As Severus promised, Harry’s wounds were treated without too many questions. Madam Pomfrey had been shocked to see Harry in such a condition. Over the course of an hour, he was healed magically, with almost no scarring. He had sagged in relief as the persistent stinging and burning faded into blissful numbness. Tonight he would sleep well.

“Feeling better?” Severus asked as they made their way back to the Slytherin common room. 

Madam Pomfrey had given them a note to explain why they were out past curfew. The two had been walking in silence for a little while, neither boy sure what to say. Harry was enjoying the way his shirt no longer stuck painfully to the sensitive flesh on his back. He couldn’t believe how smooth his skin felt. It would be nice not to worry about people seeing his injuries.

“Yes, much better,” Harry sighed. He could hear Severus muttering under his breath about Petunia. In the infirmary, Severus had heard about evidence of concussions, poorly healed bones, and a long history of malnourishment. But since Petunia hadn’t done anything wrong yet, it would be pointless to plot revenge against her.

 “I can’t imagine why didn’t you tell me or Mum,” Severus said, unsure what Harry feared about revealing the abuse now. It’s not like his relatives could do anything to him here. They didn’t even know who he was, and even if they found out, they were only kids.

“I was so used to never telling anyone, that I didn’t think to tell anyone. I’m sorry,” Harry said with a frown. “And…it’s embarrassing, too.”

“I understand, but you should never remain quiet about something like this. If anyone mistreats you, you need to tell right away,” Severus said with a strong and passionate tone. “My father used to mistreat me quite similarly, and I regret not telling someone before he left, because then I wouldn’t have had to put up with it for so long.”

“They always told me that nobody would believe it,” Harry admitted, realizing for the first time that they had only said that to keep him from trying. 

He wondered what would have actually happened if he had gone to someone for help. Would the Dursleys have gotten into trouble? Would he have been sent to a new home with people who actually wanted him? Perhaps Dudley would have been sent to parents who would actually teach him right from wrong, instead of spoiling him rotten. 

“My father said the same thing and I believed him, but now I know better,” Severus said. 

Harry stared at Severus for a few seconds. “Are you sure your mum is okay with me staying over summer holidays? I know taking in an extra child is expensive; my relatives told me how much I cost them every chance they could. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Don’t you worry about that. We can afford to care for one extra child. My mother wouldn’t have offered if we couldn’t,” Severus told him. “Besides, we snakes need to look out for each other. You do know the way your relatives spoke to you and treated you was wrong, don’t you?”

Harry looked into the boy’s eyes and nodded. It was nice having a friend who understood him so well. “I know that it was wrong. It was terrible living like that.”  

“A living hell, I know.” Severus’s carefully controlled expression cracked. “I reported my father last year when Madam Pomfrey noticed my injuries. He ran away before the trial, and before he could be punished. He was a coward.”

“Isn’t anyone who hits a child cowardly?” Harry asked.

Later that evening, as Harry lay in his bed, he realised that he no longer believed a single word the Dursleys had ever said to him, and for the first time in his life, he felt truly free.

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