I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Note: Happy Lunar New Year! I hope all receive good fortune and good health. Thank you everyone for your wonderful words and encouragement.

The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 27– One Step Back

Katie was worried.

As The Hogwarts Express got closer and closer to London, her worry grew. She was not worried for herself. She was looking forward to spending time at home with her family. It was still a few years for her little sister to join her at Hogwarts and she missed seeing her every day. She had done well in school, earning high marks in most subjects.

She was not worried about the coming school year at all. She knew she would still be prepared scholastically. She knew the Quidditch team will only get better. No one was graduating and she doubted anyone else would surpass any of the starters. It was a fry cry difference from the beginning of the current school year.

She was worried about Harry.

That should not have been a surprise. Ever since she saw how he was at that first practice, ever since her first really good look at him, she had been worried about him. He never left her mind completely. She worried if he was eating, how he was sleeping, how he did in class, how he did on the pitch.

As the year progressed, her worries subsided a little bit. Every time he sat with them, every time he willingly talked to them and interacted with them, she felt better. Seeing his appetite increase, not quite to Ron level of good appetite admittedly but close, seeing him fill out a little soothed her. Seeing proper smiles on his face, hearing him laugh, heartened her. Accounting for the incident at the end of the year, which caused her worry to spike tremendously, he was practically a different child by the end of the year.

She was sure she did the right thing. She was glad she noticed him. She was happy the team rallied around him.

Now, however, she was worried that everything they did together was falling apart.

The team, except for the twins, were in a compartment with Harry. Ron and Hermione were there too. The twins popped in and out of the compartment during the trip, leaving a trail of merry chaos as they usually did. The conversations were relatively easy though Ron and Hermione were still shy around the team, not quite interacting with them as easily as Harry did. That made sense honestly.

At first, Harry's behavior did not make sense. As the train chugged along the track he seemed to deflate, becoming more withdrawn. He talked less, laughed less. He shrank into himself. He did it slowly, a slow change, one that went mostly unnoticed by almost everyone in the compartment.

Katie felt him trembling against her. She moved her head down, "What's wrong Harry?"

He tried to shake his head. "Nothing's wrong."

She took his hand and felt how clammy his skin was, how hard it shook. "There's something wrong. You can tell me."

He shivered. "I'm scared," he whispered.

Suddenly Katie knew. She almost cursed herself for taking so long to realize what was bothering him. They were going back. He was going back to his horrid excuse of a family.

She looked around the compartment, checking to see everyone was paying to their own devices. She turned back to him. "Harry, remember what we said to you this year? Specifically what Angelina and I said?"

He nodded silently.

"What was it?" she pressed.

"I'm not a…freak," he whispered. He flinched at saying the word. Even hearing himself say it caused such a visceral and physical reaction.

"You are not," Katie said firmly. "You do not deserve anything your aunt and uncle do to you. Not a bit. You're just…stuck for now."

He nodded again, his eyes not meeting hers.

"Remember that we care about you, Harry. You have people who care. You know that right?"

A third nod. A small nod, but it was not hesitant.

"It's only for a few weeks," she said lamely. For them it would be a short time away from school. For him it would be an age. An eternity spent where he was not wanted, where he was subjected to an environment that was at best unkind and at worst…

She did not truly know what he was subjected to. She had only the briefest glimpses of reluctant confessions from Harry about it. She wanted to know more as much as she never wanted to know. She wanted to know so she could help Harry as best as she could. She never wanted to know because she did not want to believe that such things could happen.

"If you need anything, need help, or just want to talk to someone, send Hedwig. Any one of us will be there for you."

He finally looked at her. There was just the tiniest bit of hope in his startling green eyes. The smallest ray of light that nearly drowned in unshed tears. "Thank you," he whispered.

She drew him in, hugging him close. She felt him sniffle, she felt him dry his eyes on her robes. She helped him hide for just a few moments.

Hermione was staring at them. A question on her lips, confusion on her face, the beginnings of a frown in her eyes.

Angelina looked over, having noticed the younger girl's facial expression, then looking over at Katie and Harry. The taller girl made eye contact with Katie. A silent question was asked.

Katie's eyes were pain and concern and comfort in equal measure.

Angelina pushed down the growing unrest in her stomach and coughed. "Hey Rabbit," she said gently.

Harry looked up, the last of his tears drying on his face.

Angelina opened her arms wide. "I need some Rabbit time. It'll be a long summer without being able to cuddle and embarrass you."

Harry managed a watery giggle. "You don't embarrass me," he said as he walked over and sat in her lap, letting her arms wrap him tight. "Much."

"Guess I'll have to work harder at that then," Angelina said as she squeezed him tight. He no longer went rigid at physical contact, he no longer trembled as if expecting the worst. But he was still stiff with worry and she tried to impart as much warmness as she could to him.

Hermione definitely frowned now. She looked mildly scandalized and disapproving, but said nothing. She had caught Katie's small shake of her head, and instead looked out the window. Her eyes were still focused on Harry however, at least in the reflection of the window.

Alicia looked at Harry, him looking somehow smaller as he sat with Angelina. She noticed Katie's look of discontent, at the slightly wet spot on her shoulder. She sighed, biting her lip.

Oliver said nothing, instead squeezing Alicia's hand and looked pensive.

When the Express pulled into King's Cross Station, the mood had turned somber. By now Ron had noticed something was wrong. Before he could mention anything, the twins shushed him, having returned towards the end and guessing what was going on.

They left the train together, the team clustered around Harry along with Ron and Hermione. In pairs and trios, they walked through the enchanted portal of the platform, sliding into the Muggle side of King's Cross Station.

They ran into Mrs. Weasley first. She had hugged her boys happily and looked pleased when Harry thanked her for the jumper and the fudge. She had moved to hug him too but stopped when Percy, who had caught up to them, stopped her with a look. Confused she instead patted his hand, resolving to ask her sons what that was about later.

Alicia and Oliver were the first to leave. They saw family who were waiting impatiently so they made fast good byes but both spent a long moment saying good bye to Harry.

Harry went stiff, eyes opened wide.

Katie turned and saw some of the most unpleasant looking people she had ever seen. Not that they were physically repellant. They looked rather normal to be truthful. However, the way they stood, the naked hostility shown, they radiated displeasure. They glared at the magical families and students as if their presence personally offended them.

The way they looked at Harry made Katie's skin crawl. She wanted to hold him back, to prevent him from going with them.

She could not, no matter how much she wanted to.

Vernon said some unpleasant things to Harry but Katie did not hear them. She was too focused on how Harry was reacting.

It was like watching a nightmare come to life in the light of day.

It was as if the entire year had dissolved. Gone was the smiling boy, gone was the normalcy. He was a shell again. A terrible facsimile of a child, one that looked like one but did not act like one. He looked like a shaking animal clad in human form.

In actually, it was worse. For the boy had come to know what comfort was. He had found solace, relief, respite. He knew what was right and wrong. He had come to accept it. To depend on it. To crave it.

And it was being stripped away from him.

Harry left with his so-called family. He stopped and turned and waved to her.

The look on his face almost broke her.

Angelina growled, long and low. "I have a very bad feeling about this."

Katie nodded. She did not speak. She knew if she tried her voice would crack.

"Maybe he'll be okay. He knows better now. Maybe it won't be as bad as we think."

Katie looked up at her. "Do you really believe that?"

"No." Angelina looked anguished. "I can hope though. You told him to owl us if he needs us?" She sighed at Katie's nod. "That's something then. We can try to check in on him too. We'll be there for him when we go back to school too. That's something at least…right?"

"It's something," Katie said sadly. She hugged the taller girl tightly, two people who knew too much tried to comfort the other. Then she watched her leave. A hand touched her shoulder and drew her into another warm embrace.

"Was that Harry?" Samantha asked her daughter.

Katie nodded against her mother's shoulder, finally allowing herself to cry.

Samantha stared off into the distance, eyes focused on where Harry was. "I wasn't close enough to hear what was said. Did you hear?"

She shook her head. "I didn't really hear what was said. I only saw how upset Harry was. How he looked." The tears would not stop. "Mum, it's not right. I'm not wrong."

"No, I don't think you are." Samantha started to walk, holding onto Katie.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"You told him to send you a message if he needs you?"

She nodded.

"Then we can only wait and see. Hope for the best. Pray."

Katie knew her mother was being completely honest with her. Samantha never tried to hide the truth from her children. She treated them as honestly as she could. She still hated how utterly helpless she felt.

Harry's more helpless.

"Does…does it ever get easier?"

"For some people it does," Samantha admitted.

"Has it gotten easier for you?"

"No." Again, Samantha did not lie.

Katie wrapped her arms around her mother and they walked in silence.