Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling,

various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter one

A couple of days after the fighting finished, Harry Potter was still at Hogwarts. He told Ron and Hermione he would get to the Burrow after he had a chance to put the wand back with Dumbledore. Harry had gone down to the tomb but ended up staring down at his old mentor's face. He never put the wand back, he decided to keep it even if he didn't want to use it. By the third day after the fighting, Harry finally started to think about everything that had happened throughout his life. From the time at Privet Drive, to Voldemort, to what he'd seen, to the people that died. But one thing that kept invading his thoughts was that piece of soul. At first Harry was able to deal with that, especially after Dumbledore told him it was gone, destroyed by Voldemort himself. Now though, Harry couldn't stop thinking about having part of that man inside him, the man that killed his parents, that killed so many people. Harry was sitting on his old bed in the Gryffindor dorm rooms, trying to get those thoughts out of his head. He got up and headed for the bathroom to have a shower before dinner. He stepped into the boys bathrooms, stripped off and saw the large scar on his chest, which brought those thoughts straight back to him.

Down in the school, Minerva McGonagall was helping the rest of the staff and people that turned up to lend a hand, they were clearing away all the rubble. They got they great hall repaired, now they were starting on other important parts of the castle. Whenever Minerva watched a section get fixed, she would quietly thank the founders for the magic they put around Hogwarts when they first built it. They made sure the castle would always be able to be repaired, no matter how much damage or what type of magic was used. She was standing at a section of wall, near the back of the castle, when a house elf appeared beside her.

'Headmistress, the house elves detected a lot of blood.'

'Old blood or fresh blood?'

'Fresh, just happened headmistress.'

'Where?'

'Gryffindor tower headmistress.'

'Thank you,' Minerva hurried into the castle and up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. She stepped through the portrait hole, but never saw anyone. She knew there was only one person staying here, so she ran up the stairs to the boys dorm rooms. She went into one, but didn't see Harry anywhere. She looked through every dorm room before checking the bathrooms and that's where she found Harry, lying naked in a pool of blood that coming from a large wound on his chest. She quickly grabbed a towel, pressed it over the wound to slow the blood flow, then sent her patronus off to Poppy. She kept staring down at Harry's face, seeing how pale it was and wondered what caused this.

'Let me at him Minerva,' Poppy knelt down beside Harry, pulled the towel away, then started to perform her healing charms over Harry, then gave him two potions before doing more charms. 'We can get him up to the hospital wing, he'll need more potions and charms over the next week.'

Minerva nodded, but never said anything, she just turned the warm water on, soaked the towel, then cleaned up all the blood around Harry's wound. She saw something in Harry's hand, pulled his fingers apart and took a razor from his palm.

'This is what he used, it's like he was trying to make it bigger.'

'No Poppy, I think he was trying to change the look of it,' Minerva stared at the now disguised lightning shaped scar on Harry's chest. She summoned a blanket, covered Harry then levitated him out of the bathroom and up to the hospital wing. She settled him on a bed, 'I better let Hermione and Ron know, keep me posted Poppy.'

'I will,' the matron watched the headmistress leave her hospital then turned back to Harry. She summoned some curtains for around the bed, then took the blanket off before pulling the coverings up over Harry, but left his chest uncovered. 'What made you do this Mr. Potter?' she sighed then left Harry to tend to other patients.

Minerva McGonagall stepped out of the fireplace into the Burrow's kitchen and every Weasley apart from Molly and George were sitting there along with Hermione and they turned to stare at her.

'Minerva, is something wrong?' Arthur asked.

'Yes, the house elves let me know they sensed fresh blood in Gryffindor tower. I found Harry naked in a pool of blood. He had a razor blade in his hand and his chest was cut open.'

'He's chest,' Ron said sitting up straight, 'His new scar.'

'Yes, it looks like he was trying to change it, make it look different. Now the scar takes up his whole chest.'

'We'll go straight to see him,' Hermione stood up, summoned her bag then looked at Ron, 'Are you coming?'

'Yeah, give me a minute,' Ron stood up and headed up the stairs.

'Did Madame Pomfrey say how he is?' Charlie asked.

'Just that he needs a lot more healing and potions over the next week. We took him up to the hospital wing, then I came here.'

'I'm ready,' Ron sighed then looked at his father, 'I don't know how long I'll be.'

'Don't be long Ron, you know your mother doesn't want you out of her sight for long.'

'I know dad,' Ron turned to Hermione and Professor McGonagall and the three of them stepped back into the fireplace, disappearing from the Burrow and stepping out in the headmistress office, 'How do the house elves know?'

'It's something they sense and they are to tell the headmaster or headmistress if they do sense blood. Go up, Poppy is expecting you.'

'Thanks Professor,' Hermione sniffed then left the office with Ron and made their way up to the hospital wing, 'Madame Pomfrey.'

'He's going to be alright, I put the curtains around him to stop anyone seeing his chest. He will be unconscious for a while, but you go sit with him if you like.'

'Thanks,' Ron and Hermione walked down the ward, nodded to people they knew that were still healing, then stepped around the curtain, 'Oh shit, what made him do that?'

'I don't know Ron, but you can't tell it was ever a lightning shaped scar, not like before,' Hermione sat on the bed and took Harry's hand. She stared down at his pale face and wondered why Harry did this, what could possibly make Harry do this to himself.

For the rest of the night, Hermione refused to move from Harry's side. Ron knew his mother would have a go at him for being gone so long. His father had explained that because of Fred, she wanted all her kids where she could see them. Ron tried to get Hermione to go back to the Burrow, but she said she wanted to stay with Harry at least until he woke up, so Ron left to head home. Hermione curled up on the end of the bed, but never took her eyes off Harry's face.

'Hermione, I've pulled another bed behind the curtains so you'll be a bit more comfortable. I knew you didn't want to leave his side,' Minerva gave her a kindly smile.

'I can't leave him, not until I know why he did this.'

'I'd like to know that myself. The first two days, Harry seemed fine. But today, he was really quiet, never said anything, hardly ate and I saw him down near Albus' tomb a lot. I checked, he never put the wand back.'

'You don't think someone else did this though, do you?'

'No, I think Harry did it, for whatever reason he wanted that scar to look different and now it is.'

'It's hard to believe how much he changed it. That would have really hurt.'

'That's another thing Hermione, house elves can tell when someone is hurt. But they never said that to me, they only said they sensed fresh blood. With what Harry has been through for years, I could see him staying quiet while he did that.'

'Minerva,' Kingsley said as he stepped around the curtain, 'Oh dear merlin, did Harry do that to himself?'

'I think so Kingsley, it looks like he wanted to change it.'

'Well he succeeded, has he said anything?'

'No, he's still unconscious. I think Poppy gave him a sleeping draught to make sure he stayed put. He refused to stay when she first healed his wounds, this time, he wasn't awake to argue with her.'

The three of them stared as Harry's head moved from one side to the other, 'Harry,' Hermione squeezed his hand.

'Hmmm,' Harry murmured but never opened his eyes, just moved his head and arm, 'Hmmm,' he murmured again, then slowly blinked a few times and saw Hermione, Kingsley and Professor McGonagall, then glanced down at his chest before turning on his side, with his back to the others.

'Why Harry, tell me why you did this?' Hermione had no choice but to let his hand go when he turned over, so she put her hand on his arm, but got no response from Harry, 'So you're not going to talk to me,' again Harry never made a sound or turn back over.

'I'll let Poppy know he's awake,' Minerva sighed then stepped around the curtain and got the matron's attention who instantly walked towards her and around the curtain.

'How are you feeling Mr. Potter,' they all saw Harry shrug, but never spoke, 'Are you in pain,' Harry shook his head, 'I need to check your chest, roll over for me,' Harry never moved.

'We'll step out, come on Hermione, let Poppy look at him,' Minerva waited until Hermione got up then the three of them stepped outside the curtain. They could hear Poppy talking, but they never heard Harry, not once. So they realised he was either nodding, shaking his head or shrugging, but not speaking, 'Maybe he might speak to you if you're alone.'

'I hope he does professor, but I'm so angry with him right now. How could he do that to himself, why would he?'

'Hopefully you can get that answer.'

Poppy joined the group, 'It's healing, but he refused to say anything.'

'Hermione, go talk to him, maybe he will open up to you.'

Hermione nodded, then sat back on the bed beside Harry, but she sat on the side he was facing and when he tried to turn over, Hermione held his shoulders.

'Don't try it Harry, right now you couldn't fight me. Now tell me why you did this and if you don't answer me, I'll do some horrible hex on you that you can't get rid of.'

Harry just turned his head and refused to talk or look at Hermione. He just stared at nothing.

'I've been here for hours worrying and you can't talk to me,' Hermione kept staring at Harry's face but he just refused to look at her, 'Fine, if that's how you feel, then I'll go back to the Burrow and get some sleep,' Hermione stood up and stared down at Harry, 'Talk to me Harry,' again he refused to talk or look at her, so Hermione finally gave up and thought maybe he might need a few days, 'If you decide to talk, you know where I'll be,' Hermione stepped out and saw Kingsley, Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall all standing there and she knew the three of them would have heard that Harry refused to answer.

'Give him a few days, maybe he will then.'

'I hope so professor, but I better get back to the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley's not doing too well at the moment.'

'No, I would expect she's not.'

'Hermione, can you explain a few things, like how he survived. I was with a couple of aurors questioning death eaters, most refused to speak. Narcissa Malfoy told me what happened in the forbidden forest. Voldemort hit Harry with the killing curse again. She said both were knocked out, at first she thought they were both dead.'

'That might be something Harry will need to explain. You know what his like, he doesn't tell anyone anything,' Hermione chewed her lip then gestured for them to move away, so the four of them went up near the doors, 'There's a memory in Professor Dumbledore's pensieve, Professor Snape gave it to Harry right before he died, that explains everything. But if you go in and see it, I never told you so I never broke my promise to Harry.'

'Very sneaky Hermione and you know Harry wouldn't like it if you did break your promise.' Kingsley said.

'I will tell you this Hermione, I did find that memory in there, but I just figured it was something Severus was looking at last time he was in there. I put it away, but now, I think we will watch it and it might explain why Harry did this.'

'You'll understand why professor. Even though he made me angry for not talking to me, I can't really understand how he's feeling even if I do know the reason, you'll realise once you see it.'

'Alright, you go back to the Burrow. If there's any change, we'll let you know.'

'Thanks professor,' Hermione looked back at the curtains once more, then left. Minerva and Kingsley went straight up to the office ready to watch a memory.