Chapter ten

'Where did you find him Hagrid?' Minerva asked.

'In my cabin, I've been working around the grounds, didn't have a chance to go inside until a few minutes ago, he found my mead.'

'Sit him down Hagrid,' Severus pointed at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Harry sat with Hermione and Ron beside him then Severus summoned a potion, 'Drink this Harry.'

'What?' Harry's head wobbled as he slowly lifted it.

'It's a sober up potion.'

'No, stay like this,' Harry slurred.

'Were you in Hagrid's cabin this whole time?' Minerva asked.

'No, saw Charlie, he snogs good, but I wasn't in the mood for that.'

'You snogged my brother?'

Harry slowly looked at Ron, 'Like blokes, like dark eyes.'

'Minerva,' Severus handed the potions vial to her and nodded, she nodded back so Severus pointed his wand at Harry, petrifying him while Minerva poured the potion into Harry's mouth then Severus undid the charm.

'Oh shit, why did you do that Aunt Mini?'

'So we can talk and you need to be able to understand. We also need you to make sense.'

'What's to understand, they fucked off and left me to die, did that make sense?'

'Language Mr. Potter,' Severus said using his cold and abrupt voice he used to use.

'Sorry sir.'

'Harry, please let us explain,' Lily said softly.

Harry never turned, but his face chance, Hermione and Ron noticed straight away, so did Remus. 'Okay Harry, calm down, if you don't you could hurt someone,' Remus said.

'You don't want to destroy the great hall when it's taken this long to repair do you Harry?' Ron said urgently.

Hermione took Harry's hand, 'Remember, a few deep breaths.'

Harry clenched his fist of his free hand but his other hand was squeezing Hermione's. He started to breathe deeply and slowly as he rocked back and forth. As he did the windows started to rattle, the torches flared before extinguishing and some of the seats toppled over.

'Harry, please, you need to calm down,' Minerva put her hands to Harry's face, 'You could hurt everyone in here. Look deep inside, control your power.'

'Maybe a calming draught might help?' Remus said.

'Not on top of a sober up potion, it could poison him,' Severus said.

Ron watched Harry then had an idea, 'So when did my best mate work out he wanted to shag blokes and please tell me it wasn't sleeping in my room?'

Harry laughed loudly before his body relaxed, 'You prat Ron, it definitely wasn't you, you're not my type.'

'Oh, that hurts, you date my sister and snog my brother but I'm not your type.'

'You're my mate, not a fuck buddy.'

Hermione slapped Harry's head, 'Language Harry.'

'Ow, don't hit so blasted hard Hermione.'

'I'll hit as hard as I think is warranted to stop you swearing.'

'Now tell us why you didn't go speak with Remus like you said you were going to?' Severus asked.

'I was about to apparate away when I saw Charlie. He'd been meaning to talk to me, he thought he worked out I was gay and wondered if I'd be interested in going out with him. I said he wasn't my type, he snogged me then asked me if I wanted to go back to his place.'

'My brother wanted to take you to his flat to shag you didn't he?'

'Yep, Charlie's nice but he doesn't interest me, cute though, muscly body.'

'I don't want that picture stuck in my head mate. Now why did you drink all Hagrid's mead?'

'I didn't mean to and I will replace it Hagrid,' Harry gave his big friend a small smile, 'I wanted somewhere private and quiet to think and I always liked Hagrid's cabin, then I saw the mead on the shelf and thought why not.'

'Lily was pregnant Harry, she could have died, the baby could have as well, your sister,' James said urgently, 'But she couldn't be alone and Albus was protecting you, we thought you'd be okay.'

Harry slowly turned his head, glaring at his father, 'I don't have a sister as I don't have parents, now get the fuck away from me before I do something you'll regret.'

'James, I think it would be wise to leave or Harry just might lose it. He's power is very unstable at the moment, his body is not used to dealing with so much power,' Remus said calmly.

'If you just give us a chance to explain, but we never left, we were always around, watching you,' Lily said.

'Watching me get abused by your sister and her fat fuck of husband. Watching me get beaten to a pulp, watching while they ate and I was starved, watching while the locked me in a cupboard. Watching while they left me with a broken leg or arm, not bothering to take me to a hospital for days,' Harry growled, then all the windows started to rattle again, this time harder and every chair in the great hall apart from the ones they were sitting on toppled over but so did all the tables.

'Stay here and explain,' Severus took Harry's arm and quickly led him out of the great hall.

'What was he talking about, locked in a cupboard?' Lily asked sadly.

'That was Harry's room until he was eleven, the cupboard under the stairs. They worked Harry from morning until night with no food or water, then sometimes give him a slice of dry bread and if he was lucky maybe some cheese, that was stale. He had multiple visits to hospitals over the years, went days without food,' Minerva said.

'Like when we broke him out using dad's car, he'd been locked up for a week and hadn't eaten in four days. Mum gave him four helpings of breakfast after she finished yelling at me Fred and George.'

'I can't believe my sister would do that to a child, why didn't Albus take him out of there?'

'None of us knew this, Harry told Ron and I some of it during our years here, but not everything,' Hermione said sadly.

'He explained everything to me after Voldemort was dead, he said he felt ashamed that's why he never told anyone.'

'Ruddy muggles,' Hagrid growls, 'poor Harry.'

'He slept in my room at home, I saw some of the scars, the muggles stitched him up, left a lot of scars,' Ron said as he gazed at Harry's parents, 'Madame Pomfrey was able to get me a ointment to reduce his scars but I lied to Harry, I said I took it from mum's store cupboard because Harry didn't want anyone to know.'

'I can't believe you did this James, leaving Harry alone, he had no one growing up, he had no affection, not love, nothing. It's a wonder he's such a nice person with everything he had to put up with.'

'We thought you and Sirius would look after him if anything went wrong Remus. But I never found out why Sirius was locked up, he was Harry's godfather.'

'Yeah and Pettigrew made it look like he betrayed you to Voldemort. You know I couldn't look after Harry while he was young, he would have been in too much danger. It's just lucky my son has his grandmother to watch him during the full moon. I don't think Harry will forgive you for this.'

'Harry used to call for you to help him, to rescue him from the cruel treatment,' Minerva said then everyone jumped as a loud bang vibrated through the castle, 'Oh I hope their okay.'

'Should we go check Professor?' Hermione asked.

'No, let Severus calm him down, Harry respects Severus. But it is getting late, maybe you should come back tomorrow unless I can talk Harry into going to see you. He enjoys spending time at your home Ron and Molly will make sure he eats. But tell that brother of yours to stop snogging my nephew, Charlie is not Harry's type.'

'So you knew he was gay?' Ron asked.

'He thought he was bi but preferred men, I believe he's gay. He said he's attracted to dark haired men, so it's definitely not Charlie and all Charlie will want is sex.'

'That's Charlie, shagging anything that walks, sorry Professor. But we'll come here in the morning see if we can talk Harry into coming home with us, let mum feed him some of her chicken soup or onion soup, Harry likes those.'

'Alright, explain to Molly and Arthur so they will know what to expect and to make sure sticking charms is used on everything in case he still had trouble controlling his power,' Minerva watched Harry's friends leave, 'You should get home to Teddy, Remus.'

'It's fine, Andromeda would have him asleep by now. I want to know why my so called friend left his son at the mercy of those people and Voldemort.' Remus glared at James and Lily, hardly believing they were both standing here alive.

Up in the headmasters private rooms Severus finally had Harry calm, 'That's it, keep thinking calm thoughts.'

'I don't want anything to do with them, I can't.'

'That is your decision, all I suggest is you listen to what they have to say then decide, that way you know the truth and the facts.'

'I know the truth, they left me for her, they could have taken me with them but they left me to the mercy of those people. Oh, they made me stuff my potion up, it worked, it was perfect, now it's ruined.'

'It is not ruined, after you left I bottled it for you and put it in the store cupboard.'

'Thanks Professor, I didn't remember it until now. Can I ask you something?'

'Of course.'

'Would you have done what they did, sacrifice one child to save another, an unborn child?'

'That really is a hard question to answer as I do not have children so I cannot think like a parent would. But I do not believe I would leave a child, even with someone I trusted, I would rather have my child with me even if that meant the both of us dying.'

'I would have preferred that. Can I tell you something personal?'

'If you wish.'

'Charlie, even though he snogged good, I knew he wasn't for me, he's not my type. I've known who my type is for a while, but it was only recently that I realised why I have a certain type. Over the last few years I've dreamt of a mystery man with dark eyes and dark hair, I realised it was you.'

'I am a bit old for you Harry.'

'What's age got to do with anything? Tonks wasn't much older than I am and Remus is your age, they made it work.'

'True, they did, but you have never had experience with other men, you might find that a younger man is more to your liking.'

'I know what I like, what I want, but if you think about this logically, I've never felt the same age as my friends, I always felt a lot older, even older than you,' Harry slowly looked up at Severus Snape, 'You must feel something or you wouldn't have pressed yourself up against me that day in the potions room. But if you don't, then tell me and I won't bring it up again.'

'Yes, I deliberately did that, I wasn't sure why I did,' Severus stared into Harry's eyes, 'So you would like us to what, date?'

'Well, see each other, we could keep it private if you want, I don't mind either way. I just know I'd like to snog you.'

'That is something I can give you,' Severus smiled then captured Harry's lips with his, then his tongue force its way into Harry's mouth which made the young man moan softly in the back of his throat.