First I want to say that I am taking a little hiatus on Little Harriet. I've lost my muse for that story. I'm not sure when or if I will finish it. This story has been begging me to write it, so I finally complied. If anyone wants to adopt Little Harriet, let me know.

Set at the beginning of 4th year. In this story, Severus Snape is an alpha veela. Him and Lucius are both spies for the Order, and the Malfoy's are good. This doesn't mean that Draco isn't a little snooty brat. The Order knows about Sirius's innocence, and Narcissa and Sirius are very close. Sirius and Remus are mates, and they live at Hogwarts. So do Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Remus is now the History of Magic teacher, and Lucius is the new Defense teacher. Sirius is still in hiding, so outside of their quarters he has to be Padfoot. He goes everywhere with Remus, and the students love him because he is such a little (big!) ham. Harry is small and feminine due to his Veela and malnourishment. He is a little out of character as he will be sweet, innocent, and cuddly. :) Who doesn't love a cuddly Harry?!

As always, I will take opinions and considerations into account when writing my story. I have a basic plan for this story, but I can always try to add in a little extra.

Great Hall:

Severus Snape was sitting at the Great Hall scowling at the students as they were coming into the hall preparing for the sorting ceremony and the opening feast. He rolled his eyes at the vacant seat to his right. Lucius was going to sit there, but he wanted a big dramatic entrance after Albus announces that he will be the new Defense professor. The seats on either side of him were vacant actually, no doubt he had scared away his fellow professors with his attitude. He spent the entire summer traveling in the hopes that he might actually find his mate. No such luck. He made eye contact with nearly every person he passed during the vacation, and he didn't get even an inkling of a flutter or anything. He was beginning to think that his mate was killed in the first Wizarding war. He was nearly 33 years old, and he hoped that his mate wasn't still underage. He couldn't imagine mating with one of his dunderheaded students. He was brought out of his thoughts by the presence of his once enemy, Remus Lupin, sitting in one of the chairs next to him. The mongrel, Sirius Black, was with him in his animagus form, Padfoot. He hated to admit it, but the large black dog was beautiful and intimidating at the same time.

"Good evening, Severus. Ready for another wonderful year? As you can see, I've brought my new familiar, Padfoot, with me." Remus said.

Sirius sneered at them and replied, "Lupin. That beast of yours better not cause any problems this year. I won't hesitate to have it neutered."

Padfoot growled, and Remus chuckled and responded, "No, Severus. Padfoot will be behaved. There won't be any problems on his end. I hope that you can say the same." He gave Padfoot a look that said 'don't make me regret this'.

Severus just sneered back at them and turned his attention back to the students filing into the hall. He looked up just in time to see the Golden Trio waltz in like they owned the place. The idiot Weasley boy walked a little ahead of Potter and the Know-It-All who walked side by side. Hmm. Peculiar. The Weasley Twins seemed to be standing guard on either side of the Potter and Granger. He looked closer at the group.

The youngest Weasley boy had grown over the summer. No doubt from stuffing his face full of food from that incessantly nagging mother of theirs. The Granger girl seemed to have grown a little as well. More like she seemed to grow into herself. Her teeth weren't as bucktoothed, and her hair wasn't as frizzy. If he didn't know any better, he would have never guessed she was a muggleborn by the way she held herself. The twins too looked like they had added more height. He would never tell anyone, but he secretly found the twins amusing.

He frowned when he looked closer at the Potter Brat. He didn't grow at all. If anything, he looked smaller, frail. Even Granger had passed him in height by a few inches. He was very thin. His robes looked to be about two sizes too big, and you could tell by looking at them that they were the same robes from last year. He looked up at the boys face. His glasses were broken, and was that a bruise over his left eye? He wanted to accuse the boy of fighting in the train, but deep down he knew that wasn't right. That bruise was days old, and you didn't lose that much weight over the course of a few hours. He heard a low growl coming from the werewolf next to him, and then he heard the scraping of chair legs.

Before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed Lupin by the wrist and forced him back to his seat. No doubt he wanted to go check on his precious Godchild. He told him, "Now is not the time. After the feast, take him to the infirmary. Don't make a big deal out this right now. Don't draw anymore attention to it."

Lupin seemed to think about it, and settled in his chair. He penned a letter and then called a house elf to give it to Potter. Severus couldn't believe he was protecting the brat from Lupin making a spectacle about his appearance. No, he thought. He wasn't protecting the brat. He was just thinking of his own memories and how he didn't want anyone to know about how he was abused. The Boy-Who-Lived would probably like all of the attention he thought evilly.

He continued to watch the little group until they sat at the Gryffindor table. The Weasley boy and Granger sat across from Potter, and the twins sat on either side of him like guards. He told himself that he would watch to see how this unfolded. He may not like the boy, but his Veela side was an Alpha, a dominant. It was in his instincts to protect weaker beings. Everything in him was screaming that this boy needed protection.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry was surrounded by his friends. They all seemed angry when they saw him. He knew their reactions were going to be bad. This was a terrible summer for him. The Dursley's were extra vindictive after Harry blew up Aunt Marge last summer. He had daily beatings from Vernon, and there was a lot of Harry Hunting. His chore list was the longest it had ever been. His aunt started lending him out to the neighbors to clean their houses for a charge. Then she would take all of the money that he earned, to help pay for the trouble of housing him she had said. They were still talking about the Quidditch World Cup that they had all gone to. Harry was invited, but Uncle Vernon refused to let him go.

He was tired and filthy. He hadn't had a decent shower all summer. He was only allotted a few minutes in the bathroom twice per week. He was moved back into his cupboard, and he was starved. The most food he got was when he was cleaning for neighbors. He really hadn't minded doing that. The elderly women gave him proper tea and biscuits. He got to get out of the house and eat something. He suspected that his aunt knew he was having tea with the neighbors twice a week because she didn't feed him anything on those days.

He couldn't wait to shower and then get in his bed. He spent the summer sleeping on the crib mattress on the floor of his cupboard. He sighed when he thought about he communal showers in the tower. Everyone would see his body. They would see the bruises and the cuts from the belt. Suddenly, he didn't want to shower anymore. He sank down lower in his seat and tried to ignore the worried looks that his friend gave him.

He nearly fell asleep during the sorting ceremony. Fred nudged his shoulder when the last student was sorted into Ravenclaw. Dumbledore stood at his podium and welcomed everyone back.

"Good evening, students. Welcome back for another marvelous year. We have some exciting things in store for you this year. I will come to that later. For now, let me announce some changes to our teaching staff and introduce the newest member. As you can all see, Professor Lupin has returned this year-"

A loud applause rang through the students, and then Dumbledore continued, "As I was saying, Professor Lupin has returned, but he will not be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts. Instead he will be teaching History of Magic as Professor Binns crossed over during the summer." This time, even a lot of the Slytherin students cheered. It seems that no one enjoyed the ghost teaching that class.

Dumbledore laughed and then continued, "The position for Defense Against the Dark Arts will be filled by Professor Lucius Malfoy."

At the mention of his name, the blonde aristocrat stepped into the Great Hall and made his way to his seat next to Severus at the staff table. Mild clapping was heard from the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and some of the Gryffindors, while loud cheering was heard from the Slytherin table.

Harry looked green. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore would hire a snake like Lucius Malfoy. Merlin's beard! The man was a known death eater, and Harry just knew that he was going to favor the Slyterhin's just like Snape. He looked across the hall at Draco and saw the smuggest look on the ponce's face. He signed and resigned himself to another year with a bad defense professor. At least he wasn't stuck in his cupboard.

Ron sputtered across from him, "Another Malfoy!? We aren't going to survive this year. The Malfoy's and Weasley's have had a big family feud for a very long time. I'll be lucky to pass Defense this year."

Hermione scoffed, "Come on, Ron. Professor Malfoy will not grade you poorly because of your last name. He will have to remain impartial to all of his students."

Georged chuckled dryly, "Just like Snape, right Herm?"

Fred added his own two cents sarcastically, "Yea. Snape treats all of his students the same. He wouldn't dream of favoring the Slytherins."

Hermione didn't have anything else to say, so she just sat quietly. They had made a good point. Professor Snape favored his own house. She had to hope that maybe Professor Malfoy would be a little more fair.

The food appeared on the table, and Ron immediately started piling it onto his plate as he kept talking, "Man! Malfoy is going to be an even bigger prat this year now that dear ol' Daddy is on staff. No doubt the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'm sure Malfoy is just a chip off of the old block."

Harry didn't contribute to the conversation. He just stared at the food on the table. He hadn't eaten much of anything in months, and he didn't think he would be able to keep any of this down. He was starving though, so he reached for a small piece of brisket and a roll. He noticed Hermione's frown about what he put on his plate, but she didn't comment, so neither did he. He nibbled on the food during dinner and counted the time until he could get into his bed.

Finally, Dumbledore stood up and made the announcement that Hogwarts would be hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Many of the students were excited about the announcement, but Harry didn't care about anything right now. He was tired and dirty, and now his stomach was uncomfortably full. He regretted eating that roll.

Suddenly, a house elf appeared and handed Harry a note. He read it,
"Harry, meet me and Padfoot at the infirmary after dinner. –RL"

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. Many students were starting to leave the great hall, so Harry stood up and told his friends that was going to meet with Remus and Padfoot before heading up to the tower. Harry followed a throng of students leaving.

The 7th year Gryffindor prefects were calling all of the first years to follow them, and they tried to herd Harry along with them. Harry planted his feet and looked at the prefects like they were crazy. He couldn't believe they had mistaken him for a first year! He wasn't THAT small. Then he noticed some of the first years he was standing near. Some of them were larger than him.

Frustrated, he made his way to the infirmary. He wanted to see Remus and Sirius, but he wanted to get this over with quickly. They were not going to be happy when they saw him.

As expected, Remus and Padfoot were waiting for him in the infirmary when he pushed the doors open. Unexpectedly, Professor Snape was also in the infirmary with them. Why was he here?

Before he could think on that any longer, Madam Pomfrey addressed him, "Good evening, Mister Potter. Welcome back. Come in and have a seat on your bed. In my hospital on the first night back? Should I just place a reserved sign over your usual bed?"

Harry had the grace to blush, and then made his way over to sit on the bed he usually used on his many trips to the infirmary. On the way to the bed, Remus stopped him to wrap him up in a large hug. Padfoot didn't want to be left out of the hug, so he came loping over and jumped up onto Harry. He wasn't expecting the boy to be so fragile or weak, so he accidently tackled him to the ground.

Harry let out a pained yelp as soon as his back touched the floor, and he instantly regretted it. He could usually handle pain. He was just caught off guard. He hoped the adults in the room didn't notice, but he knew that was doubtful. His godfathers were a werewolf and a dog animagus. They had excellent hearing, and Professor Snape wasn't called the dungeon bat for no reason.

Padfoot jumped off of him and whimpered. Harry hadn't moved yet. His whole body hurt. Before he knew what was happening, he was being levitated onto a bed, and his clothes were being spelled off!

"Hey! Don't do that! I don't want to be starkers in front of you lot." He shouted.

Madam Pomfrey erected a privacy screen around Harry's bed. The only problem was that they were all within it. They could all still see him, but he was shielded from the rest of the infirmary ward. His clothes continued to disappear from his body, so he grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around himself.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a dose of calming draught and explained that they needed to dull a full physical exam and scan on him. He complied and laid back onto the bed. He was shaking with nerves, and he had silent tears running down the sides of his face. Padfoot came and licked the tears away and tried to cheer him up. He heard a growl as the sheet was lowered revealing his front half. He knew he would be beet red if he could see himself right now.

Madam Pomfrey called a house elf to retrieve the headmaster, and then she asked him to roll over, "Mr. Pot- Harry, dear, will you roll over onto your stomach for us."

He didn't want to. He knew his backside was worse than his front. Uncle Vernon liked beating him with the metal side of his belt or with the cane. He knew his back was a large mottle bruise in various stages of healing and lacerations.

"It's ok, Harry. You can turn over. We won't judge you." Remus said.

Harry let out a shaky breath and complied. He rolled over to expose his back, his bum, and his thighs. He heard another angry growl, and two gasps. He just knew that Professor Snape would be enjoying this. He probably thought that Harry had finally gotten what he deserved. He didn't want to look at the man's face, but he had to. The man looked sick, like the sight of Harry made him angry. Huh? That didn't make any sense. Professor Snape hated Harry.

Severus noticed that Potter was staring at him with a confused expression. No one else was making any movements. He saw the tears spilling from the boys eyes, and the pained expression on his face. Taking pity, he summoned a high level pain relieving potion and had the boy drink it.

"Drink this, Potter. It's for your pain. You will be able to sleep well tonight, and then we can start trying to get you better tomorrow."

Harry didn't dare argue while he was in such an exposed and vulnerable position. Hogwarts allowed corporal punishment, and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of any for a long time. He took the potion, and immediately passed out.

Severus nearly kicked himself. "I'm sorry, Poppy. I think I gave him too much pain reliever. I gave him the dose that a 14 year old should take, but I didn't take into consideration his body condition. You will need to monitor him for any adverse effects, and he will most likely sleep until tomorrow evening."

Poppy sighed, "It might be for best. Sleep will take away the pain he has and it will allow him to heal some. In the mean time, I can spell nutrition potions and healing potions into his stomach. The scan shows that he has multiple broke ribs, and many of his internal organs are bruised. Look at him. I've never seen a boy so thin. You can outline every bone in his body.!"

About that time, Dumbledore came into the infirmary. Harry was still uncovered and laying with his back exposed. He faltered at seeing the small boy on the bed and then addressed Severus, "Merlin! Another one, Severus? The poor lad. It's a good thing he has you for a head of house. I will make arrangements to see about having him removed from his family. Which of your slytherin's is this, Severus?"

Severus was too shocked to answer. Albus thought this was one of his young snakes. He didn't even recognize his golden boy? It was Remus who answered, "This isn't one of the first year Slytherin's, Albus. This is Harry!"

Dumbledore had to sit down from the shock of that revelation. As if on cue, McGonagall walked into he infirmary and around the screen to talk to Poppy. When she saw the young student on the bed, she was furious. When she realized that student was Harry Potter, she sent multiple hexes at Dumbledore and cursed at him.

"Dammit, Albus! I told you those were the worst kind of muggles. I told you that I suspected Harry was mistreated, but you just ignored me! Those bloody wards, you said! What good are blood wards for protection if they don't protect him from the monsters within them? At this rate, his own family will murder him."

Sirius couldn't stand it anymore. Risk be damned. He transformed back into his human form and yelled at the headmaster, "I don't care what you have to do. Harry will not be going back to Privet Drive next summer. I'm his Godfather, and I won't allow it. He can stay at the castle with Remus and I, or we can stay at Grimmauld Place. If he isn't alright after all of this, you can bet that I will make you look something similar very soon."

Then he morphed back into his animagus form and crawled onto the bed next to the small, hurt boy.

Madam Pomfrey spelled the proper potions into his stomach and then forced everyone but Padfoot from the infirmary. They all needed to rest in order to teach tomorrow, and she knew there was no point in trying to get rid of the dog. Remus placed a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead before heading up to his quarters. Minerva called for a house elf to inform Hermione and Ron of Harry's situation, and then she retired for the night as well. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.