HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATH EATER

.

.

By: adhesivebagels

Summary: Set after book 5, Harry is beaten by his uncle and left for dead. Snape rescues him and brings Harry back to his house for the summer. They fall for each other. Harry is kidnapped and taken to Voldemort. Ends in an epic battle between Snape and the Dark Lord. HP/SS

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for this story plot.

A/N: I changed some things around to fit my story and no I am not Rowling, so no it will not be 100% the same as the books, Snape knows about horcruxes, I made up some death eaters, etc etc. I don't know if that would make this AU? But oh well. If you like It, please review. If you don't then...keep your snooty comments to yourself. Enjoy!

.

.

.

Chapter 1

.

.

.

It was one in the morning in Little Whinging, a time when most of the world would be deep asleep, however one soul was still awake in a small house on Privet Drive. Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, was lying in bed under his blanket with a small flashlight held between his teeth, illuminating the pages of his textbook as he read. This was the only means the teenager had to study without his aunt and uncle finding out, for if they found out he was doing homework for that "freak" school of his, they would surely kick him out as his uncle Vernon often liked to threaten. Harry stifled a yawn and rubbed his bleary eyes, fighting off sleep for as long as he could. He wanted to finish his summer homework while he still had time, before his aunt and uncle decided to confiscate his wand or school things, however after nodding off for the fourth time, Harry admitted defeat and crept out of bed to hide his homework away in the floorboard underneath. Straightening up, he walked over to Hedwig's cage and stroked the feathers on her head through the bars of her cage. She hooted sadly at him and nibbled at his fingers. Harry refilled her water and placed owl pellets in her food dish.

"I'm sorry, Hedwig," he whispered to her.

Harry hated to see her caged up. Vernon had locked her in her cage a couple days ago when one of the neighbors had told him that he had seen an owl fly into their bedroom window one night. Vernon had blown up at Harry and padlocked "That ruddy owl!" in her cage, trapping her there for the summer. Harry's blood boiled thinking about how helpless he was during the summer, not being able to use magic until he became of legal age next year. He vowed that that would be the last time his aunt and uncle ever saw him, he didn't care what it took, he would move out as soon as he could. Get his own place somewhere far away from here. If only Sirius...unbidden, thoughts of his recently deceased godfather rose to his mind and Harry's hands fisted at his sides as emotions took over. He had tried so hard to keep the grief at bay, to remain as normal as possible around his aunt and uncle for they didn't know about his godfather's death, but sometimes, like tonight, the pain became too much and nothing could stop the thoughts of guilt and anguish from clouding his mind. Harry's face twisted in pain and he curled up in bed under the covers as he let his grief overtake him.

If only Sirius were still alive, if only Harry hadn't gone to the Department of Mysteries and made his godfather come rescue him. If not for Harry, Sirius would still be alive. Harry's eyes filled with unshed tears as the grief, still raw from his godfather's death, washed over him. Guilt, anger, and sadness filled the Boy-Who-Lived as the hot tears fell. He sobbed into his pillow as he thought about losing the only father figure he ever remembered having, gone now because of his stupid mistakes. Sometime later his body finally gave way to exhaustion and he fell into a fitful sleep.

.

.

.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

.

.

.

Harry awoke abruptly to someone pounding on his bedroom door.

"Get up, freak! It's time to make breakfast!" Petunia shrieked and stamped downstairs.

Harry groaned and started pulling on some worn clothes. He was still tired for his sleep had been plagued with nightmares of Sirius falling through the veil. He pushed his glasses on his nose, said good morning to a sleepy Hedwig, and went downstairs. He began making breakfast under Petunia's watchful stare. Harry felt particularly gloomy today, his long summer with the Dursleys stretching ahead of him. Ron had owled him to say that him and his family were going on holiday to visit Charlie in Romania and they wouldn't be back till right before term started, so Harry was stuck at the Dursley's for the entirety of the summer.

He sighed and flipped the bacon over in the pan. Petunia's attention was diverted as Dudley walked into the kitchen.

"I'm hungry! Why isn't breakfast ready yet?" His cousin whined, shooting Harry a gleeful look behind his mother's back.

Harry shot an ugly look back at him as his aunt turned on him.

"Hurry up and finish breakfast!" She snapped before going over and fussing over Dudley's hair.

Harry finished breakfast as quickly as he could and grabbed a couple pieces of toast for himself. His uncle soon stomped down the stairs, and sat at the kitchen table, shooting a glare at Harry. Petunia piled a stack of pancakes on his plate and he began eating with gusto as he looked over the morning paper.

"Dudley dear" his aunt cooed at his cousin, "what are your plans for today? Are you having another tea party with your little friends?"

"Yes mother, I'm going to be over at Peter's house today" Dudley said, avoiding his aunts gaze.

Harry snorted into his toast at the obvious lie. Dudley's "tea parties" were just his way of getting out of the house so he and his gang could ravage the neighborhood, bullying kids younger than them. Dudley narrowed his eyes at Harry's snort. Vernon whipped his head around and threw a look at Harry.

"Here, boy," his uncle spat at him, "there are plenty of chores to do today, and make sure they're done by supper or else!" He threw a piece of paper at him. Harry rolled his eyes at that and missed the threatening look on his uncle's face. He got up from his table, figuring he better get started on his chores now if he was wanted to finish before dinner.

.

.

.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

.

.

.

It took Harry most of the day to complete all his chores and it was close to five o'clock before he was able to take a break before dinner. He decided to head outside and take a walk. Privet drive was quiet with only a few people just arriving home from work. He turned the corner and continued walking, his feet taking him to his favorite haunt. He ended up at the playground, it was empty. He took a seat at one of the swings, resting his aching feet. He had spent most of the day on his hands and feet, cleaning the house and maintaining the garden for his aunt and uncle. He was exhausted, mentally and physically and was glad to get away from the house and the hateful atmosphere that was constantly there. Harry had been sitting there, lightly swinging, for a few minutes before sounds of voices reached him. Looking up, he spotted Dudley and his gang approaching the playground. They had spotted Harry evidently and were making their way towards him.

"Oh great" Harry muttered, "Here we go."

Dudley often liked to torment him to show off in front of his friends, when his aunt and uncle weren't around. He heard laughter coming from them as they approached. Harry got up from his swing and faced them warily. He had left his wand at home and was defenseless. He realized that this could turn out badly for him if Dudley decided to get violent.

"Look at the freak" he said to his friends, sneering at Harry, "Haven't you got any friends, freak?"

"Ya, I do" Harry countered, "I have loads of friends, some of them are invisible though, like that vampire behind you" He looked pointedly behind Dudley.

Dudley fell for the bait, and whirled around to look behind him, terror on his face. Harry started laughing and two of his friends snickered causing Dudley's face to redden. He'd realized he'd been had in front of his friends.

"You think you're so funny!" he sneered, advancing towards him.

He shoved Harry hard in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Harry's malnourished frame was no match for Dudley's sheer size and muscle. Harry landed hard in the dirt, skinning his hands and his glasses went flying. His face reddened in anger, if only he had his wand. He would hex Dudley into next year, underage laws be damned. He was tired of being pushed around and his sensitive emotions since Sirius's death were causing him to act without abandon. He pushed himself to his feet as Dudley laughed with his friends.

"You stupid git!" He shouted.

Balling up his fist he punched Dudley in the face, his hand protesting from the force. Dudley's head snapped back as his nose made a sickening crunch and started dripping blood. He grabbed his nose and immediately started whaling from the pain. Harry felt a sense of dread. He'd done it now, his aunt and uncle would surely kick him out after seeing what he'd done to their precious son.

Dudley glared at Harry around his bloody nose and said "You'll pay for this freak!"

He nodded at his friends who started advancing toward Harry. Harry groaned, not wanting to deal with this right now. He turned and sprinted away as fast as he could. He could hear the three boys chasing after him. Reaching the playground fence, he reached up and vaulted over the top, continuing to run toward privet drive. The boys didn't dare follow him to the house and their shouts faded away as Harry outdistanced them. He reached the house and ran inside. He knew he was in big trouble now, the last time Dudley had gotten hurt Vernon had tried to kick Harry out. And that wasn't even his fault, this time Harry had a foreboding feeling that his punishment would be a lot worse. Not bothering to stop, Harry ran upstairs and into his bedroom where he sat nervously on his bed, waiting with dread for what was to come. He thought quickly and grabbed his wand off his dresser, clutching it in his hands.

A few minutes later, he heard shouting downstairs so he figured Dudley must have come home and told Vernon and Petunia the story of how that horrible Harry had punched him and broke his nose. Harry's anxiety increased and his heart thundered in his chest, anticipating what was to come. His grip on his wand tightened. He couldn't risk doing magic though. Harry had already been given one warning. If he was caught doing underage magic again, he'd be expelled from Hogwarts. He heard his uncle pounding up the stairs and jumped to his feet as Vernon flung open the bedroom door.

"BOY! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY SON!"

His uncle was madder than he had ever seen him, spit was flying from his mouth. Harry unconsciously backed away towards his bed. His uncle advanced menacingly towards him, his hands clenched into fists. Harry felt fear for the first time, his uncle was acting more aggressive than usual, and he wasn't sure what he would do.

"I'LL TEACH YOU NOT TO HURT MY FAMILY!" He bellowed and grabbed Harry's shirt front before he could do anything. Lifting Harry's small frame off his feet, his uncle threw him against the wall. Harry gave a yelp as he slammed into the wall and slid down to the floor. His body hurt and his glasses were askew, his wand had fallen out of his hand and had rolled out of reach under the bed. Harry groaned as he heard the approach of footsteps. Suddenly his side exploded in pain as his uncle kicked him viciously.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE, FREAK. DONT EVER TOUCH MY DUDLEY AGAIN!"

Harry was no match for the bigger, heavier man. His uncle laid into him with abandon, kicking his ribs, punching his head, back, any part of him he could reach. Harry couldn't stop the screams of pain escaping his lips as his world was filled with agony. Blood poured from his face, side, and head and still his uncle continued to beat him without mercy. There was a crunching sound as the bone in his leg snapped from a nasty kick and he was sure a few of his ribs were broken. Hedwig was shrieking in her cage, unable to help her master. And still his uncle showed no sign of stopping, he wore a murderous expression, his hot breath in Harry's face as his now bloody fists beat into him. His uncle was going to kill him.

Through a haze of pain, Harry deliriously thought about what tomorrow's headline for the Daily Prophet would be. "Boy-Who-Lived Killed By Muggle Uncle". This can't be happening, he had fought the greatest Dark wizard of all time to only be killed by this loser. He tried desperately to get to his feet, but his leg gave out underneath him and he just slumped back to the floor in defeat. Suddenly, the beatings stopped as his uncle appeared to have exhausted himself. Breathing hard, he shot one last disgusted look at Harry and stomped out of the bedroom, slamming and locking the door as he left. Harry was in a world of pain, bleeding on the floor, unable to move. Hot tears fell from his eyes, the pain was too much. He would've rather his uncle kill him than leave him in this much misery. The Cruciatus curse wasn't even this painful. Harry gathered his strength and inched across the floor towards his wand. He had to reach it. He couldn't die here. Finally his fingers curled around the piece of wood, however Harry's vision was starting to blur from blood loss and pain. He couldn't remember what he had been planning to do with the wand. The last thought he had before passing out was that at least if he died he would get to see Sirius again. Unbeknownst to Harry, his wand shot out a jet of golden light. It hit the padlock on Hedwig's cage, setting her free...

.

.

.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

.

.

.

Professor Severus Snape was sitting comfortably in his favorite armchair by the fire in his house on Spinner's End in the village of Cokeworth. He had a glass of amber liquid in his hand and he swilled it around, staring into the flames, he was lost in deep thought. He was therefore startled out of his seat as a head suddenly popped out of the fire.

"Ah, Severus, I'm glad you are awake" The head belonged to no other than the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Albus?" Severus grumbled at the wizard as he picked himself off the ground to retake his seat.

"I'm afraid I have an urgent matter, Severus, may I come through?"

Severus nodded his permission and the older man stepped through the fireplace and into his living room. Brushing soot off his robes, Albus got straight to the point.

"I've just received an unexpected visitor, Harry's owl Hedwig arrived at my house in great distress. She had no mail attached to her and seemed like she wanted me to follow her somewhere. I believe the owl came to get help because something is the matter with Harry."

Severus's eyebrows shot up. "Indeed, that is unsettling. Should we check in on the boy?"

"Yes, I tried contacting Mrs. Figg but she's not at home. We will, or rather you will go to Harry's house and find out if something is wrong" Dumbledore stated.

Severus gave Dumbledore a questioning look. "Me, Albus? Surely you would want to accompany me as well?"

"Not at all, Severus, two wizards showing up on the muggles' doorstep will surely frighten them more than one. They fear magic more than anything else."

"But sir-" Severus protested.

"Severus, we don't have time" Dumbledore gave him a hard look, "I trust you completely with this."

Severus's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Of course, Albus. I will check on the boy's whereabouts and report back to you immediately"

"Thank you, Severus" Dumbledore clapped him on the back and disappeared back into the flames. Severus took a moment to grab a traveling cloak before he apparated to the street Dumbledore had shown him once before, Privet Drive. Severus was sure he was wasting his time, the owl probably only wanted food or some other such nonsense. Potter was probably neglecting it in favor of answering his fan mail. Severus snorted at the thought of him finding Potter hunched at his desk writing letters. He would have something to say to the boy about neglecting his pet and wasting his professor's time. Severus spotted the house where Potter lived and stalked to the front door. It was dark out, the street was deserted.

He pounded on the immaculate door, ready to get this over with and get back to his warm fireplace. A few minutes later and the red face of a very fat man appeared at the door. This must be Vernon. The muggle's eyes popped out as he took in the sight of his unexpected visitor in his doorway. Severus's dark wizard robes billowed out around him in a gust of wind and his black shoulder-length hair framed the sneer that was on his face. His cold eyes took in Vernon's muggle house, his eyebrow raised in disdain.

"Good evening" Severus began as politely as he could manage, "I am a professor at Hogwarts school that Pott-Harry attends and I am here to check on his safety. I apologize for the lateness of the hour" Severus decided to not beat around the bush and explain himself bluntly. However the effort was lost on the muggle as his face unexpectedly purpled.

"You're another one of those freaks from that freak school of his? No! I will not have anymore of your kind in my house! LEAVE BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE!"

Spit from the enraged man's mouth landed on Severus's cheek. Slowly, Severus raised a sleeve up and wiped the offending spittle away. His face was unreadable, however, his eyes gave him away. Vernon's face froze as he took in the cold fury contained in the wizard's ebony gaze. He unconsciously stepped backward.

"Listen closely, muggle" Severus whispered coldly into the flabby face of Vernon Dursley, "I am here to make sure Harry is okay, and nothing, especially not the likes of you, is going to stop me."

With that he stepped around the frozen man and continue through the house. Petunia and Dudley were crouched in the living room, horrorstruck, unsure of what to do. Vernon hastily waved at them to stay where they were. Severus ignored them after seeing Potter was not there and continued up the stairs. His thoughts were buzzing in his head. Potter, the savior of the wizarding world lived with a bunch of magic-hating muggles? Who knew? All this time Severus had thought he had been raised as a spoiled little brat. Instead it seemed like he had been hated here, maybe even neglected, not unlike Severus himself had been. This changed everything. He suddenly felt sorry for the way he had treated the boy in his class. No one deserved to grow up in a loveless house. Severus made his way up the stairs.

There were four doors in this hall. Opening the first door revealed a typical muggle bathroom. The second door wouldn't budge, it was locked. Severus left that one for now and investigated the third and fourth bedrooms. Not finding Potter there, he came back to the locked bedroom. He suddenly had a foreboding feeling, something was wrong. Pulling his wand from inside his robes, he cast a charm on the doorknob and the door sprung open. The room was pitch black inside. As Severus's eyes adjusted to the darkness, a scene of horror greeted him. There was blood everywhere, on the doorknob, splattered on the walls, smeared across the floorboards. And in the middle of the floor lay a small body, in a pool of blood. Severus was at Potter's side in a flash, turning the boy over to look into his face.

"Potter!" The boy made no move, "Harry!" Severus tried again.

The boy's eyes flickered weakly.

"Help.." his voice was so weak.

Severus did not know the extent of his injuries but from the looks of it, his leg was broken. And there was a lot of blood, he may be seconds from death. Who could've done this? And then Severus knew. A cold fury washed over Severus the likes of which he had never known before. Even though he often acted like he despised the boy, no child deserved this treatment, especially from his supposed family. It came too close to Severus's own childhood. He had often had to pay for his magical nature with his muggle father's belt, as he tried to beat it out of him daily. His mother could do nothing to stop the abuse of his father when he was in one of his moods. These muggles should pay for what they had done to Potter. In the back of his mind, Severus oddly wondered why he cared so much about what happened to the boy. He pushed those thoughts aside, he would deal with them later. Looking back down at the boy, he cast a basic healing charm, he had limited knowledge of healing magic, but that charm would suffice to keep the boy alive until he could get him to St. Mungo's. Madame Pomfrey wasn't at Hogwarts during the summer holidays. Gently, Severus gathered the boy in his arms, his head falling to rest against Severus's chest. He was so light, obviously undernourished. His fury rose again at how the muggles had treated the boy. Glancing at the floor, Severus noticed Potter's wand on the ground. Pausing for a moment, he cast a spell to summon Potter's things into the trunk he spotted nearby. He would need his school things and clothes. Surely Dumbledore would not allow the boy to return here. Finishing packing everything the boy owned, he shrunk the trunk and put it in his pocket. Turning with Potter still in his arms, he made his way back downstairs. The boy moaned pitifully as Severus's movements awakened him slightly. Severus looked down into the green gaze of the boy he held in his arms.

"Pott-Harry?" Severus whispered gently to the boy, "It's okay, you're safe, I've got you".

He thought he saw Potter's eyes flash with recognition as he looked up at him.

"Snape…" the boy whispered before falling unconscious again.

Severus held the boy tighter to his chest, taking care not to injure him further. His heart ached for the boy as he imagined the horrors this boy must have gone through at the hands of these muggles. Severus vowed then and there to treat Harry better, to show him what family is supposed to be like. To give the boy a chance at happiness that he never had. Clutching Harry to his chest, he continued his way downstairs through this blasted muggles house. As he passed the living room, the fat muggle Vernon stepped in his way with a threatening look on his face.

"NOW LOOK HERE, THAT BOY HAD IT COMING TO HIM, HE HURT MY SON DUDLEY. I WAS SIMPLY SHOWING THAT FREAK WHO'S BOSS IN THIS HOUSEHOLD!"

Severus's face got darker with every word that came out of the fool muggle's mouth, until he was again filled with a cold fury that made the air around him crackle with magical power. He did nothing to rein in his magic. He would be doing the wizarding world a favor if he killed this idiot muggle for the abuse they put on Harry. Severus raised his wand and pointed it at the fat man. There was a cold sneer on his face as he bore down on the muggle. The killing curse would be too merciful for this bastard, for it was too quick. The Cruciatus would be more fitting, although Severus doubted Dumbledore would agree to him torturing muggles. He settled for hexing the fat muggle appropriately. He aimed his wand at Vernon and with a flick, a small whale crashed through the living room floor in his place. The woman and the fat boy shrieked when they saw what their husband and father had been turned into. Severus allowed himself a small smile as he turned away to leave through the front door. A fitting punishment, hopefully the man would still perish, he doubted the muggles knew how to keep a whale alive out of water. Stepping into the dark night with Harry in his arms, Severus turned on the spot and apparated them both to St. Mungo's.

.

.

.

A/N: So ends the first chapter. I already have the story pretty much complete so know that I won't be changing anything. I do like to read your reviews though. So review away.

.

.