Author's Note: *I do not own Harry Potter* Trigger warning: Violence/attempted murder and abuse, both child and spousal. Long chapter, and to counter the darker parts of this chapter, the awaited return of Lily and James. Also, I know that Hermione was already at Grimmauld by the time Harry was brought there, but for my purposes she's still at her parents' house. Remember, Dumbledore doesn't want her around.
Chapter Eighteen: One Month Later.
Harry was pacing back and forth in his worthless excuse for a room, desperately trying to keep his inner animal and the instincts it provoked in check. After a month of meditation, he still had not discovered for sure what his inner animal was, but he was sure that it was a predator of some kind, and said predator's anger had been awoken full force.
He had been attacked by dementors while he was with his cousin Dudley, and because Dudley couldn't see the dementors, he had blamed Harry for the effects of the vile creatures' attack. And admittedly, Harry couldn't bring it upon himself to be angry with Dudley for laying the blame at his feet, but Dudley's misunderstanding of the situation and the onslaught of owls that followed had resulted in the young wizard being punched hard enough to fly backwards onto the stairs, and before he had a chance to get back onto his feet, Vernon had grabbed him by his hair and dragged him all the way up the stairs and kicked Harry into his room before slamming the door shut and locking the door.
After about twenty minutes of lying on the ground to give himself a chance to recover, Harry stood back up and began pacing. The predator within him wanted blood, and at this point, Harry wasn't sure if the feeling was just coming from his inner animal. Harry felt different this summer, still himself… but he had never been so aggressive before.
Harry shook his head and tried to think of something else, hoping that if he didn't acknowledge his inner animal, it would calm down. So he started thinking of Hermione. She had mentioned in one of her early letters that she felt incredibly energetic after taking the potion, and she had taken up running as a new hobby. How she had found time to get all of her homework done, read two books every week at the very least, and go for what was now an hour long run every day, Harry wasn't sure, but he admired her a great deal for it. He missed her beautiful smile, just a glimpse of that perfect, loving smile was enough to make Harry feel as though he were home.
And then his thoughts wandered to her wild mane of glorious curls, so soft to the touch, and suddenly his fingers were flexing, craving the feeling of her hair through his fingers. He could almost feel her lips against his, that familiar heat of desire running through him, and he had to try and force that feeling away.
As happy as thinking of Hermione made him, lately his thoughts always wandered somewhere sexual. Harry missed everything about his perfect girlfriend, her smile, her tendency to ramble fast when she was excited, her passion for learning and books in general, her kindness, the way holding her in his arms made him feel at home, but once he began meditating and attempting to connect with his inner animal, his physical need for her would become almost unbearable.
"Stop it Harry," he told himself, realizing he was delving into dangerous territory in regards to his inner animal, and with the night's developments still making his blood boil, it wasn't good to not have the predator in check. But there were no more good things to think about. He grasped at his hopes that Hermione would be happy with and proud of his decision to take up exercise for himself as well, but that positivity was overshadowed by the events of the night and the graveyard a month ago.
Words and images swirled in his head. The multitude of owls that flew into the Dursley house bearing news of expulsion, a disciplinary hearing to determine whether he should be expelled or not, the screaming howler delivered to Petunia that he recognized as Dumbledore, his uncle threatening to throw him out of the house, everyone else telling him to stay put as if they have the right to control him… and Vernon. Harry couldn't stop the impulse to growl.
Harry had saved Dudley from a fate worse than death, and his thanks was a punch to the gut and a drag along the stairs. He had used magic because it was his only option to save himself, and he was threatened with expulsion from Hogwarts. And what was Vernon's response? He was thrilled! Vernon was sure that the dementors had shown up to arrest Harry when the wizard tried to explain what they were, and he looked ready to start dancing. Then… For the first time since Harry had gotten his letter, Vernon had resorted to violence… It was almost a surreal experience. Even more shocking, Harry wasn't afraid of Vernon anymore, just angry. In fact, Harry was enraged, and more than ready to fight back and end the man that used to beat him near to death because he found it fun.
Harry couldn't hold the rage back anymore. He had tried, he truly had, but the predator won out and Harry made a noise that was likely a cross between a growl and a roar before punching through his wall and crying out, "Fuck," in pain before examing his bloody knuckles.
*Very violent, Harry fights back, approach with caution*
Harry didn't have much time to regret his outburst. Vernon hurried across the hall, and for once, Harry didn't hear the clicks of the many locks on his door, but he did feel his door slam into him, and without the chance to brace himself, Harry toppled over onto the floor. He looked up to see Vernon standing over him with his belt in his hand. "I told you to be quiet you fucking freak!" Vernon sneered, then caught sight of Harry's knuckles and looked to the wall, seeing the hole Harry made. The vein in Vernon's temple throbbed worse than it had in years. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you Potter!" Vernon shouted.
Harry saw Vernon snap the belt as if it were a whip and he was not afraid. The predator took over. He lifted his arm, blocking the belt from hitting him anywhere else. Vernon's eyes went wide as his belt wrapped around Harry's arm and the young man tugged Vernon's weapon of choice right out of his hand. Harry stood back up. "I've faced death too many times in my life to be afraid of it anymore. A giant fucking serpent couldn't kill me, hundreds of Dementors failed to suck out my soul, a bloody tree bashed me up right good, but I still walked away intact. I faced down a werewolf, survived a dragon, took down giant spiders, and even came out victorious against one of the most powerful wizards alive." Vernon's eyes were wide as saucers. "I'm not afraid of you, and I doubt you could kill me if you tried." Harry snarled. "So why don't you give me your best fucking attempt and we'll see if you manage to do anything more than piss me off."
Vernon didn't know if the boy was lying or not, but he knew he couldn't stand down now, not when the boy who used to shudder every time he approached was sneering at him in spite. So Vernon drew back his fist and punched Harry straight to his face, hard enough to send the boy flying backwards again.
Harry's back hit his old dresser and he growled again, but he didn't manage to regain his balance before Vernon's hands were around his throat, choking the life out of him. Vernon's eyes were full of rage, disgust, and hatred.
Harry managed to growl back at Vernon, kicked at his uncle's shin, and head-butted him the moment Vernon's grip loosened. Vernon stumbled backward and Harry fell to his hands and knees, taking heavy breaths. Before he could get to his feet, Vernon began kicking Harry.
Aunt Petunia was standing in the doorway at that point, her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide with fear. Vernon kicked Harry's legs out from under him so he would land on his side on the ground, then he began to kick his torso repeatedly. Harry could feel his back scraping against the wood of his old, splintery dresser.
"Vernon! Don't!" Petunia shrieked. She rushed forward and grabbed her husband's arm to gain his attention. "Vernon! Please stop! Please don't kill him!" She cried. Vernon stopped, and then he turned his angry eyes on Petunia, whose own eyes were filled with tears. "Lily may have been a freak, but she was my sister and I love her. My nephew is all I have left of my baby sister." Lying on the ground, still very much in pain, Harry was in shock. He thought his aunt hated him, and his mother. "I have never objected to you disciplining Harry, even when you clearly went too far. But I can't let you kill him. I won't!"
Vernon grumbled and then back-handed his wife. "I'll deal with you properly later," he said as she hit the ground. He turned back to Harry and grabbed him by his neck, squeezing hard. "As for you freak, if you leave this room again, I won't show you any leniency. No matter how much your aunt begs me." Vernon let go at that point, and the last thing Harry saw and heard before he lost consciousness was Vernon grabbing Petunia by her hair and her sobs as he dragged her out of the room. Harry's final thought before darkness overtook him was of Hermione.
What Vernon failed to notice as he walked out of Harry's room with his wife dragged behind him, was Harry's owl Hedwig flying out of the window. It pained Hedwig tremendously to leave her wizard behind, but she knew she could not help him on her own. With that thought in mind, Hedwig willed herself to fly in the direction of the only other human she trusted as much as her Harry.
In another house, two muggle adults were sleeping soundly, unaware that their daughter, a powerful witch, was tossing and turning in bed. Hermione Granger was lost in a nightmare about her boyfriend, Harry Potter. They were alone together, surrounded by a void of impenetrable darkness. He had been badly beaten, bruised, and bloody everywhere. She was trying to pull him into her arms, trying to check his pulse and keep him with her. The dream version of her boyfriend reached a hand upwards, his fingers gently grazed her face, and he spoke softly.
"...Hermione…"
Her name clanged through her and suddenly she was sitting up in bed breathing heavily, her skin slick with sweat. She was tempted to jump out of bed and go to her parents, but she was distracted by Dobby standing at the foot of her bed with tears in his golf-ball sized eyes. "Dobby!" she cried quiet and pulled him up onto her bed. "What's wrong, Dobby? Talk to me."
Dobby threw himself into Hermione's arms. "Missy Granger!" He cried. Despite the fact that he had never pronounced her name correctly before tonight, Hermione didn't bother to focus on that. "Harry Potter sir is being hurt! Dobby felt it happen!" More tears rolled down Dobby's face. "Dobby tried to go to Master but Dobby is blocked! Please help kind Master Harry!"
Hermione kissed the top of Dobby's head softly. "Of course, Dobby," she said softly. "Just let me get dressed and leave a note for my parents. It's the least I can do for them. Then you can take me to Padfoot and Moony, and we'll go straight to Harry."
Dobby nodded and turned to face her door to give her privacy. Hermione hurried around the room, pulling off her night clothes and dressing herself in black jeans, black ankle boots, and a black tank top. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and moved to her desk to write out a letter explaining her absence in the morning. "You can turn around now Dobby," she mentioned off-handedly and wrote out a note as quickly as possible.
Mum, Dad,
I'm sorry I didn't wake you up or ask permission before leave but I had to go quickly. Harry's been attacked and he needs me. I'll be safe and sound, I promise. I'll be back as soon as possible. I love you very much, please don't be angry.
-Hermione.
Hermione folded the paper in half and placed it on her pillow. She hoped her parents would understand, but considering how they had been over the last month… Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head to clear her mind. Now wasn't the time to think of that. She held her hand out to Dobby, but before they could apparate, she heard pecking at her window. Hermione let Hedwig in and the owl flew around her room frantically. Hermione held her arm out for Hedwig to land on, and Hedwig gripped the witch's arm tightly. Hermione nodded to the owl, understanding immediately. Hedwig wouldn't come to her without a letter unless something was wrong with Harry. "I know Hedwig, I'm on my way to help him now. Go to Padfoot and Moony, I'll take care of our wizard." Hedwig clicked her beak twice, rumpled her feathers, and then spread her wings and took off into the night. Hermione shut the window behind Hedwig and took Dobby's hand again. She appeared in a house she didn't recognize, but she trusted Dobby. "Padfoot!" She shouted, not knowing where to go.
In the kitchen, Sirius was downing yet another double shot of firewhiskey. Sirius Black could not bring himself to sleep longer than a couple hours every night while Harry was still with the Dursleys. Meeting Vernon for the short time that he saw him at Kings Cross Station gave Sirius the feeling that something awful was going to happen. It had become a nightly attempt to drown his worries in firewhiskey, but he'd built an extreme tolerance to it over the years at Hogwarts and the time between his schooling and the death of his brother in all but blood. It seemed that even twelve years with dementors every waking moment wasn't enough to lower that tolerance.
Then he heard Hermione calling him fearfully, and he stood up, rushed out into the halway, and nearly ran into the wild teenage witch. "What's the matter Hermione?" He asked. In truth, the tears rolling down her face rapidly were enough of an answer, but he needed to know for sure.
"Harry's been hurt, Dobby's sure of it!" She cried and Dobby nodded and explained how he couldn't get to Harry himself and needed someone else to go. Sirius told Dobby everything would be okay and dismissed him, telling the elf he would need rest, as much as possible.
Sirius then pulled Hermione into a hug. "Alright, lets grab a couple cloaks and head out." They both pulled on a cloak each and pulled up the hoods to hide their identities.
Sirius took hold of Hermione's hand and they appeared in front of number four Privet Drive. Hermione scowled immediately and banged her fist against the door. Sirius made an attempt to calm the girl, but her answering growl made it clear it was a useless endeavor and she continued to pound her fist on the front door until they heard yelling. "Who the ruddy hell would come to our house past four in the morning?!"
Usually Hermione would be cowering in fear, not used to hearing people yell and scream that way. Tonight however, she was different. She was a predator, a protector, eager to hunt down the pathetic lumps of flesh that had harmed what was hers and to see that her Harry was okay.
When Vernon came to the door, we wasn't sure what he would find on the other side, but he was ready to shoo away anyone foolish enough to try knocking his door off the hinges this bloody early in the morning. All that changed when he came face to face with an uppity freak pointing a wand at him with angry brown eyes. "Where is Harry?!" Her voice was low, but her town was icy and venomous.
There was something about this girl that Vernon found familiar and oddly frightening. "I've told you freaks to stay away from my house several times! Go away!"
Hermione snarled and stepped forward, her eyes narrowed. "I'll burn you where you stand until there's nothing left of you but greasy ashes and bone dust if you don't let me in this house right now so I can get to my boyfriend." Sirius put his hand on Hermione's shoulder in another futile attempt to calm her, but she merely shrugged his hand off dismissively. "I said NOW!" She added, almost roaring with the force she gave that final word. Vernon took several steps back and stumbled over his feet, falling backward onto the floor. "Where is his fucking room?" She demanded as Sirius shut the door behind them. Vernon pointed up the stairs and told her that it was the first door on the left. "Stay down here Sirius, if this bastard makes one wrong move, chop off whatever limb you would have the most fun removing."
As Hermione ran up the stairs, Sirius growled at Vernon. "Don't think I'm going easy on you," he grumbled. Vernon gulped and nodded slowly, trying not to anger the wizard in front of him. His weak courage failed him and his only goal at that point was to not dig himself further into the hole he found himself in.
"Harry?" Hermione called softly when she opened the door to what she assumed had to be his room. The cat-flap confused her though, she didn't see evidence of a cat anywhere in the house. When she stepped into the bedroom she was rather quickly horrified. She couldn't see Harry at first, but the room itself was a knife through her heart. The bed he had to sleep on looked old, thin, and dreadfully uncomfortable. Everything else in his room looked as though it was ready to fall apart at any moment. This was the environment she hadn't fought harder to keep him from? She stepped over broken glass and dirty clothes until she caught sight of her boyfriend. His back was against a dresser, and his cheek was bruised, his skin even broken in a medium sized scratch that was still bleeding over the bruise. "Harry!" Hermione cried and fell beside him, pulling him to her and holding him as gently as possible in the hopes of not causing him further pain.
Harry's eyes opened slowly, and he gave her a weak smile. "Hey Mione," he whispered faintly and coughed. "F-fuck, Vernon outdid himself." He struggled to take a deep breath and placed his hand over Hermione's. "Should have known… you'd show up…" he whispered then winced. His already weak grip on Hermione's hand slackened and he shut his eyes again.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears that splashed onto Harry's face. "Sirius!" She yelled. "Get up here! Now!" She kissed Harry's forehead, and was held together by the warmth she still felt in his skin and the steady beating of his heart. "I love you Harry, I'm so sorry this happened." She rocked Harry in her arms, ignoring the sound of Sirius running up the stairs, instead focusing on her boyfriend. "Everything is going to be okay Harry, I promise. I'm going to make everything okay. We're going to make everything okay."
Sirius came crashing into Harry's room with a look of rage. "What the bloody fuck happened?!" He asked when he took notice of Harry. "Expecto Patronum!" An enormous Wolf leaped out of his wand in a flurry of silver light. "Remus, I need you right now. We're at the Dursley house, and our pup needs help. He needs medical treatment and I can't take him."
Hermione continued to rock Harry in her arms as the patronus took off through the window. "The hell with Dumbledore, you're never coming back here again." The tears were steadily falling from her eyes as she held on to Harry. Sirius waited by the window, watching for Remus.
The moment the werewolf appeared outside the house, he looked up to the window, where he saw Sirius waving him up urgently. Remus nodded and ran into the house. Sirius and Hermione could hear someone running up the stairs. The moment Remus made it to Harry's room he wanted to scream. Anger, fear, pain, an overwhelming sense of failure, it all hit him at once. But he schooled his features into a calm that he knew everyone could see through, but still needed. He hurried to the three people huddled together on the ground. "Move back so I can lift him," he said and Hermione reluctantly let go of him, setting him back down as gently as she could.
Remus crouched down beside Hermione and pulled Harry's unconscious body into his arms, then he stood back up, cradling Harry in his arms. He could feel his eyes watering, and he barely succeeded in blinking it back. He had to stay strong so they could get Harry help. He told Sirius to shift, and seconds later he was looking at a very large shaggy black dog. "Hermione, take Padfoot's paw and Harry's hand. I'm taking us to St. Mungos." Hermione did as Remus asked.
In moments they found themselves inside St. Mungos, the wizarding world's best hospital. "Help!" Hermione shouted. A healer came rushing forward, and once she was close enough for Hermione to recognize through her tears, she realized it was Madam Pomfrey. "What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, very confused.
"I work here during the summers Miss Granger," Poppy explained quickly. "Now what's happened to Mister Potter?" She asked as a stretcher began zooming toward them.
"He was attacked by his uncle," Hermione supplied and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes and face.
Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at Harry, who levitated out of Remus' arms and settled gently onto the stretcher. Hermione rushed straight back to Harry's side and took hold of his hand. "Not to worry, Miss Granger. If that boy could survive a Hungarian Horntail, he can survive a sadist with a bad temper."
Remus put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I'm going to take the dog back home, I'll be back shortly." She nodded almost imperceptibly. He gave Harry a brief look. "I trust you to stay with him," he added, knowing Harry couldn't be safer than he was with Hermione watching over. Hermione nodded again.
Before Remus could apparate, he heard a voice he thought he would never hear again. "Moony! Padfoot! What's happened to my son?!"
Padfoot stared ahead in shock and Remus nearly fainted. Hermione looked up from Harry to see none other than Lily and James Potter standing maybe twenty feet from them. Padfoot morphed back into his human form. "Prongs… How…?" He shook his head and ran toward James.
The two animagi embraced as brothers. "What happened? Padfoot, tell me what happened to Harry!"
Author's Note: Sorry, couldn't resist the cliff hanger, ha ha. No worries, the next chapter will be posted next Monday.
