Harry has never had such a good sleep in his entire life. No nightmares clouded his mind. No unknown foe had him tossing and turning. Nothing could ruin the semi milk coma he placed himself in.

Not Severus's departure from the room to see what Tom needs of him.

Not Bella's movement as she made herself comfortable on the bed rather than the desk chair.

Nothing can wake him.

That's why Bella doesn't bat an eye when she suddenly feels a warm wetness seep into her dress. She only waves her wand to get rid of the mess while transfiguring the boy's underwear into something a tad bit more padded.

Harry wakes up to the most unusual feeling of comfort and warmth while once again hearing the soothing melody of soft humming. He had almost convinced himself that the first time he awoke was all apart of a strange dream or delusion. He was sure that he would awake this time cold, hungry and alone in his cupboard. Now, wrapped up in Bellatrix Lestrange's arms (he knows by the pictures Dumbledore use to show him) he realizes that this is really happening.

Snape was nice to him and didn't sneer once.

He was able to eat to his heart's content (no matter how small that was).

And finally rocked to sleep with a baby bottle in his mouth.

Although Harry is slightly embarrassed by that last one never had he experienced such calm contentment.

"And what has you thinking so hard on, sweetheart?" Bella runs a soothing hand down the boy's back before getting up. Harry lets out a frightened squeak at the feel of being lifted and clutches onto the black-haired woman for dear life.

"Please don't drop me. I be good. Please!" Harry cries, tears springing to his eyes. Just the thought of how much the fall would hurt his already bruised body is enough for the small Gryffindor's breathing and heart rate to speed up.

"Be calm, little one. No one will hurt you as long as I'm here." Bella shifts Harry so that his face is in the crook of her neck as she walks around the room in order to calm him down, giving his butt a few pats. Immediately Harry notices the extra padding between him and the pats and a bright red blush blossoms on his cheeks.

"N-no," he whines trying to tug the unwanted garment off and not wanting to be in her hold anymore.

"What's wrong, Lovebug? Does someone need to go potty?"

"No! S-stop," he whines again. I can't believe she's making fun of me. I don't know why I let myself hope she'd be different. "Off! Let m-me g-o!" Harry renews his effort in getting out of the witch's hold.

"None of that," she adjusted him in her arms before walking towards the door. "We must be going. Tom will be expecting you about now."

"Tom?! You m-mean V-v-Voldemort?" Harry's breathing speed up once again at the idea of facing his worst enemy in his weakened state. "Please, I'm sorry for y-yelling earlier. I can d-do b-better. Please don't give me to him. I'll do w-whatever you w-want. Anything!"

Harry continues to beg and plead his case as Bella takes both of them down numerous hallways all the while whispering soft reassurances to the little boy. The words wash over Harry, none of it getting registered within his mind as he dives deeper into his panic attack. By the time the pair makes it to the large oak double doors, Harry is completely silent, huddling close to Bella and shaking violently. His breathing comes out harshly against her ivory skin as she adjusts him one last time to be able to open the door wide enough to enter.

"Please," he tries one last time. She either doesn't hear him or chooses not to listen because the next thing he knows he's being placed down in front of Voldemort's throne. Harry doesn't dare look up at him, instead choosing to take a quick glance around the room before settling back on the ground in front of him. This proves to be a mistake when he spots not only the entire Malfoy family and the Lestrange twins but also his most hated Potion's professor who is talking with Bellatrix in a hushed tone. Harry tries not to show any of the crippling anxiety threatening to cause him to either throw up or dissolve into tears.

"I'm sorry," Harry winces when his voice seems to echo off the walls and all attention focuses on him. "F-f- for... um... tricking you into... what I... I didn't mean to... there was..." the baby Griffin seems to be unable to finish any sentence or focus on one thought. He's not sure what he's trying to say or do just anything that he feels would cause any earned punishments to be weakened.

"Mr. Potter," Severus drawls out the same way he would in the classroom when he knows the boy isn't paying attention. Although it doesn't have the same attention-grabbing effect rather causing black dots to appear in Harry's vision.

Pivoting on 1 foot, Harry decides that he can not stay in a house with all his worst enemies. What he isn't prepared for though is the intense magical backlash that follows shortly after he fails to apparate away.

The sickly black-haired boy is thrown back against the far wall with a sickening crack before he starts convulsing. It's almost like having a seizure the way his jaw clamps and body jerks on the floor.

The adults are shocked at the scene that couldn't have taken more than a few seconds. Draco firmly grasps onto his mother in fear. Never did he think that someone in his class could be treated this terribly. As a Slytherin, he is no stranger to abuse cases but to see someone such as the Hero of the Wizarding World reduced to little more than skin and bone is quite upsetting.

Tom is the first to recover, snapping at Severus to help the child who immediately follows the order.

"Harry can you hear me?" he calls not touching him yet. Heaven knows if that would make this better or worse.

Just as quick as the convulsions started they stop leaving Harry still and rigid as a statue.

"Ow," the young Gryffindor's barely audible confession is what gets the Potion Master to properly approach. Carefully placing a hand on his back, Severus pulls back just as quick by Harry's violent flinch.

"Fine!" he practically shouts attempting to get up but his arms seem to be unable to suppose him. Instead, he struggles onto his elbows before collapsing once more. "'m f-f-fine. F-fine. I swear."

The sight brings a tear to the room's eye. Never would any of the occupants have believed that Dumbledore's Golden Boy would be damaged. They all make a silent vow that they would do whatever it takes to ensure the little boy's safety from now on.

"Harry it's alright," Bella approaches with more confidence than she actually feels. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"N-no h-h-urt," he struggles to say at the same time trying to get up again to no avail.

"That's right we won't hurt you. Now let us get you taken care of." Before he could protest Harry is once again in Lady Lestrange's hold.

"Now I'm going to put you in Severus's hold so he can treat your injuries. Can you tell me what those are?"

Lucius helpfully conjures up a chair for the man to sit before Harry is carefully placed on his lap.

"My ribs hurt."

Noting that this is the first time he's heard the boy speak clearly, albeit quietly, Severus takes out the proper potion from his robe a heal the fracture along with a mild pain potion mixed with calming draught and something extra. This only happened because they had frightened Harry enough to want to trigger his fight or flight response. Calming him will ensure this meeting goes nice and smooth.

Harry is shocked when he's not only picked up and placed in his most hated Professor's arms but also treated for his injuries. His ribs aren't killing him and his heart doesn't feel like it will beat out of his chest at any moment. Now that he's much calmer and can breathe he notices that he now in a chair by himself with all the other occupant in their own seats around the room. They're far enough away that he doesn't feel crowded and trapped but also close enough that he doesn't feel isolated either. By the time Voldemort addresses him again, Harry knows that he'll be able to answer any questions the man may ask and any spell he may throw.

"If you are feeling much better then I'd like to continue," he doesn't talk unkindly. In fact, if Harry didn't know any better he'd think that was a real question. Harry nods anyway.

"Good. Now would you like to explain last night's events?"

Shocked by the question he isn't sure what the man wants to hear. He opts for the truth. "My aunt invited Headmaster Dumbledore over for a dinner party."

"Does your aunt have the Headmaster over often?" Lady Malfoy interjected. She had seen the child's state last night when she helped Severus administer numerous potions just to keep him alive.

"Yes, ma'am. Ever since I started Hogwarts he's been coming over a lot to help my aunt and uncle," then much more quietly. "They say I'm a handful and need to be reminded of my place."

"That doesn't quite explain the reasoning behind why they were beating you." Tom drawls back the attention

Harry hunches into himself, his cheeks heating up in shame. "I deserved it. I didn't tell them that I came here or how I removed my cuffs. They were angry that I disobeyed a direct order, so I had to be punished."

"Do you get punished like that often?"

"No." That brings relief to everyone. "Ron gets queasy when blood is around so I didn't get my full punishment." The relief is gone and once again replaced by utter sadness for the child.

"Let's go back to the cuffs. Why do you have to wear them?"

"It has a minor tracker spell and it keeps my glamor in place without draining my magic," he hesitates for a moment. "They're also to stop me from getting to my wrist."

"Why would you need to be kept away from yourself?"

The adults aren't prepared for his answer. "They think I'll try to kill myself," Harry hesitates for a moment twisting his fingers nervously, "again."

"Why would you try to hurt yourself?!?"

"And after the first occurrence, they decided to bind you?" Draco and Tom speak at the same time, but Harry chooses to ignore his classmate.

"No, sir the first time I got 45 lashes with my uncle's belt."

"So it was the second time?"

"No, the second time I got 50 lashes with the whip and locked in my cupboard for 3 days with no food.

"Potter, are you telling me that you've attempted suicide on multiple occasions resulting in punishment rather than help? Do tell how many times did you make an attempt on your life?"

"5 times, sir if you count purposely freeing Dobby, the three times I slit my wrist and when I tried to throw myself off the Astronomy tower in my first year."

"You had an ulterior motive for freeing that wretched little creature?" Lucius interrogates.

"W-well...um...H-he didn't seem all that useful and a bit crazy but y-you got so mad that I thought if I freed him you would take it out on me or I would be forced to be a slave. I figured that it couldn't possibly be any worst than living with my relatives. I'm really sorry," Harry rushes out throwing up his hands when he thinks the older blond is about to rise.

"You would rather be a slave to the Malfoy family than go back to your loving relatives?"

A shudder passes through the length of Harry's body so violently Severus fears that he might start convulsing again.

"Please don't call them that. They hated me and everything that had to do with magic."

"Dumbledore swore to everyone that you were given to your last living relatives and they treated you like a prince," Severus states.

"The best thing they did for me was lock me in my cupboard under the--," Harry hunches over suddenly covering his mouth.

"Mr. Potter, did you say your cupboard?" Narcissa asks gently only to receive a violent shake of his head.

Harry looks towards Severus with hurt filled eyes making the man feel guilty.

"Y-you gave m-m-me t-t-truth s-ser-rum?" the child looks away sniffling.

"Harry I'm-- Are you alright?" the residential Potion Master cuts himself off when he sees the sickly child go unusually pale.

Harry doesn't answer. Everyone watches in horror as green eyes sudden roll into the back of his head before he starts convulsing all over again.

Both Narcissa and Severus begin to rush over but it's the Lagrange twins that catch him before his head smashes onto the unforgiving floor.

Severus starts pulling out a multitude of potions from the fold of his robe all the while Narcissa explains to the room.

"This is a side effect of the nerve damage done to him due to being under the crucitus curse for a long period of time coupled with his abuse. It's a miracle he's even alive. You said he was under for 3 minutes correct?" she directs her question to Severus once Harry is stable.

"That's correct, Cissa. Although the stress from the questioning could also play a factor."

"Then we are finished for today," Tom rises making sure to stay a safe distance as to not further upset Harry. "Lunch will be served soon and he doesn't need to miss a meal. Afterwards, we can build a case from the memory of this meeting."

"Let me see him," Bella once again scoops a barely conscious Harry into her arms while ushering Draco, who had slight tears in his eyes, out the door, and down the hall to the dining room. Everyone else following closely behind hoping this meal goes far better than the meeting.