Bruised and Scarred

The blows rained down hard and fast as he lay there, his arms curled around his head, desperately trying to prevent HIM from hitting his head. He didn't understand why he was doing this, he had tried to be good he really had but sometimes things happened that he couldn't control. He cried out as his foster father punched him in the ribs, there was a sickening crack and an immense pain went stabbing through his chest. He desperately gasped for breath trying to push the pain to the back of his mind like he always did but this time it just wasn't working.
'I'm going to die this time' he thought sadly 'and I never even got to make a friend' black spots began to dance in front of his eyes as he heard the click of the man's belt undoing and he shuddered, as he heard the whoosh of it travelling through the air, the last thought in his aching head before he finally lost consciousness was, 'someone please... Help'

Severus Snape strode down the corridors of Hogwarts dungeons, black robes billowing out behind with a look on his face of pure hatred and fury. If looks could kill, this one was a mass murderer.
"Damn you Albus", he hissed, "I trusted you but this will not stand" He marched up to the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmasters office and viciously whipped out his wand. Pointing it straight at the stone gargoyle he growled menacingly,
"I don't know the password but I don't really care, if you don't want to end up as rubble at my feet you will move.. NOW!" A light chuckle sounded from behind him and his shoulders tensed as he gritted his teeth, "now now Severus my dear boy, what on earth could warrant my poor gargoyle being reduced to death hey?"

Severus gritted his teeth and took slow deep breaths to calm down and get his magic under control for fear of accidently transfiguring the headmaster into an old sock!
"Your office now Albus" he ground out "we have much to discuss" The headmaster shrugged his shoulders lightly and walked up the stairs to his office, with Severus a couple of paces behind. Once they had entered his office and settled themselves into the squashy chintz armchairs that occupied the majority of space near the fire, and Albus had plied him with tea and lemon drops, Severus took a breath to begin.

He regained consciousness to a vicious pounding in his head and an excruciating agony in his neck and immediately wished he hadn't. He pushed himself up on shaky arms, slipping on the shiny linoleum of the kitchen floor, he quickly lost the battle as his exhausted limbs trembled and gave out, and he found himself face down on the floor once more. Just then he heard the door slam open on its hinges and he cringed, doing his best to protect any soft places he lay on the floor waiting and praying for it to be over soon, at least then he could be with his parents, people who loves him. He closed his eyes... and waited to die.

Severus stormed across the castle grounds, desperate to get to the apparition point as fast as possible without resorting to a full on sprint, he would not give Albus the pleasure of that. God damn, the nerve of that man, by the time he had finished explaining to the headmaster that he knew what he had done, he claimed absolute denial and then claimed it was 'all for the greater good'
"greater good my ass", he hissed. "He took my son from me and put him with that, that... That MONSTER! He will pay, no doubt about it he will pay!" He screamed no longer able to contain his rage. "Hold on Edward please, hold on"

As soon as he reached the apparition point he twisted on the spot and disappeared with a harsh 'pop' resounding in the night sky. On a lonely street in Kingsland, an identical 'pop' rang out in the gloom and a figure dressed entirely in black appeared, striding purposefully towards number 14, completely disregarding the fact that he had just appeared out of thin air. Severus slowly approached the front door of number 14 Hollow Close, a horrible sense of apprehension and dread welling up inside of him, something on the other side of this door did not feel right. Silently he cast alohomora on the door and it swung open with an almost inaudible 'click', he immediately knew something was wrong, the entire house reeked of the stench of fear and blood.

Glancing down he took in the blood stains on the carpet and the belt discarded halfway down the hallway with bits of shredded skin still stuck in the belt buckle. It all lead to the dark mahogany door of the kitchen ahead of him. All caution was thrown to the wind, he knew it was his son who was in that kitchen, knew it was his sons skin on that belt buckle but most of all, he knew it was his sons fear that he smelt, he slammed open the door to the kitchen and his heart broke at the tiny choked whimper the tiny figure on the floor let out at the sudden noise. Even worse was the desperate shuffling into a defensive position, the sleek dark hair flopping over his shoulders as he lay on the floor curled up on himself, and the tiny noises he made every other second as he waited for something to happen to him.
Severus' heart broke and he slowly and gently knelt down next to the tiny, broken child and scooped him up into his arms, holding him tightly against him and brushing his fringe off his forehead. "Edward, baby boy, it's alright ive got you, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again.
Shhh shh its alright" he gently rocked the boy in his arms until the sobs died down to whimpers and the exhausted 5year old fell asleep in his arms, little fist clutching his robes tightly. Severus gazed down at the peaceful, sleeping face of his 5 year old son, tear tracks still clear upon his face and he smiled, "I love you Edward" he whispered softly, his son was extremely hurt and was going to need him. At that moment he swore that he would never let Edward go, he would protect him and make sure he was never hurt again. He was his son and he loved him.

He stood up, careful not to jostle or wake up the small boy sleeping in his arms and walked over to the fireplace where he set up a floo link to the infirmary at Hogwarts and, checking that his son was safely positioned in his arms, covered warmly with his robes, he flooed back to Hogwarts, to Madame Pomfrey who he would need to help his son.