By Saramagician

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, if I did...I think you can guess what would happen!

Rate: Rated T just to be safe
Summary: He was alone, all alone. He had to deal with everything and everyone on his own and he never complained. Now the secrets are revealed and people want to help with the burden on his shoulders. Is it too late? Mention of child abuse and attempted suicide.
Warning:Mention of child abuse and attempted suicide, not any thing explicit! Don't like it, don't read it!
A/N: Thanks to Alethea27 and little-Medium-sized to make my nonsense readable! I hope you enjoy! R&R

Chapter1: A Confrontation with Reality

James Potter regained consciousness slowly. He was once again in the Hospital Wing because of falling of his broom during Quidditch practice. He was a very good flier and he wouldn't have fallen if a certain red-head hadn't come to watch his practice.

When he was completely awake he wondered what had woken him. He found his answer when he realized that there were voices outside the curtains that were up around his bed.

"What happened?" asked Madam Pomfrey, her voice unusually shaky.

"We think it was his father," the Headmaster said in a grave voice.

"Merlin!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, and then asked, "For how long?"

"We don't know! We were notified that his mother had died near the end of term, but he didn't want to go to home after her funeral and insisted that he needed to return to school and study for his exams. We didn't investigate – which was idiotic of us. The condition he was in and the condition the house was in; I think perhaps his father had something to with his mother's death." said Minerva McGonagall slowly.

Now that got James's attention. 'Who are they talking about?' he thought.

"You mean he killed her?" Poppy asked while trying to untangle the ripped cloth from around the battered body of the fifteen-year-old boy. "And what about the condition their house was in?"

"Yes! I strongly believe that-that… man killed her! What do you think Albus?" said Minerva.

"It is possible… I remember he had asked me to let him stay over the summer at Hogwarts on several occasions. His reasons were that he didn't like it at his home and that it would be in his best interest if he stayed here. I turned him down and told him his reasons were not good enough. I think he was trying to tell me what was happening in his house without saying it outright. The last time he asked he said that his father was rather harsh on him. But I thought he was exaggerating and complaining of a little discipline!" Dumbledore let out a breath and said softly, "And I pushed him toward that Hell again and again."

"Albus, Minerva! What did you find there?" Poppy said sternly. If any student had to face her when she was that angry, they would certainly need a Calming Draught right away!

"The first thing we noticed when we entered the house was a strong smell of whisky and something that did not agree with my nose at all. The house was in complete darkness; after we lit our wands what we saw was horrible. There were broken bottles everywhere – and blood! That was the other smell. It was everywhere, Poppy, everywhere – on the walls, furniture, floor… everywhere! Underneath the blood there was dust everywhere, about an inch thick too! It seemed as if the house hadn't been cleaned in ages! We were obviously alarmed at the hellacious scene and started searching for him immediately. The other parts of the house weren't much better than what we walked into, less blood though. Every mirror had been shattered as if someone had punched them. The couch in the living room was shredded and the chairs broken. We finally found him in the basement. That bastard not only chained his hands and legs to the wall, but also had a collar around his neck! Like a bloody animal!" Minerva's hysterical voice had turned cold, full of disgust, and furious. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes, but just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone. And her voice turned hysterical again as she continued. "It was horrible Poppy! There were scratches on the walls all the way to the basement! SCRATCHES! Most likely from him and his mother both as that man dragged them down there and beat them!" Minerva was breathing in shallow, ragged pants, and it was obvious that she was beyond furious.

"Minerva, we are not absolutely certain that it was his father!" said Dumbledore, trying to calm down the two women in front of him before they exploded like volcanoes and did something that they would never regret, but would put them into a whole world of trouble!

"We are not sure? YOU ARE NOT SURE!" Poppy shouted accusingly, then gestured towards the deathly still form on the bed and said coldly, "Isn't this enough for you?"

"All I'm saying is that we need solid evidence that can prove he truly did do it!" Dumbledore tried to reason with them.

"I believe we can ask Miss Evans in the morning for confirmation. I know for certain that she knew him before they came to Hogwarts," suggested Minerva.

"I believe that they had a falling out at the end of last term. I don't think that Miss Evans would be very happy about being questioned on this subject," Poppy said while she cast spells after spells on the fifteen-year-olds body in front of her.

Now James had a better idea of who they were talking about. A good friend of Lily's before a falling out at the end of last term – it was Snivellus! When he came to this conclusion, James thought, 'Merlin, even his parents knew he was a worthless greasy git!'

James had a hard time keeping his laughter in check. He didn't want to attract the attention of the adults in the room and he certainly didn't want to lose this opportunity to gain some information that he could use against Snivvy. But now that he thought about it; Snape had been absent from every class they had together as of late. He was certain of this because he wanted to see the look on the worthless maggot's face when he saw Lily coming to sit with him in their classes.

"Will he recover fully, Poppy?" asked Dumbledore his voice morose.

"I don't know as his condition is bad – very bad! He has injuries nearly four months old and some even older than that. Merciful Merlin, help this boy!" Poppy exclaimed. She thought for a moment and then said angrily, "What I don't understand is that it's been almost a full month into the school year and no one has noticed his absence from his classes. It is understandable for to don't notice his absence as they aren't friend any more, but what about others! A professor …anyone! Why haven't his Slytherin dorm mates said anything? They must have noticed this," Poppy asked bewildered

Dumbledore cleared his throat and said slowly, "Well… they might have if they got along better." At the sharp looks he received from both of the witches in front of him, he explained further. "He is a half-blood. We all know that Slytherins care a great deal about blood statuses and firmly believe that Purebloods should be placed above all others. And it's a rare thing for someone other than a Pureblood to be sorted there so there aren't usually problems like this." said Dumbledore gravely.

Minerva McGonagall slumped in a chair beside the bed and hid her face in her hands. "Does this poor boy have no escape? His father at home, the blasted Marauders throughout the day, and his prejudice roommates to contend with at night." she murmured.

"Albus!" Poppy's frantic voice broke the calm, "He is rejecting the potions and fighting my healing spells!"

James heard hurried feet across the floor and a few muttered incantations, "It's as if he has lost the will to live and I don't doubt he will find a way to kill himself without going back on his word." She said. The Quidditch player easily heard the deep sorrow in her voice.

James could no longer say that what he was hearing made him happy; he still believed that Snape had gotten what he deserved – at least that was what he kept telling himself. Snape deserved to be treated like that by his father, by the other Slytherins, and by him and his friends. Yet there was a nagging voice in his head, telling him that what had happened to the unfortunate Slytherin was wrong; that he was wrong in thinking otherwise.

"What do you mean 'he will find a way to kill himself without going back on his word'?" Dumbledore asked somewhat afraid of what Poppy's answer might be.

There was some sniffling and then Poppy explained, "At the end of last term, he attempted to take his own life. He had cut his wrist with a conjured blade and if it wasn't for Mrs. Norris who was checking the bathrooms, he wouldn't be alive right now." There was a moment when a melancholy silence fell upon the room before the matron continued, "He is one of the few that I have seen that knew how to cut themselves in such a way that they bleed out the fastest. He had cut his wrist nearly all the way down the bone and I had a very difficult time stopping the bleeding. I would have kept him in here for a few days longer, but it was right before summer holidays and every student had to go home so I made him promise that he wouldn't try it again. I was certain that he wouldn't do it again as he always tries his hardest to keep his word…" She said tracing the white scar on the left wrist of the raven haired boy laying on the bed, her other hand covering her wet face.

"Why wasn't I notified of this?" Dumbledore asked feeling dismayed.

"I sent a copy of his file to your office – it had an Urgent Mark on it," Said Poppy, confused.

'Oh… that file,' thought Dumbledore and bowed his head in shame. Anytime he was sent anything about a Slytherin he placed it in the bottom drawer of his desk; one filled with files he had never bothered reading.

"I wouldn't have done anything differently were I in his position!" Minerva exclaimed. "That boy has been suffering every second in his life – day and night. Now he's lost both his mother and his only friend …" The Head of Gryffindor sighed and once more hid her face in her hands.

"What have we done?" Dumbledore said lowly to no one in particular in the room.

This was the closest feeling James had ever had to shame. 'You have always gotten everything you've ever wanted, James and yet you had to take the last thing that he had left! You stupid, stupid bastard! You did everything you could to split their friendship – asking other girls to speak with Lily about him and publicly humiliating him. You took the last good thing he had left in his hellacious life! How can you call yourself an honorable Gryffindor and accuse Slytherins of doing exactly the same things?' said a voice inside his head, a voice that James could not stop nor did he feel like he should. "What have we done?" he murmured to himself.

Well, I never thought Severus as a suicidal one, but it just fitted with my story and it made sense! Severus in the cannon was something beyond human capacity! His love, his tolerance, all the works he did, and everything else! Severus, in my story is just a human being, a fifteen years old boy!

Continuation of this story or publishing of a sequel depend only on the feedbacks I get from readers! If you want me to continue this story, write it in your review or just PM me!