He doesn't look, he doesn't see

Opens up for nobody

Severus Snape was a depressed kid and there was no doubt about it. He hated the world that he lived on and the body that he lived in. Quite honestly, there was nothing happy about his depressing life.

"Oi Snivellus, I missed you" a familiar voice rung out behind him. He hated that 'so called' nickname.

Severus' ears burned and the fourteen year old knew without looking that it was James Potter and his band of misfits. The four boys were relentless with their abhorrent and despicable pranking. James would always prank him for no good reason. The boy's only reason was that Severus was a Slytherin and that he was a Gryffindor, thus making the latter house better and above the former.

"What do you want Potter?" Severus snapped, his voice having no shortage of hatred in it. The boy didn't bother to turn his head and look at the four of them. He knew that James was going to do something to him, but the dark-haired boy didn't exactly know what. He did know that whatever James said, it was going to hurt him. Severus had faced so much torture from James and the other boys that he didn't let the words bother him. They still stung and inflicted emotional damage upon the poor boy, but Severus tried not to focus on that.

"I just wanted to say Os brachium confractus to you." James said, moving his wand as he muttered the spell. Severus felt immediate pain in his left arm and knew that James had broken it. Severus tried not to let the pain bother him as he quickly walked out. The treatment that he received from James often reminded him of how his own father treated him.

"Stupefy," James shouted and Severus fell unconscious.

Figures out, he figures out

Narrow line, he can't decide

When Severus woke up, he was in a room that smelled similar to antiseptic. His eyes opened up to the familiar sight of the hospital wing. The boy sighed, having been here way too many times for an average second year. He couldn't recall who had brought him here or why both of his arms were wrapped up (only his left arm had been broken) but he never planned on telling anyone about the self harm. When his father found out about that, the punishment was absolutely cruel.

You little whore! I'll make this the most painful sex that you have ever had!

That memory was painful for Severus to recall. It was when he was forced to make dinner for his father during early August, making it almost a month ago. The boy had just started his fourth year. He had been slitting his wrists because when he made pain on the outside, the pain on the inside went away. If he didn't hurt so much on the inside, maybe he wouldn't cause pain on the outside. Either way, it was completely his fault.

Madame Pomfrey, seeing that her patient was up, briskly walked over to the weakened boy. While he was out, she had cast a diagnostic spell on the boy and had found some rather alarming results, some suggesting sexual abuse and self harm. She had never done this before because when Severus came to the hospital wing, it was usually apparent what his injury was, but not this time."Severus, can you explain what happened to your arm?" She asked, easing into the question.

"Potter hexed me. I didn't do anything wrong-"

Poppy interrupted him, "-No, the other arm. The one with the scars." She already knew that he cut himself but she needed to learn why he did it.

"I c-can't tell you," Severus stammers, attempting to get out of the bed.

Everything short of suicide

Never hurts, nearly works

Severus was ten the first time that Tobias had raped him. His mother had just committed suicide, leaving her son and her husband alone. The man felt sexually deprived and felt that having sex with his child was the best way to go, despite it being quite illegal. To Tobias, there was no possible consequences. With the introverted nature of his son and the silent nature of the night activities, there was no way that anyone would ever figure out what he did to his son.

He started cutting himself at the age of eleven. The discovery was made in potions class where he accidentally sliced his finger while cutting up Comfrey root for his potion. Blood immediately rushed out of the wound and Severus found that it made him feel slightly better.

The boy also attempted suicide in the middle of third year. He had taken a very strong painkiller potion and had slit his wrists until he bled out. This didn't go the way that he planned and Slughorn had found him. Severus had managed to convince his head of house that he had been attacked by someone. If one looked close enough, they could still see the scars.

Something scratching its way out

Something you want to forget about

(Half an hour ago…)

Poppy Pomfrey was greeted with a distraught first year. Usually in these cases, she would administer a calming draught after hearing their story and have them sent off. She quickly turned around and faced the girl who had tears running down her face. "Could I have your name sweetheart?" Poppy asks so she could make a record of this girl.

"Kathryn Hale," the girl cries, wiping her eye with a hand. "I think I saw a dead kid in the hall. He wouldn't respond when I poked him."

Poppy springs out of her seat and asks, "Where did you see this?"

"I'll show you," Kathryn says, showing Poppy where to go.

The two females eventually arrive at Severus who is crumpled in a heap on the floor. Poppy checked for a pulse on the boy, sighing in relief when she found one. It was a little hard to check for a pulse. Combined with nerves, Poppy could understand why a first year would think someone is dead when they see them in the middle of nowhere unconscious. "Mobilicorpus," Poppy says, lifting the body of the young wizard into the air and taking him into the hospital wing.

Once they arrived at the hospital wing, Poppy put the floating boy into a hospital bed and left him there and cast a monitoring spell on him while she gave Kathryn a calming draught. The first year left the infirmary quickly, just Poppy and Severus. The Mediwitch recognized the boy, he was sent to the wing rather often with injuries that were inflicted upon him by his relentless peers. She didn't know what was the cause of the boy becoming unconscious. "Medicinae Historia" she whispered.

The results were alarming to say the least. The boy had been stupefied, most likely from the Potter boy and his cronies. This reminded her of her own tormenting from bullies. The bone breaking hex had also been used. She was no stranger to the conflict between him and Severus and wished that Dumbledore would actually do something instead of sitting around and watching. But the three worst parts of the chart read Sexual Abuse (by father), Attempted Suicide, and Self-harm (check wrists).

A part of you that'll never show

You're the only one that'll ever know

"Why can't you tell me Severus. I already know what happened." Poppy says. "I know that you slit your wrists."

Severus broke down into tears. He had his secret discovered and he didn't know how to react to this. He didn't want the nurse to force antidepressant potions down his throat and force him to talk to someone. He was the only one that was allowed to bear the burden of his life. At the sight of his tears, Poppy felt bad for the boy who had been through so much in a short amount of time.

Take it back when it all began

Take your time, would you understand

What it's all about?

Poppy was reminded of her own past and how she was treated. She had been a Slytherin as well and had been tortured by her housemates because she was a half-blood. She wasn't abused by her parents, thankfully, but Dumbledore hadn't listened to her, as a small eleven year old. He didn't listen to the concerns that she had about her housemates and how they treated her. He just dismissed it as childhood playfulness.

But Poppy knew that it wasn't the case. She knew that bullies were a force to be reckoned with and that only a few people could stop the power that they held over people. Dumbledore had to be convinced.

And so Poppy found herself talking to the Headmaster- no pleading. She pleaded for the Headmaster to make a change, she showed him the diagnostic spells. And finally, the stubborn old coot had decided to change his stance on things and take a stand. The Headmaster sent letters to the family of the four boys that tormented Severus, informing them of the actions of their sons.

Something scratching its way out

Something you want to forget about

Eventually, all four of the boys apologized for the hurt they caused Severus. Poppy didn't see a change in the boy. He didn't smile any more than he already did. The boy didn't look happy with the way that things were going. During meals, he barely ate, leading to his slight build shrinking even further.

Poppy couldn't handle it anymore and asked the boy what was going on in his life.

No one expects you to get up

All on your own with no one around

"What's going on Sev?" She asks.

"No one cares about me." He replied.