered you. Its true we don't get a lot of time alone but we chose to do this for Harry's safety and you of all people know how that feels." Sirius gave him a look that said, 'You know what I'm talking about' and Severus nodded, understanding exactly what Sirius meant with that look.

"I know, that doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it." Severus stated simply. The statement required no more discussion and they settled with a comfortable silence. Eventually, Lucius, Tom and Draco came in. Tom had asked Draco to stay in his fathers' rooms as Harry needed someone close to his age around to talk to. They talked about trivial things, passing the time as they waited for Harry to wake up. Inevitably, however, the conversation turned towards Harry and what they have to do.

"How badly do you think he'll react, Uncle Siri?" Draco asked and Sirius smiled slightly. It was so rare for Draco to call him 'Uncle Siri' now a days. The teenager acted so much like an adult now, it was rare hear him talk like he used to when he was just a kid.

"I honestly don't know, Draco. He's been so out of it since Cedric died and the bastard isn't exactly helping him get over it. Last letter he sent me was so heartwrenching, I nearly cryed myself to sleep that night." Sirius said, thinking back to that letter. Harry had started it telling him about some snake he had found in the garden and had somehow managed to end out spilling his guts about Cedric. How the older boy had helped him out, how he had been having nightmare every day since his death and how he often saw not only Cedric but his only parents and godparents telling him he was worthless and didn't deserve to live for causing them pain and suffering. Sirius had later realized Harry's clean handwriting had become incredibly messy and almost unreadable and how the paper was stained with tears in some places.

"However he reacts, we need the chance to explain and before that happens we have to undo the compulsions which we can only do once we convince him we aren't going to kill him and are actually trying to help him." Lucius said, his tone indicating just how impossible he thought it was.

"Don't talk like that, Lucius. Have a little more faith in us. It'll be difficult but- " Severus stopped mid-sentence and turned his head toward the hospital wing. He had a look of intense concentration on his face for a moment before it gave way to a slight smile."Harry has awakened and he's looking for us."

Remus and Sirius were at the door before he finished talking, closely followed by the others. It was time to explain a lot of things.

RDSL

Harry slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he realized was that he had been saved again but he had no idea who had done the saving. Next, he noticed the smell and feel of his surroundings. 'It feels like a hospital bed but that smell is not from the hospital wing at Hogwarts.' he thought. The place smelt of forest and waterfalls while the hospital wing at Hogwarts had a tendency to smell so sterile it usually burned when he inhaled. At last he registered the familiar sound of someone working around him. He opened his eyes and couldn't help but notice he was right. All the ceilings at Hogwarts were made of a slightly jagged stone. The ceiling here was completely smooth and painted a calming shade of blue. He was incredibly relaxed in this place, a completely different feeling to what he felt in the hospital wing. There, he couldn't wait to get out, here, he didn't have the immediate need to leave.

"Harry! You're finally awake." Harry turned to see Madam Pomfrey organizing some potions he was sure were for him. "You've been asleep for a couple of hours now. That Dreamless Sleep potion seemed to do you just fine." She said as she handed him a potion. He didn't even need to read the label to know it was a nutrient potion she only gave him when he was gonna have to wait to eat.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey. Where am I? How did they find me? Who found me? When did I get here?" Harry asked, barely breathing between questions. Madam Pomfrey laughed, not because of what Harry asked, but because Severus had told her he would ask those questions first. It still amazed her how intune Severus had always been with everything that was Harry.

"Tell you what, why don't you call them yourself? Its easy, I'll show you. All you have to do is concentrate on your magic and you should feel something like a tug in another direction, simply tug back." She said. She was making it sound easier than it actually was beacause most didn't get it on the first try and-

"I feel it! It feels... safe and loving." Harry said with a sigh. Poppy couldn't believe it. No one she had ever known had found the link on the first try, much less used it. "I'm supposed to wait for them here. He said that no matter who walked through the door I had to listen to what they all had to say before passing judgement. He told me Siri and Rem are gonna come in first since they practically ran out the door and then the rest are gonna come in after a while." He continued before laying back down. He was going to wait as comfortably as possible.

Chapter Text

Remus and Sirius opened the door to the hospital wing with a plan. They didn't know how Harry would react to everything but they had to take away the compulsions and that meant telling him part of the truth with said compulsions still in place, something neither of them was looking forward to doing. He could become violent or simply shut down and stop responding to anyone but Dumbledore. That fact alone made them hesitate for a moment but it didn't stop them. Sirius was the first to reach Harry and pull him into a hug, holding him as tightly as possible without hurting him. Harry beamed and hugged him back. He had missed Sirius and Remus during the part of the summer he spent at the Dursleys. Sirius managed to let go, finally, and Remus hugged Harry, though not for as long as Sirius did.

"Harry, how do you feel?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Harry on the bed while Remus settled on the chair next to him. Harry smiled at them. As usual his godfathers were more worried about him than themselves.

"I'm fine. Whatever Madame Pomfrey gave me has made me feel a lot better." Harry said.

"Harry, you should know better than to take anything without knowing what it is." Remus lectured.

"I was kidding Remy. Madam Pomfrey just gave me a nutrient potion because I won't be eating in a while. Where are we by the way?" Harry asked. He noticed they both paled at the question and quickly said "If I can know of course. I know Headmaster Dumbledore often considers it safer for me not to know the details." He was incredibly curious as to where they had brought him but he usually knew better than to ask. Something about this place made him feel... safe, calm, like he didn't have to watch what he said every time he opened his mouth.

"Harry... No one knows you're here." Remus said, hesitating at the possibility that Harry would react worse than they expected. When he merely tilted his head to the side Remus continued. "Some friends of ours helped us bring you here because we have reason to believe Dumbledore has cast several spells on us that are, not only considered very dark and illegal, but also very dangerous because they can not only twist a person's personality, but also how the person reacts to others. We think he may have cast these types of spells not only on you, but on others as well."

Harry's eyes when wide as the explanation sunk in. He had read about compulsion spells after Barty Crouch Jr.(as Moody) had tested their resistance against The Imperius Curse. He felt something inside him react to the explanation, wanting to lash out but now that he knew it was the compulsion spells he stopped the reaction, closing his fists as the sensation faded a little. He was acutely aware of his magic lashing against it until it caved, the need to lash out receding for the moment.

"Can they be taken off?" Harry asked, desperately hoping the answer was yes. He knew that, if left unchecked, compulsion spells could change a person's very being, including how their magic reacted in certain situations.

"We hope so. Remy and I can only remove one each because of the amount of magic it takes but we decided to take out the most important two and let a friend deal with the others." Sirius said putting his hand on Harry's shoulder reassuringly. "We can do it now or we can wait until you're better rested."

"Do it now. Leaving them any longer might do some lasting damage." Harry said, fearing for his magic and the damage the spells might have cause to it.

Sirius got up and pointed his wand at Harry putting all his power behing the counter-spell. It was wordless, needing the person's will rather than an actual incantation to guide it. He met some resistance but the spell caved. It may have been Dumbledork to cast it but it wasn't full strength. Harry felt himself sag a little and his adoration for Dumbledore disappear, leaving his memories and judgement unclouded to the wrongs of the Headmaster. Remus cast the second counter. This one changed his perspective of Voldemort and unlocked something within him. He watched his memories as they raced through his mind like a movie on fast-foward, stopping at moments when the compulsion had clouded his judgment of Dumbledore's actions and watching a memory he'd been Obliviated of...

FLASHBACK

"Harry, We don't have to fight. Let me help you escape their control." Memory-Voldemort said, only... He didn't look like the Voldemort Harry remembered. If fact, he looked more like he had in the diary except his eyes were a shade of crimson red that looked far too close to blood to be normal. Harry saw himself look at the man like he'd grown a second head and proclaimed his love for muggles.

"Like hell you will! You'd rather see me dead. Well, not today!" Memory-Harry said before he grabbed Cedric and the Cup and disappered. The scene changed and he was standing at the gargoyle to the Headmaster's office when he heard voices coming from the staircase.

"You need to watch Harry more closely. He nearly discovered the truth yesterday at the graveyard. If I hadn't Obliviated him he would have asked too many questions I don't have the answer to." Memory-Dumbledore said.

"Don't worry, Headmaster, I have it under control. I will keep him in-check. After that fight at the beginning of the year, he's desperate to keep our 'friendship'. I'll also talk to my sister. I'm sure she would love to be the next Mrs. Potter. I'll have to be a little more careful though because Granger, the damned mudblood, keeps getting in my way." He recognized the voice as Ron's and he was shocked. 'That... That... That arsehole! When I get my hands on him I'll-' His thoughts were cut off as Memory-Dumbledore and Memory-Ron stepped from behind the gargoyle. They took one look at him and Memory-Dumbledore raised his wand...

END FLASHBACK

Harry felt a hand on his arm and opened his eyes, vaguely wondering when he had closed them. He looked at Remus, taking in his worried expression and realized he'd been out for a while.

"How long have I been out?" He asked. He wanted to scream, to cry but he stopped himself. It would do him no good to go crazy right now.

"Almost 20 minutes. You fell back on your own and just laid there so we took your vitals and let you work through it." Sirius said. "Our friend is standing outside. Do you want to see him now or do you want to rest now and talk to him later?"

"I'll talk to him tomorrow. I need to think right now." Harry said as he laid down and closed his eyes. Sirius and Remus both kissed his forehead and and bid him goodnight and walked out. Harry counted to ten then allowed himself to breakdown and cry until he fell asleep.

RDSL

Severus, Lucius, Draco and Tom waited outside, sitting with tea just to have something to do other than pace the room from wall to wall. The door opened and Sirius and Remus came out. Harry's crying could be heard softly through the door but Severus held up a hand, feeling Harry's need to be alone. They sat down as the sobs quieted down.

"He needed to be alone. He's sleeping now." Severus said, feeling their eyes on him. They were his family but having them stare at him would always unnerve him.