A loud bang resonated through the halls of Hogwart's school of witchcraft and wizardry. All of the students close enough to see what happened would have never believed it had they not witnessed it with their own eyes.
Harry Potter turned and stormed away from the other two members of the golden trio while Granger rattled after his retreating back. When The-boy-who-lived didn't turn to face them Weasley pulled out his wand and shouted at him. "Don't turn your back when Hermione is talking to you!"
When Harry still refused to acknowledge them Ron pointed his wand at the back of Harry's head.
"Stupify!"
Harry seemed rather bored when he turned to face Ron. Draco Malfoy had managed to elbow his way to the front and had made it just in time to see a hint of emotion in otherwise dead looking eyes. Harry Potter had come back to school this year a completely different person. It was as if someone had taken away his spark. Draco had first become disturbed that Potter no longer reacted to his taunting and had begun to observe him from there Pansy had called him obsessed.
Potter it seemed had grown distant with his other housemates with the exception of the weasel twins and Longbottom. He had become even quieter his hair once a birds nest now hung in still entirely too messy strands to his shoulders. It was as if the golden boy just didn't give a fuck anymore.
Draco was holding his breath waiting for Potter's reaction to his so called friend. Suddenly and without warning Harry lifted his wand and fired out a quick arsenal of silent cast curses fired so rapidly the students who had gathered around the group couldn't keep up. They blasted easily through Ron's weak shield and blasted the red head backwards into the wall.
Hermione ran over to him but refused to touch him because of the slimy purplish tentacle like things sprouting from his arms, his face was covered in blisters and he seemed to have turned a brilliant shade of pink.
Harry was grinning smugly wand still poised to strike when the Professors managed to elbow their way through the crowd Professor Snape latched on to Harry's arm and yanked his wand away from him. McGonagall prepared Weasley for a trip to the hospital wing and the crowd of students dispersed to the great hall for dinner.
As Snape led Harry from the room for some reason Draco sneered and yelled out. "What's wrong Potter? Lovers' quarrel with your boyfriend?"
The amount of pure hatred in Potter's eyes when he turned to look at him almost made Draco shiver.
"Go fuck yourself you arrogant pompous prick. No one else is ever going to do it."
Snape tightened his grip on Potter's arm dragging him from the room knowing what he had done to Weasley he didn't want to see what the Gryffindor would do to his godson.
"What has gotten into you Harry?" Dumbledore asked as Harry was pushed into a chair. "First your Uncle and now your fellow students as well? Ronald Weasley at that. I thought you two were close."
"Were being the key word." Harry sneered. Snape had remained standing in the back observing Potter and was shocked at the tone the teen took with the Headmaster.
Snape of course knew the old man was a manipulative fool but to hear the disrespect in Harry Golden Boy Potter's voice was something else all together. He made a note to tell the Dark Lord of this change.
"Now Harry I know this summer was hard on you, but I thought letting you leave the Dursley's early would've at least helped." Dumbledore had pulled out his best grandfather voice but apparently Harry was having none of it.
"You only took me from them early because Vernon was almost killed by my magic. It was protecting me. At least it makes the effort." Harry replied but a blank look had fallen over his face and his tone was bored.
"Harry they are your family, why would you need protection from them?" Snape could tell Dumbledore was playing stupid.
"You've seen the bruises and scars! He killed Hedwig!" Harry's voice rose just slightly.
"Mr. Potter, You cannot blame your family for your own clumsiness and irresponsibility. And I certainly can't let you get away with attacking another student."
"He attacked me when my back was turned. I was protecting myself." Harry had gone back to seeming bored again.
His mood swings were making Snape dizzy.
"Sometimes one must know when to turn the other cheek." Dumbledore smiled at Harry his eyes twinkling.
"Why so they can smack the other side too?" Harry mumbled which Dumbledore chose to ignore.
"You will serve a weeks detention with Professor Snape starting tonight.
Harry nodded mutely and got to his feet turning to face Snape holding his hand out. Snape placed his wand back in his hand.
"When would you like me to begin my detentions sir?" Harry asked.
"Tonight after dinner will be fine Potter." Snape replied looking down his nose at the boy curiously.
Harry gave a nod of acknowledgment strolling out of the office.
Snape shot a glare at Dumbledore before sweeping out of the room as well his robes billowing out behind him.
Throughout the remainder of dinner Snape observed Harry, He sat at the end of the Gryffindor table away from everyone only the Weasley twins and Neville Longbottom sat with him. Something seemed to have snapped in the golden boy. It had to be more than grief over Black but Snape couldn't figure it out.
Harry was waiting outside of Snape's classroom when the man made it to the dungeons after dinner. He hadn't even seen Potter leave the great hall. Snape shook his head letting it go and opened the classroom door. He put the instructions to a potion on the board and turned to face Harry.
"You are going to brew a wart remover potion for Madame Pomfrey, It seems she used her supply removing tentacles from Mr. Weasley." Snape couldn't help the slight smile that crept onto his face. "When you have brewed a batch acceptable enough for the hospital wing you may leave."
Snape felt Harry's eyes on his back as he went into his office and closed the door. He did a quick spell to turn his office wall into a one way window. He could see Harry but Harry would still on see a wall.
The Gryffindor gather the ingredients he would need and read over the instructions for a few minutes and built the fire under his cauldron. To Snape it looked like the teen had lit the fire with a wave of his hand. No sixth year could do that Dumbledore could barely do that.
He continued to observe the teen as he carefully cut and added ingredients stirring it at random intervals. Occasionally he would glance up at the instructions to confirm a step through the fringe of dark locks that had begun to stick to his forehead in the steam from the cauldron.
About half way through there were instructions to let the cauldron simmer for a few minutes and Harry took off his robes and rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows.
Snape gasped at the sight of scars running from his wrists to his elbows disappearing under the shirt.
He began to wonder if all the things he's ever heard the boy complain about and passed it off as attention seeking were true. Snape also began to think back on the teen's actions and behavior over the years. How he would flinch when someone touched him, his tendency to stare at the floor when he spoke to someone.
Snape's eyes went wide in realization, Harry was being abused. How had he not seen it before? Snape then slumped in his chair. Because you kept seeing him as his Father. A snippy little voice in his head answered.
The more he watched Harry now though Snape realized other than the dark hair, he wasn't much like James at all.
Snape was brought out of his musings by a knock on the door. He stood to open it and stepped out to go observe the potion however seeing the scars on his arms up close and personal he really would have preferred to have murdered Harry's relatives.
He moved swiftly passed Harry to his desk and took out a vial of deep purple liquid. He downed it before going to look at the potion simmering happily in the cauldron. It was perfect.
"Potter, why is it you can make a perfect potion but you are failing my class?" Snape demanded turning to look at the teen who simply shrugged.
"You never listened to me before why start now?"
Snape thought about smacking the boy for taking a tone with him but then considered his words. The Gryffindors were always accusing the Slytherins of dropping things in their cauldrons. Snape always just assumed they were blaming someone else for their own failed work.
"I will start making a better attempt at controlling my house but you will start doing better in my class even if that means coming down after dinner to complete the assignment with no distractions." Snape heard himself offering.
"Yes sir," Harry agreed slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Tomorrow at the same time?"
"Same time same place Potter, It'll be pepper up potion tomorrow."
"Good night Professor." Harry almost smiled at him and he swore on the way out the door he saw Harry pull a charm from under his shirt and speak to it.
Snape waved his hand and the potion began placing itself in labeled vials. Hearing voices in the hall he turned to go see if Harry had forgotten something and saw him walking down the hall laughing with the Weasley twins.
How had they gotten down here so fast? Or had they been waiting for Harry to finish? He shook his head again deciding he didn't want to know and headed back into his office.
Fred sat in the common room bouncing a ball off of the wall while George did his homework. He kept reaching for the skull pendent that hung from the white gold chain around his neck.
"Fred, He will call us when he's done." George laughed, though he too had been particularly aware of his necklace that night.
Harry had been brought to their house over the summer after nearly killing his Uncle with a burst of accidental magic. No sooner had he walked in the door Granger had jumped in his shit about nearly getting them all killed in the Ministry and it was Harry's fault Sirius was dead. Ron of course followed her like a lost puppy throwing away his friendship for a frigid bitch who was only stringing him along.
"I know I just worry about him." Fred replied with a blush.
Over the summer Ginny seemed to have forgotten how to dress and had gotten extremely clumsy. She was constantly falling into Harry's lap wearing next to nothing and their mother of course hadn't said a word.
Finally Harry had pushed her into the floor and yelled. It was the first bit of emotion they had seen from the teen. "Ginny, Get it through your thick skull. I AM GAY. I LIKE PENIS NOT VAGINA AND DEFINITELY NOT YOURS.!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ginny had shrieked.
"It's like the town well everyone has had a pump." Harry replied in a hiss before storming off. After that he had spent the majority of the time with the twins they protected him from Ron who was now trying to hex him and Hermione who wanted to lecture him.
They had been offered a chance to come back to school and finish their last year, since they had flown out of the castle the previous attempt.
They had only agreed because they would be closer to Harry that way. The pendants they now wore had been Harry's idea. All three were skulls carved from different stones. Fred's was carved into tigers eye. George's was hematite and Harry's was made from snowflake obsidian.
They had charmed them so that they could be used to communicate with each other as well as act as a portkey to get to one another faster.
"When are you just going to tell the boy that you like him?" George laughed at his twin.
Fred didn't have a chance to respond to his twin at that moment both of their charms heated against their skin.
Both stood and left the common room and made sure no one was watching before touching the pendants speaking the activation word Harry had taught them in parsel tongue.
Within seconds they were both standing in front of Harry outside of Snape's classroom and Fred noticed the teen seemed a bit happier than he had been.
Harry strolled down the hall between them telling them about the detention. And what Snape had told him about passing his class for now on.
Then they had a good laugh about Ron still being fluorescent pink and when they had reached the tower Fred noticed how Harry tensed slightly preparing himself to enter the room.
"Why don't you stay in our room with us tonight?" Fred offered. He was thankful they'd been given their own room for the repeat seventh year and even more so now. "That way you don't have to worry about being hexed in your sleep."
George threw a quick smirk at his twin for the easy pick up line but decided to play wing man anyway.
"We can either conjure up an extra bed or you can share with Fred. I'd offer to share my self but I tend to hog blankets and move around a lot."
Harry smiled shaking his head. "As long as Fred doesn't mind sharing I will gladly take up on the offer."
"I don't mind at all. Would you like us to accompany you to your room to collect your things?" Fred was jumping for joy on the inside.
"I think I can make it in and out alive." Harry replied smugly. No one was really aware of how much he was truly capable of except perhaps the twins.
"It isn't you we are concerned about." George grimaced at the thought of explaining to his mum how Ronald had been blasted to bits by an irate Harry Potter.
"It'll be fine I promise." Harry shook his head running into the sixth year boy's dormitories to grab a few things. It looked like Neville was alone in the room but it didn't feel that way. Neville looked up at him with fear in his eyes he glanced over to the corner next to Harry's bed.
Without even thinking to pull out his wand Harry sent a stupefy in the direction Neville had indicated and went to yank his invisibility cloak off of Ronald Weasley who was still pink. "Petrificus totallus." He then whispered,
He nodded to Neville and grabbed his things before walking out to meet the twins and head back to their room.
Fred observed Harry carefully the teen looked exhausted. "It's been a long day Harry why don't you take a shower first and get to sleep?"
Harry yawned while he nodded and went to do just that. Fred couldn't help himself from staring when Harry exited the bathroom in flannel pajama bottoms and nothing else water still dripping down his chest which was well toned from Quidditch. The heavenly vision before him padded quietly over to the bed and climbed in under the covers.
He was asleep by the time Fred came out of the shower and climbed in next to him and to his pleasant surprise Harry rolled over to rest his head on the red heads chest and draped and arm over his waist.
Fred smiled wrapping his arms around the raven haired teen and he too drifted off to sleep.