Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Harry was starting to not like the idea of playing with his cousin. The boy was easily twice Harry's size and refused to share his toys with Harry. Even worse, when he saw Harry's new teddy bear, he immediately tried to take it from Harry.

However, due to a spell Minerva casted on the toy, Dudley received a mild shock each time he touched the toy. When plump boy cried to his mother about it, Petunia was afraid that the toy would hurt her boy and told the child to leave the bear alone.

Harry did not go unpunished though. Instead, the three-year-old received a stern scolding about not sharing his toys. As his punishment, he was put into the closet under the stairs, along with his trunk. The old man had threateningly warned them not to harm or hurt the child, but as there was nothing dangerous in the closet, the Dursleys saw it as a perfect place to keep the toddler for the next two weeks.

Sitting alone in the dark with nothing to occupy his time did not bode so well for the three-year-old. Harry began crying for his Grammy, and when he got no response, he cried for his grandpa also. His cries become louder and louder until finally, Vernon had enough. He warned the boy that if he didn't stop crying, then he would give him a spanking worth crying.

Naturally, this made the boy cry even harder. Frustrated and eager to shut the boy up, Vernon opened the boy's trunk so see if there was anything to make the boy be quiet. When Dudley saw all the toys, however, the greedy child wanted them all. To make it up from the bear incident, Vernon thought it was a fair "trade" to exchange all of Harry's toys for Dudley's newly broken truck.

Hoarse from crying, Harry could do nothing but try to entertain himself with the broken toy. However, he now had a new concern. He could not get out of the closet and he needed to use the loo. He cried out to his aunt and uncle to let him out to go potty but no one paid attention to him. They refused to believe that the three-year-old was able to accomplish a task that their gifted Dudley had not even attempted yet, and thought the boy was crying out for attention.

An hour later, Petunia finally decided to check on the boy. Of course when she saw the boy's wet trousers, she made a big fuss of what a baby he was and how she now had to spend all this time to clean him up. After a quick cold bath, Petunia proceeded to put the boy in nappies and allowed him to stay out in the living room. Dudley, who was himself wearing training pants but was really using them as nappies, spend the rest of the day teasing the boy about his accident.

By the end of the day, Harry could not remember a time when he was so unhappy. He spent the majority of the day in the closet in tears. When he was finally allowed out, he was teased and pushed around by his cousin. He hated the place and was too tired to be upset. His throat was so sore from his crying and screaming earlier that he couldn't even finish his dinner, not that anyone noticed anyways. All he wanted to do with go back to Gammy and grandpa and Hogwarts. That night, he clutched his teddy and quietly cried himself into an uneasy sleep in the closet under the stairs.

At Hogwarts, Minerva buried herself in work for the rest of the day. She knew that if the child was in physical danger, the bear would portkey him back to the headmaster's office. However, she had no idea what kind of emotional damage Harry would experience at the Dursleys.

Evenings were the worse. There are times when Minerva caught herself on her way to Harry's room, checking on the child before she went to bed every night. Even worse, there are times when she dreamed about Harry crying for her after a nightmare but woke up realizing that even if it was true, she couldn't be there to comfort the child.

Despite her numerous pleas with Albus, he would not allow her to check on Harry, not even in her animagus form. He reminded her of the agreement with the Dursleys that no one was going to visit the boy. However, Albus assured her that not only was the bear a portkey, but he also had Arabella Figgs staying nearby on Privet Drive in case something happened.

Not having any other grounds for argument, Minerva could do nothing except count the days until Harry was safely back in her arms.

On the fourteenth day, Minerva sat nervously on her couch, watching the clock. Albus arrived fifteen minutes before they were due to retrieve Harry. He tried to engage Minerva in a conversation but her mind wasn't on it. She kept checking the clock to see if it was time. She also notified Madam Pomfrey regarding the boy's return so that nurse can examine Harry the moment they return to Hogwarts.

Finally, it was time to go back to the Dursleys. This time, it was Minerva leading the way, as she had always been the less patient of the two.

When they arrived at the Dursleys, Minerva eagerly knocked on the door. The fact that she heard only Dudley Dursley's voice should have warned her of what is to come. Upon their entrance, she saw Harry sitting quietly on the sofa, while Dudley Dursley was making quite mess while playing with his toys on the living room floor. The charmed teddy bear, now darkened with patches of dirt, was still clutched tightly in the child's hands. Vernon Dursley seemed quite eager to get rid of the visitors as he had Harry's trunk all ready and waiting in the hall.

When Harry saw Minerva and Albus, he fidgeted in his seat, eager to leap off and run straight to them. However, a glance in Vernon's direction made him stop himself. This did not go unnoticed by his Hogwarts guardians. Instead the boy looked at them with his eyes pleading silently for them to take him back with them.

"Well, the boy's here, unharmed and untouched," Vernon spewed. "I believe we had fulfilled our part of the agreement. If you'd be quickly on your way, I must attend to my work as soon as possible."

Unharmed! Minerva was furious. Harry had obviously lost weight and had lost the carefree spirit of an innocent child. He was just sitting there, like a life-less doll, obviously held back by fear. It reminded Minerva of his first few days at Hogwarts right after he became an orphan, when everything was new and unknown. Before she could make her statement, however, Albus stepped forward and politely but without his usual warmness addressed the Dursleys for their hospitality.

"That's quite understandable, Mr. Dursley. If Harry is not harmed, then we shall not bother your family again." Dumbledore stated quiet coldly, without any of his usual kindness.

Vernon Dursley gave a little humph as his response.

"Well then, Minerva, if you would be so kind to collect Harry. I will take his trunk and we shall be on our way. We shall be in touch if need be, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley."

Sending the child's new fragile state, Minerva approached Harry quietly and without sudden movements. Realizing that she was coming for him, Harry jumped off the couch and nearly leaped into Minerva's outstretched arms.

"Oh dear child, how I've missed you. Let's get you back to Hogwarts, alright?"

Harry clung onto the elderly woman but didn't speak. However, Minerva could feel the child nod in his quiet response. Minerva carefully arranged the child better in her arms, and tried to remove the dirtied bear that had nearly been dropped by the boy. However, Harry protested violently, nearly causing Minerva to drop him, when he felt his beloved friend being taken away from him.

"He..uhhhh…refused to part with it for these two weeks so we couldn't clean it" Vernon Dursley tried to explain.

"I see. I'll just take his trunk and we'll be on our way," Dumbledore plainly stated. When he felt how light the trunk was, he opened it and was surprised to find it nearly empty. He looked to Mr. Dursley in inquisition.

"With two boys, you can hardly expect toys to not be broken." At least Vernon Dursley had the decency to turn red from his lie that time.

"No matter. We'll get Harry some more when we return. Harry, Minerva, if you're both ready then, I believe we shall leave promptly."

Holding tightly to Harry, Minerva quickly walked out the door without a word. She didn't trust herself to speak kindly, so she wisely chose not to speak at all. Behind her, she heard Albus, his voice now not kind nor genial.

"Good day, then Mr. And Mrs. Dursley. I shall be in touch again if circumstances dictate it."

And certainly, I, once Harry's needs have been addressed. Minerva thought. She failed to notice the sudden paleness that had overcome both Mr. and Mrs. Dursleys' faces.

"Hold on tightly to me, Harry, we're going to leave now," Minerva softly stated to the child, while her arms automatically tightened around the child.

Whereas the child had made a big fuss his first time apparating, he only let out a small whimper the second time around. Minerva doubted that it was due to a quick change of opinion.

They arrived just outside the castle's ground and Minerva walked bristly towards the entrance. She wanted Harry to be examined by Poppy right away, as she was certain something was wrong.

Albus Dumbledore wisely decided to silently follow her.

Once Harry was in the hospital wing, both Poppy and Minerva unsuccessfully tried to coax him into releasing his hold on Minerva's robes. In the end, Albus had to sneak in a mild sleeping spell on the child so that Poppy could properly examine him. Once Minerva was free, she immediately went to Albus and warded the area off with a spell to silence the yelling that she was sure to do.

"Albus Dumbledore! I warned you against sending Harry back and you assured me he would not be harmed! The child hardly speaks! He may be physically alive but he is NOT the same child that he was two weeks ago! If Harry does not get through this, Albus Dumbledore, I am going to take him away from this place and you will not find us!"

The head-strong deputy headmistress was not finished.

"Oh, and you can tell the Dursleys to expect a visit from me if Harry doesn't recover. Except mine won't be nearly as nice as yours," Minerva threw out before ending the spell and returning to Poppy to check on Harry, leaving the old man still flabbergasted over the rarely exhibited Scottish temper.

Madame Pomfrey was just finishing up with Harry when Minerva returned.

"How is he Poppy?"

"Physically, he's dehydrated and a bit malnourished. It can easily be taken care of with a potion. Other than that, no bruises or broken bones. He does have a nasty nappy rash though. I thought you stopped using nappies on Harry, Minerva?"

"I did. The Dursleys must have put him back in it. No matter now. You said physically, Poppy? Do you mean there are other damages as well?"

"Physically, Harry would recover quickly. However, you saw how he was when we tried to separate you two. I believe he's very vulnerable emotionally. You will have to be patient and observe him for awhile to assess his emotional state."

A horrible thought went through Minerva's head. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Albus's expression change as the possibility ran through his mind.

"Poppy, you don't mean…that Harry was…"

"Oh, thank heavens NO, Minerva. I just meant that the experience has obviously affected Harry physically but more importantly, it's changed him emotionally. I can treat him for his malnutrition and such but I'm afraid it'll be much longer before he returns to the happy carefree boy that he was."

"But he can recover?" Minerva asked.

"That would depend on those around him. As you can see, he's awfully quiet and won't allow many people near him. These first few days will be critical as he re-assesses his environment. He has to learn to trust again, I'm afraid."

Seeing Minerva's nearly in tears, Poppy hurriedly added, "However, as he clung so tightly to you, it is an indication that he seeks you as a source of protection."

Minerva absentmindedly nodded her head as she processed this information. "Thank you, Poppy, for your help. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't around."

"No need for thanks, Minerva. If this boy was anything like his father, I should expect to see much of him in the years ahead. I'll give you the potion and salve that Harry will need. If you need anything, I am happy to help. You and Albus aren't the only ones who are fond of the child, you know."

Minerva gave Poppy one of her rare smiles. "I know you adore Harry, Poppy. He is very fortunate to have you as one of his aunts. Good night Poppy…Albus" she added at the last minute, out of courtesy but clearly not hiding her discontent.

Minerva carefully picked up the sleeping child to return to her rooms. She set him on the sofa, careful to tuck the now clean bear under his arms. The sleeping spell that Albus casted should wear off before long. Sure enough, just ten minutes after arriving back in her quarters, Harry began to stir from his sleep. Unsure how the child would respond with an overlooming shadow over him, she chose to observe the child quietly from her desk not ten feet away.

The first thing Harry noticed was how soft and comfortable his bed was, and how the blanket kept him warm. Trying to remember what had happened, the child's last memory prior to falling asleep was how people tried to take him away from his Gammy. Quickly, his comfort turned into fright and fear, especially since he did not recognize this room. In a moment of panic, he looked around for his Gammy. When he found her coming around her desk and approaching him, he instinctively cried out for her and held out his arms for her to hold him.

Then suddenly remembering his aunt and uncle locking him away for making loud noises, Harry's loud boisterous cry quickly turned into a soft pitiful whine. He dropped his head and arms as no one had responded to his cries for the past two weeks.

Minerva could see the shift from comfort to fear in the child when he first awoke. She got up quickly to go to him just has Harry had found her. She recognized the outburst, as Harry had frequently made loud outbursts to let all know when he was awake and wanted to play. As she nearly reached him, he suddenly became much quieter and he made noises that sounded like whines from an injured animal. And the child's face just fell. Minerva was shocked at the transformation in the boy's character in just fourteen days. Whatever the Dursleys had done, they had definitely left more than just a lasting impression on the child. She quickly hurried to her grandson's side to comfort him.

"There there, child," Minerva cooed as she picked him up and settled him on her lap. Gently lifting his chin so that the teary green eyes were looking at her, she stated "you're safe at Hogwarts now Harry."

Minerva let go of his chin and cuddled him a bit closer. "I'm here, child. You're not alone. It's alright darling." She rocked him back and forth as the tears dried and he began to calm down.

When he stopped sniffling and began to grow restless in her lap, she stopped. "Better now?"

Another nod.

"Then let's get you cleaned up and have lunch, shall we?"

She received no response from the child; his large green eyes staring at her, as if he's trying to decide whether or not she was trying to deceive him.

Oh Harry. What have they done with you, child. Minerva could not help but let out sigh as she carried Harry to the bathroom.

As Minerva turned on the tap and waited for the bathtub to fill, she began to help Harry with his clothes. Leaving his shirt on, she sat him on the toilet, as she usually did with the boy after a nap. Harry used it without needing any further prompt. Minerva was surprised that the boy hadn't asked to use it earlier since it was obvious that he needed it but she did not pursue it further. She praised Harry when he was done and helped him remove his shirt.

As Minerva lifted Harry into the tub, he started whimpering again and clung to her robes. After letting him bury himself into her robes for a few minutes, she tried to coax the child into testing the waters. She put her own hand in first to show that the water is fine, and even allowed him splash the water a bit as he leaned over the side of the tub. After deeming that the water was safe, Harry finally allowed himself to be placed into the tub. Minerva could have finished grading an entire class's worth of homework assignments in the amount of time it took to get Harry settled into the bath but she did not care. She was determined to not let down the child in front of her again.

Harry remained subdued during the bath. He ignored the toys that have been silently waiting for him for two weeks, and he didn't make much noise. Minerva felt like she was bathing a doll instead of a toddler. She kept encouraging Harry to play with the toys, to even splash the water around. Although he did do these things after Minerva mentioned them, she couldn't help but feel that he was only doing what he was told.

Minerva was very careful not to get soap suds in Harry's eyes when she was washing his hair but when the boy squirmed unexpectedly, some of the suds inadvertently found their way in. Remembering how loudly the boy used to cry whenever his eyes were irritated, Minerva quickly acted to sooth the child before the crying escalated.

To her surprise, Harry did not make a sound. His eyes were firmly shut from the pain and Minerva could see the tears in his eyes when he opened them again but again, the situation seemed out of place without the loud wail from the child.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry Harry. Please come closer so I can wash out the suds child." As Minerva reached to pull the child closer, Harry unconsciously back away from her and let out a small whine of protest and fear. It hurt Minerva dearly to see the child pull away from her.

In the softest and most gentle voice that she can manage, she dropped her hands in the tub, her motions in plain sight of the child.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Harry. I just want to make your eyes feel better. Will you allow me to do so, child?"

Harry very much wanted to allow her. Aunt Petunia never cared if there was shampoo in his eyes. She would just call him a crybaby and let the boy's own tears dilute out the irritant. Gammy, however, apologized and offered to help him. She sounded sincere about it too. For the past two weeks, he thought about his Gammy every day and could not understand why she left him there. She told him that it was safe and keep away the bad man, but he was frightened and sad every moment he was there.

At that moment, all the miseries and unfairness he had suffered in the past fourteen days surfaced and his whimpers quickly escalated to heart-wrenching wails. Harry was crying so hard that Minerva had feared she had seriously injured his eyes. She rised to floo Poppy for the emergency but soon found her arms full with her soapy and slippery charge.

"No go, gammy. Stay! No leave me! No leave me!" the child kept repeating, over and over.

Ignoring the mess on her robes, she hugged the child tightly to her. "Oh Harry, my dear boy. I'm not going to leave you. I'm only getting Madame Pomfrey to look at your eyes but I will come back to you. I will always do my best to come back to you, Harry. Always."

Unsure if the child was shivering from crying so hard or from the cold, she summoned a towel and draped it across the child. "Shhhh…it's alright Harry, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

After awhile, Harry calmed down and Minerva could feel him relax a little.

"Now, I think a certain little boy has been in the tub long enough. Shall we rinse you off and get dressed?"

Harry nodded his head once again and proceeded to do as he was told. Unfortunately in his haste, he nearly lost his footing in the tub. If it wasn't for Minerva, he surely would have had a nasty bruise, if not a broken bone, from his spill.

"Oh, do be careful dear. No need to hurry. Now, you have your footing? Good."

Afraid that Harry would slip again, Minerva kept at least one arm secure around the child. The warm hugs and gentle voices are such a contrast from the Dursleys that Harry couldn't help but lean into the welcoming gesture.

With the child all clean, Minerva quickly dried him off and carried him out into the bedroom. She dressed the boy in a soft red shirt without troubles, but when she proceeded to put underwear and pants on the child, Harry looked surprised. Aunt Petunia didn't trust him without a nappy on and even then, she didn't change him very often. Harry hated it but there wasn't much he could do about it. He discovered early on that the more he fussed, the longer she would wait between the changes.

"No nappy?" Harry questioned Minerva.

"No nappy Harry. I do not think you need them and you were certainly sufficient without them before. I don't know what Petunia was thinking but you're with me at Hogwarts now."

For the first time that day, Harry smiled. A very brief but geninue smile that nearly brought tears in Minerva's eyes. After getting dressed, Minerva lifted him off the bed and set him down on the floor. As much as she would like to spend the rest of the day cuddling the child, she knew the boundaries of being loved versus being mollycoddled and spoiled.

"How about we get something to eat now child?"

Harry didn't comment and walked with her but she did notice that he had a hand clutched to her robes. She gently loosened his hold on her robes and held his hand in hers instead.

At lunch, Harry made no requests but took a bite of whatever Minerva put on his plate. He ate less than she would have liked but she didn't want to push the child. After some prompting, Minerva did manage to have the child ask for ice cream for dessert. She ordered an ice cream sundae, partly to reward the child and partly to indulge him. The look on Harry's face when he saw the ice cream was ALMOST enough to entice Minerva to order it at every meal.

"Mine?" Harry asked, not believing his eyes.

"Yes, Harry, a treat just for you for being a polite and good little boy." she added to reinforce the idea into the child's head.

"No Dooley?" Harry still could not believe that he did not have to share.

"No dear. No Dudley, Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon. I'm sorry that you had to go through those two weeks with them. It was a mistake sending you there and it not going to happen again. Do you understand, Harry?"

He nodded his head, but his face showed no expressions.

Minerva felt a moment of sadness, as Harry either did not understand her or did not believe her.

Despite her own feelings, she smiled at the boy and encouraged him to dig into his ice cream. Harry carefully scooped a small bit of ice cream into his mouth, without showing any of the gusto that a toddler should have shown when presented with the treat.

He still carries with him the lessons he's learned from the Durleys, Minerva observed.

Just as Harry had taken his third bite, there was a knock at the door. Minerva started to call for a house-elf to look after Harry as she proceeded to answer the door. However, as she stood up, Harry immediately dropped his spoon and lifted his arms to be taken out of his chair.

"It's alright, Harry. I will be right back. I'm just going to open the door. I will call for Binky to stay with you."

Upon hearing that, Harry started to fuss in a panic and frantically bouncing up and down in his chair, desperate to be let out.

Quickly grabbing the child to prevent him from falling out, Minerva was surprised at strength that Harry clung to her with. The child gripped to her robes as if his life depended on it, wrapping not just his arms around her, but his legs as well.

"Oh Albus. I warned you that the Dursleys would not be safe for the child and yet, you insisted on sending him there. It's my fault too, for allowing this to happen," Minerva thought to herself as she held the child tightly.

Getting to the door with the child clinging to her, Minerva was surprised to see Albus Dumbledore on the other side. The man had left them alone so far, supposedly to allow Harry to re-adapt but Minerva also suspected to avoid her wrath.

"Good afternoon, Minerva and Harry, my boy. How are you both doing this lovely afternoon?"

Harry responded by trying to snuggle even closer to Minerva.

Minerva gave Albus a look that said see for yourself, old man.

"Ahhh. Well, if there's anything you need, Minerva, please allow me to help."

As if you haven't helped enough, Minerva thought. However, never one to be rude, she replied instead "I think we're managing alright, Albus." As she stated this, she couldn't help but notice that for the first time, the Headmaster appeared as a lonely old man.

"I am certain you both are, my dear. However, if you would allow me a few minutes of your time, there is something I wish to discuss with you."

Seeing her glance towards Harry, who had no intention of leaving Minerva's arms, Albus added "Harry may stay if he wishes."

As the two adults and child settle comfortably on the couch, Albus started speaking. "Minerva, you have every right to be upset at me for my mistake. You argued against leaving Harry at the Dursleys and I disagreed with you. However, I want you to know that had I only did what I thought was the best for Harry. What I did may be unforgivable, but I hope you know that I adore the child and would never intentionally hurt him."

It took Minerva a few moments to process everything that Albus had just said. It's been awhile since she heard Albus discuss so much about his own feelings.

'I…I'm not certain what to say, Albus. I won't lie and say that I'm not angry at you for what happened. However, we both took Harry to the Dursleys and left him there. I suppose the mistake we both made was believing that the Dursleys possessed even the tiniest bit of kindness and humanity."

Minerva sighed, and then continued.

"I was a bit harsh with you earlier, Albus, and I do apologize. No one doubts your adoration of Harry, but this is not my decision to make. It's his. It is up to him to decide who he trusts again, myself and you included."

"I understand Minerva. I just hope to have the chance to make it up to him."

"As do I Albus, as do I."

She smiled and then realized that the toddler had nodded off while the two adults were talking. Remembering what happened earlier, she decided to place him once again on the couch where he won't wake up alone.

Before Albus left, he transfigured a pillow into a stuffed phoenix. "I assume that Harry will not be ready for a visit to Hogsmeade anytime soon. I shall leave him with this now, and send for more toys tomorrow."

As he walked out the door, he saw from the corner of his eyes that his deputy carefully set the phoenix beside the sleeping child, next to his newly scourgified teddy.