A/N: Alright, here's the second chapter! This one contains a lot of dialogue, an aspect of writing that, although I am not weak at, neither am I overly strong. Same drill as before, read and review! I'm sorry that it's not all that long!

Chapter 2
A Dispute Settled

"He can't stay here. I mean, he's a muggle for God's sake. Not to mention the fact that he probably has family looking for him."

"Maybe so, but look at the state he's in…"

Harry sat quietly in the kitchen, half listening to the whispered conversation taking place between the adults at the other end of the room. He'd known that they wouldn't agree with him bringing a muggle back to the house, but he hadn't realised just how vehemently they would argue. Sighing deeply, he was beginning to regret his decision to take pity on the blonde; he really hadn't known it would cause so much trouble.

The discussion continued, getting steadily louder, up to the point that they were practically yelling. Unbidden, Harry began to feel a deep, burning anger in the pit of his stomach, bubbling away furiously. How dare they speak about Ed like that? So what if he was a muggle? He was still human, and it was their duty to help him, right?

Suddenly Harry couldn't contain his rage any more. Desperately trying to keep his voice level, he stood up angrily, attracting all of their attentions.

"Stop talking about him like he's worthless! He's NOT. He's ill, and we have to help him!"

There was a deadly silence as everybody in the room stared at him in shock. They looked at him; Hermione, Ginny and Ron fearfully; the usual jest in Fred and Georges' faces momentarily vanished and the adults (the Weasleys, Sirius, Tonks and Lupin) as though they couldn't quite believe what they had heard. Sirius was the first to respond to the young wizard's outburst.

"Harry…" He began, glancing around at the others in the room. "We don't know who this 'Ed' is. He could be dangerous; we don't know whether he is associated with the Dark Lord or not."

Harry stared at him in disbelief.

"You mean," he said scathingly, "nobody wants to help him out, despite the state he's in, just because there is the slightest chance, the ever so slightest, that he may work for Voldemort?" He took twisted pleasure in watching them flinch when he said the Dark Lord's name. "Oh, and he was at that alley because Voldemort put him there, despite the fact that even I didn't know where I was going?" He looked around at them angrily. "Yeah, that is so likely…" sarcasm dripped from his tongue as he said these last words. The younger people in the room shifted uncomfortably.

"Harry…"

"No! We haven't even heard his side of the story yet!" He pointed his finger at them accusingly, daring them to speak up; there was no response.

"I thought so…" He said dryly, before saying defiantly, "He's staying whether you like it or not." Everybody in the room hung their heads, and the silence once again overcame them all. Sitting back down in his chair, Harry smirked to himself ever so slightly, not noticing the strange look Hermione gave to Ron. She took a deep breath.

"Harry," she began quietly. He glanced up at her, eyes narrow, but she continued anyway. "Harry, we're just trying to help, you know…" She drifted off, nervously awaiting his response, and hoping that he wouldn't blow his top. He stared at her, before sighing deeply.

"I know you're just trying to help, but he's just a kid. You shouldn't be so damn worried."

"I very much agree with that sentiment," came a quiet, old voice from the kitchen doorway. Everybody spun around in shock and stared, mouths open, at the figure before them.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed, as he looked up at the old wizard's withered face, the familiar twinkling in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Why young Harry, when I heard you had a visitor, I thought it would be only polite to come a greet him properly." He replied matter-of-factly. "However, from what I've heard, there seems to be a minor dispute…" He drifted off, one of his eyebrows slightly raised. It was Sirius who spoke up.

"We don't know who the boy is or where he's from. He could be a danger." Harry stared angrily at his Godfather, betrayal burning in the pit of his stomach. Dumbledore watched, and faint look of amusement on his wizened face.

"Do not fear, Sirius. The boy is of no danger to us. In fact, it is my suggestion that he stays here with you until we know more about him."

"But…"

"No 'buts' Sirius," he admonished, a small smile on his face, "from what I've heard, this 'Ed' needs our help. You say he's practically mute?" Harry nodded his confirmation. "Then it seems only right to let him remain here until he feels ready to speak, is that not so?" He looked around the room and, when nobody disagreed, gave one of his smiles, said his farewells and exited the kitchen as silently as he had come, leaving behind a deep silence; everybody absorbed in their own thoughts.

He stared blankly at the wall before him, paying heed only to the voices on the other side of the door to his right. The hallway clock ticked and tocked, over and over again, but the boy's attention was elsewhere. Only vaguely aware of his surroundings, he did not acknowledge any of the hallway's finer details, allowing the words to wash over him; flinching slightly at the raised voices as they pounded in his ears. The steps he was sitting on were cold and uncomfortable, but he made no effort to move, simply forcing himself to endure the discomfort. In his right hand there was a slight clank; metal on metal. He didn't look down.

Tightly, he clutched a silver pocket watch.

A/N: So, what do you think? Reviews make me feed the plot bunnies!