Snape's P.O.V

It was a mistake. I realized that now. Brutal even by my standards, to make Harry Potter drink that potion. How could anyone have guessed this outcome though? How could I have known the potion would choose a moment like that to replay? I doubt I, nor anyone else in that room, will ever forget what we saw that fateful day in potions class. The day that for just a moment we didn't see The-Boy-Who-Lived, we just saw Harry…..and the extent of human cruelty.

Regular P.O.V

Snape had the class making a new potion that day. A potion that allowed the user to relive a memory that had a strong emotion behind it. The only problem was there was no way to predict what moment it would show. Once the user had swallowed the potion a bubble formed around them to make sure no one could interfere with the memory. You would completely forget everything around you except for the moment you were reliving.

They had been paired into groups of two divided each Gryffindor with a Slytherin. Hermione with Pansy, Ron with Goyle, Neville with Crab, and last but not least Harry with Draco. The two old enemies had worked together in silence except for the occasional instruction of Draco if Harry was messing up his half of the potion.

The two had been getting along better this year and had even begun to think of each other as friends. Of course no one knew that but them. They'd taken to meeting in the Room of Requirements and talking for hours. They only kept up the pretense of being enemies so as not to cause an uproar among the houses.

Finally the after a pain staking hour their potion was done and Snape was making his way around the class, sneering at Gryffindors and….Well sneering at the Slytherins too. He stopped in front of Harry's and Draco's potion and raised an eyebrow.

"It seems that at least one student paid attention to my lesson. 10 points to Slytherin for an excellent potion Mr. Malfoy."

Harry waited for Snape to continue, but the potions master just glared at him.

"Is there a problem Mr. Potter?" He practically hissed at the raven haired boy.

"Well I did help too sir." Harry muttered unhopefully, having expected as much from the elder Slytherin.

"10 points from Gryffindor for impudence Mr. Potter. Obviously if you had helped the potion would have been ruined."Snape responded snidely.

Then the greasy haired man smirked.

"Unless you would like to test that theory and try the potion yourself Mr. Potter."

"So you're telling me I'll get points if the potion failed?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised at the stupidity of that option.

"Are you refusing my offer of a chance to get points Mr. Potter? Merlin knows you've lost enough of them." He mocked.

Harry had to grit his teeth to stop himself from cussing Snape out in front of the whole class.

"Well….No….But!"

"No buts Mr. Potter. If you want the points you must drink the potion." Snape spat at him.

The thought of seeing Harry reliving an embarrassing memory made Snape smirk in satisfaction.

Harry sent a nervous glance at Draco debating the odds this was a Death eater plot and the potion was poisoned. Deciding that Snape wouldn't risk doing it so openly, Harry grabbed a vial and took a swig. His friends sat rigidly in their seats and waited for the potion to activate. Slowly Harry walked to the front of the room so that the bubble would have enough space to surround him and felt his eyes close sleepily. He tried to focus on a happy memory so as not to scar his classmates, but his entire mind got hazy before he could come up with one.

The class watched in anticipation as the now knocked out hero started to become encased by a thick bubble. As soon as he was enclosed Harry began to shrink considerably until he was no older then a 6 year old. A few girls cooed, thinking that they were going to see a happy scene from Harry's childhood.

Had they only known….

Harry from some place deep in his mind realized right away what memory was about to show and literally shook in effort to change it. But he was too late. Already the walls before began to morph and change into that of the front room of the Dursley's house. Already he could hear the screaming as he faded out of consciousness.

The class watched in horror as little Harry's face contorted into a grimace when a harsh voice filled the room.

"You worthless little orphan get in here this minute!"

Harry cringed as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him into the kitchen.

The background in the bubble changed to show the Dursley's kitchen and a fat man who was literally red with rage. His hands were tight fists at his side and he glared at Harry like he was the Devil's child.

"You useless little brat you know you are not allowed to leave this kitchen without having done all the chores your aunt assigned you! Do you want to be put in the cubby again?!"

Harry's classmates watched in dismayed confusion as Harry curled further into himself at the mention of the 'cubby'.

Ron and Hermione shared a questioning glance at one anther to see if Harry had mentioned a cubby to the other before. It was obvious he hadn't to either of them, but one student went rigid at the word.

Draco's eyes widen as he realized exactly what memory was about to be shown. Harry had spoken of it once and only once during one their conversations. Draco had been telling Harry a story about him being afraid of spiders in his youth and asked if there was anything Harry had feared as a child. When he didn't respond right away Draco had turned to look at him instead of the view from the astronomy tower window. Harry had a far off look in his eyes. He had muttered that there was only one thing he had feared as a child. A place he was put when he was bad, a place called the cubby. Draco had prodded him about it and Harry would only tell him that it was the place of his nightmares. A place he mostly suppressed from his memory.

Back in the bubble little Harry whimpered out his defense.

"I needed the step stool from the garage to reach the sink." Harry explained under his breath, already wincing in expectancy.

The slap that followed left a haunting echo in the deadly silent potion class as Harry was flung into the nearest wall from the force of the blow. His face was horribly red and it was sure to bruise later. His eyes watered considerably before he used all his strength to lift himself up.

"I'm sorry Uncle….. I'll be sure to move quicker next time…. I'll be good." Harry promised miserably, holding back tiny sobs.

Harry's uncle sneered down at him, seemingly very proud to have made the 6 year old cry.

Harry picked up a foot stool more then twice his size and dragged it close enough to the sink for him to reach. His little arms just barely manage to grasp the faucet and get the dishes in the sink. It didn't help that his uncle was watching his every movement for fault. It was only a matter of time before Harry's soapy hands led to him dropping one of the foamy glasses to the floor and when it did his uncle exploded.

"You clumsy little waste of space! How dare you break one of your aunt's fine glasses! You'll pay for this you little freak!"

With pure detestation his uncle suddenly smiled a cruel harsh smile.

"Time to go into the cubby." He whispered menacingly.

Harry looked like he'd just been threatened with the killing curse. He fell to his knees and stared up at his uncle pleadingly.

"Please Uncle! I'll be good! I promise! Don't put me in the cubby!" Harry begged, tears streaming down his face. The class had never seen a more pitiful sight, then that of their savoir on his knee begging before a mere muggle.

What was this cubby their hero feared so was the question on everyone's minds.

Before Harry could run like everyone thought he was going to his uncle grabbed him sharply by the shoulder and twisted so hard they could hear his frail bones breaking.

Harry tried to wrench free from his grasp to no avail. He was trapped and they all knew it. His eyes were teary and defeated as he was dragged down a flight of stair into a dark basement. Whether Harry started to shake from cold or from fear was uncertain, but either way his little body was trembling uncontrollably. He fought with new strength as his uncle pulled him deeper into the shadows. A sting of silent pleas were still coming from his lips, but they held no hope what so ever.

In the faint lighting coming from the open basement entrance a small door came into view. It was a tiny thing too big for the obese man to ever dream of fitting into….But not to big for little 6 year old Harry. Awareness filled the room as the class put two and two together. This was the cubby.

His Uncle threw Harry into the corner nearest the door so hard Harry's shoulder bent at a sickening angle.

He didn't even scream, it was like he'd been trained not to.

The fat man reached into his pocket and pulled out a key on a chain before using it to open the padlock that sealed the little door.

"Get in Boy." He ordered the weeping toddler.

Harry whimpered like a beaten dog before dragging himself to the little door, his arm limp at his side.

Even in the faint light they could still make out Harry's tear filled eyes starring at his uncle pleadingly.

"Please." He whispered in the most pitiful voice any of them had ever heard.

But there was no mercy or even hesitation in his uncle's eyes. Only cold expectancy.

"Get in now and I might let you out in time for dinner tomorrow." The man offered as thought it was a generous gift on his part.

Harry nodded solemnly and whispered under his breath.

"You are too kind Uncle."

Draco was not the only one who grit their teeth at the broken submissive tone.

With a great amount of effort, due to his injured shoulder, Harry crawled into the tiny hole.

It looked to have been a root cellar that had been abandoned years ago and was barely bigger then Harry himself. There was no source of light that could be seen except for the open door.

His uncle looked in with a large sadistic grin on his face.

"Tomorrow for dinner right?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Maybe the day after or the day after that depends if I remember." He muttered purposely saying it off handily.

Little Harry's eyes widened in horror at the words.

"But you said…!"

"I lied." He admitted victoriously before slamming the door shut.

The whole bubble went black as all light was cut of in the memory. All that could be heard was the padlock being closed and the heavy foot fall of Harry's uncle going back up stairs. Finally all was silent except for the soft sound of Harry's sniffles.

"Why?" He whispered to the darkness, unaware that 11 years from then all his classmate would be thinking the same question and be listening to his listless voice in a memory.

"Why doesn't anyone save me?" He didn't sound angry, just desperately wanting an answer.

"Am I not worth saving?"

Hermione's voice was thick with emotion as she shook her head wildly and sobbed.

"No…Harry…No" She wept, before burying her face in Ron's shoulder, knowing the boy in the memory couldn't hear her reassurances.

"No one wants me….No one needs me….Maybe they really will just leave me here to die. No one will ever no I existed….No one would care…."

Harry made a loud sobbing sound in the back of his throat.

"I'm all alone…..I'm so scared…..I just…..I just…."

With the same haunting echo of the slap before, the spell ended with Harry's last unforgettable words.

"I just wished someone loved me."

The bubble disappeared with a faint pop and people watched as Harry's barely conscious body floated from the bubble to the floor with a soft thud in contact. His head fell to one side and he looked at the class with hazy eyes, still half in the memory.

"Just one person." He mumbled dreamily, tears from the recollection still falling from his eyes.

"…..Just one…"

With that Harry was gone, lost in what his classmates hoped was a more pleasant dream then his life.

You like? If you want to see what happens next review and I'll get started right away. I just want to know what you think. It's not as good as Butterfly Wings or Our Baby, but I'm content. I'm going to add a lot more Harry/Draco in the next chapter.

Yours truly,

Lacy Fairgold