Chapter 2

Harry did not know where he was going. It was a book house. In fact, he didn't know whose house it was. His first thought was to run right out the door he had come in. That was too obvious. He knew that people would be following him. So, he ran up the stairs and turned in the opposite direction of the front door, looking for a back door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Instead of stopping, Harry ran faster. He tried to find a door in the decrepit house that was open. Most of them were closed. The first few he came to wouldn't open. He wasn't sure that trying his wand to open them was a good idea. On the other hand, he was already expelled, so it wouldn't do any harm.

"Alohomora," Harry said under his breath, moving his hand in the half-circle movement on a door that seemed like it might lead to the outside.

"Idiot boy," Snape sneered, yanking his wand out of his hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Harry sneered back at him. "I'm getting out of here! Give that back."

"You must have lost what little sense you have," Snape said with nearly gritted teeth, bringing his face close to Harry's. "You are in a house full of Black Magic. You have no idea what will happen if you touch something. You have injured yourself. You have not been here ten minutes, and you've already made a fool of yourself and insulted your host, not to mention your friends."

Harry was breathing fast now and barely listening. "I have no friends," he spat. "And since you didn't tell me whose house this was when you dumped me here, I don't even know who my host is."

"Harry!"

They both ignored the shout from the other end of the hall and continued glaring at each other instead. Sirius came up to them and looked from one to the other in confusion. He pursed his lips for a moment before speaking.

"Harry, what's going on?" Sirius asked, sounding as if he was trying to keep his voice light and even with effort. "What's this about, Snape?"

"Your Godson here is behaving with his usual reckless disregard for his personal safety," Snape snapped. "Although you should not be surprised, after his appalling display just now."

"Well, he has been through a lot," Sirius countered. "I am sure that we can all sit down and talk about this, right Harry? You want to come into the drawing-room? You should have some hot chocolate, Lupin says."

He sounded uncertain as if Harry was a skittish colt. Harry glared at Snape a little longer and then turned to Sirius. He could see Lupin had come into the hallway behind him. He was carrying hovering a tray with steaming mugs of what must have been hot chocolate on it.

"I'm not staying here," Harry insisted. "Let me out."

"Harry," Sirius said slowly as if talking to a distressed or crazy person. "This is your home. Where else would you go?"

"What do you mean, this is my home?" Harry demanded angrily. "I have no home! I had what everyone PRETENDED was my home until a couple of hours ago. Now, I have nothing. It's not like you have done anything for yourself. Like any of you have. Now GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Pushing Sirius out of the way, Harry rushed down the hall, this time toward what he knew was the front door. He could hear voices behind him, but he didn't care. Snape shouted, and he ignored it. Sirius and Lupin both called after him, and he ignored them too.

When he got to the front door, it didn't open either. He pulled on the handle and tried the spell. Noting. Ripping off his glasses, Harry slid to the floor, pushing the back of his palms against his eyes in angry tears. Surprisingly, no one said anything to him. He expected a crowd of people cajoling him and trying to pour chocolate down his throat.

A shadow fell over him a few minutes later. He didn't need to put his glasses back on to see who it was. Harry sighed. It was about the last person he wanted to see.

"I heard about what happened at your aunt and uncle's house."

Harry just nodded without looking up.

"I can see why you would be feeling lost and alone right now, Harry, but I can assure you that you are not. We will find a way forward for you together. We will find a new home for you."

Harry muttered under his breath. He knew it was unintelligible. He didn't care.

"What was that, my boy? I'm afraid you will have to speak louder for an old man's ears to hear you."

"I said I have never had a home. Not since I was a baby. I don't know why you suddenly care about me now."

The silence was so deafening that Harry could hear the hurt in the air around them. He knew that some part of him had wanted to hurt, but now that he had, he felt terrible about it. He looked up into sad blue eyes.

"I know that I have failed you, my boy," Dumbledore said sadly. "I will try to make it up to you if I can."

"You can't." Harry stood up. "He's back. You know that. You know, don't you?"

The old man nodded. The flickering shadows from the gothic chandeliers made his face seem even older and more haggard. It was as if he had aged a hundred more years since Harry had last seen him.

"Then there is nothing you can do to make it right," Harry said firmly.

Dumbledore nodded at the conviction in Harry's voice.

"I cannot anticipate everything, Harry. I admit that things have not transpired in a way I could have foreseen. Am I correct in understanding that life at your aunt and uncle's mercy was … less than desirable?"

Harry gave a hard, cold laugh. "You could say that, professor. It's not like you didn't know. It's not like ALL OF YOU didn't know. I asked to stay at Hogwarts every holiday. I asked to stay with the Weasleys every summer. You never once checked up on me. NO ONE ever checked up on me. And then tonight I find out that Mrs. Figg, my BABYSITTER FOR MY WHOLE LIFE, was a SQUIB. She was spying on me, wasn't she? What did she tell you, Headmaster? Did she tell you that I slept in a cupboard? That I wore my cousin's hand-me-downs? That I was never given enough to eat? That my cousin and all his friends beat me every single day? WHAT DID SHE TELL YOU?"

Dumbledore looked down at Harry carefully. Harry had never yelled at him before. Harry had never much yelled at anyone before. He barely even mouthed off. Years at the Dursleys had made him a fairly meek boy. Harry knew he must have seemed unhinged. He didn't care. He was tired of just taking orders.

"Well, as I said," Dumbledore finally replied, "I should have …"

"Don't tell me you should have known," Harry interrupted. "Everyone knew. My Hogwarts letter was addressed to the Cupboard Under the Stairs."

Harry moved around past Dumbledore, back down the hallway. He didn't care if that was where everyone else was. This door wasn't opening, and all he wanted was to get away from the man. As he was walking away, he heard Snape's voice.

"Is that true?"

Harry almost turned. He didn't see how it could be possible that Dumbledore or the other teachers did not know how his first Hogwarts letter was addressed. It had been in the back of his mind ever since. It was a sign that no one at Hogwarts truly cared. If they had, they would never have overlooked such a fact as keeping a child in a cupboard.

Although Harry didn't want to talk to anyone, he was resigned to his fate. He allowed himself to be steered by Remus Lupin into the drawing-room. His former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher put a still-steaming mug of hot chocolate in his hands. It must have had a warming charm on it.

"Drink this," Lupin said. "I know it has been a few hours, but it will still help."

Nodding numbly, Harry drank the chocolate. It did bring a slow warming sensation throughout his body, but it was only a physical change. There was more to the depression that Harry felt than what had been brought on by the dementors.

"Harry," Hermione said timidly. "Are you alright?"

It seemed like such a ridiculous question that Harry had no way to answer her. He wanted to shout at her and ask her why she hadn't written to him and told him where she was staying. He wanted to ask her how she had ended up here and where here was. He didn't do anything of that. Instead, he just gave her a wan, faked smile.

"I'll be fine, Hermione."