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Chapter 13 – Let Me Go!

Minerva McGonagall had sent a patronus to the potions master, she couldn't find Harry anywhere in the common room or the dormitory's or any of the bathrooms near the great hall. Severus Snape came rushing from the dungeons saying he couldn't find the boy anywhere down there either. A phoenix patronus then circled them and guided them to the headmaster's office. The two didn't want to disobey the headmaster but were both hesitant due to the missing student but decided to go so Dumbledore could conduct a search. They went up to the office and knocked on the door, it opened and what they saw inside the office surprised them both.

…

Harry was falling and falling, it was a brilliant feeling, something for him at last so he closed his eyes for the impact, but it never came. The falling sensation soon turned into a flying sensation is this what death feels like he thought to himself, no pain or nothing, something was a bit off about the whole situation, so he opened his eyes with dread. He was flying it felt like he was on his nimbus 2000 without the actual broom, the cold air stung his face as he was guided through the air. Harry realised that he had been caught by something, he looked up and saw a wingspan of a red bird. Harry was angry, why couldn't anyone or anything let him do what he wanted, Harry thrashed around trying to make the bird with a vice grip in his robes drop him.

"LET ME GO!" shouted Harry "LEAVE GO! I'M NOT WORTH ANYTHING!"

The bird didn't let go, if anything it gripped tighter as it guided harry through the air through the turrets of the castle before coming into land on a balcony that could see the whole school, a giant device was visible in the balcony and so was a certain half-moon spectacled headmaster. Harry groaned as the adrenaline was wearing off into blind panic, he couldn't go to the headmaster, he can go back to the common room, nothing happened, he can continue with life that's what people wanted from him right.

The red bird gently placed Harry down on the balcony next to the headmaster and then went to its perch. When Harry had a better look at the bird, he thought it was beautiful, red and orange feathers littered the bird and a gentle calming song came from its beak when speaking to the headmaster. Harry didn't know what to do so he started to run, down the steps and into Dumbledore's office where he had been before and tried to open the door, he tugged, and he pulled. He started to panic, he was trapped, there was nothing he could do to escape. So he slid down the door in defeat and curled up into a ball as tight as he could, he started to cry and go all into himself, he tried to grab at anything to cut right now but there was nothing sharp near him on the floor and didn't look like there was anything in the office so he resorted to scratching his already damaged arm, harder and harder and harder. Someone tried to take his hands into theirs, but he flinched away, he didn't want to be touched or anything right now. After that a spell was cast and he could no longer cause any damage to himself.

"Harry, come on out, we need to talk about what happened" It was Dumbledore, concerned and worried about the student on his office floor. No reply "Harry, it's okay to feel like this, you are safe now." Nothing "Harry you are being silly". No reply, Harry just curled himself tighter. "Harry you aren't going to go anywhere until you speak to me about what has happened.

"ITS NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS. LET ME GO! LET ME OUT! LET ME DIE! I'M NOTHING TO YOU!" came a shout from the hall. Albus Dumbledore had never seen a twelve-year-old boy so distraught, he needed to know why his saviour was not talking to him, why he didn't care anymore what he thought or said?

"I can't let you go until you are safe to be alone". No reply again. Harry was just panicking now; he didn't want anyone to know and obviously the headmaster did. It was obvious the old man cared and wanted him to be safe and well, it reminded him that others cared too. Harry regretted jumping, I he hadn't none of this would have happened, he would be in his dormitory able to sleep and be with friends. Guilt overwhelmed him when he thought of the Weasley's and Hermione. Dumbledore could tell there was nothing he could do for the boy and he wanted him to be safe and unhurt. Albus realised in this moment that Harry Potter was only a child an innocent child like any other in this school. Harry deserved a happy life and childhood, yes, he defeated Voldemort but he is only a boy and shouldn't have that burden or any burden except school. Albus sighed and knew he couldn't help the boy, he needed someone he trusted someone who was getting to know him. Albus decided to send a patronus to the potion's professor.

In no time at all a knock came from the door to his office, Albus unlocked the door with the counter charm he had used to lock it and opened the door. Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall were standing in the doorway, they both looked down and two shocked faces stared back at him. Severus entered whilst McGonagall left to make sure the Gryffindors worried about Harry knew he was safe; he then locked the door with the same charm.

"Albus, what has happened? Why such extreme measures to lock the door?" asked Severus as he bent down then gently asked "Harry its professor Snape, you are safe can you look at me?" he tried to gently touch the boy who flinched violently away so he stopped.

"Harry decided to visit the astronomy tower this evening, not to look at the stars, however. "Severus groaned inwardly, he knew something like this was going to happen, why didn't he meet the boy outside of the great hall after the feast? Why did he wait that long? "I doubt if I need to say anymore however Harry leapt from the tower and was caught by Fawkes who as you know responds to the charm place on the towers for anybody who takes a leap. Fawkes brought Harry straight here instead of the Hospital wing, Harry then tried to run to the door and open it, I looked it with a charm quickly so he couldn't do anything else. Harry then went into himself and started to scratch at his arm so I charmed his hands so they couldn't do any more damage. I have tried to talk to him but there has been no response." Finished Dumbledore with a grave voice, no twinkle was visible behind the spectacles.

"Alright Headmaster, thank you. Is there any chance we can emergency call Healer Richards?"

"Certainly" replied Dumbledore as he threw some powder into the fireplace and asked for "Castleway's Cottage" he stepped in the fireplace and disappeared. Meanwhile Severus was trying to coax harry out of his ball but was having no success even the breathing exercises he was saying to the boy wasn't working, he tried to touch the boy but he kept flinching away luckily it wasn't long until the headmaster came back with Gareth close behind him.

"Thank you for coming healer Richards at this late hour"

"It's not a problem, it's not too late anyway it's what I am here for. Anytime means anytime Severus. Albus has explained what has happened and I am assuming you can't get anywhere near him?" Severus shook his head with a sad look upon his face. "Don't you worry, he would eventually tire himself out but that is never recommended." Gareth replied as he looked at the boy.

Suddenly another patronus entered the room in the shape of a cat and it stopped dead, an echoing voice of Minerva McGonagall filled the room. "Headmaster, this is urgent, please come to the first-floor corridor by the girls lavatory as quick as you can" the patronus then left. Dumbledore looked at Severus and Gareth obviously not knowing what to do.

"Headmaster go to Professor McGonagall, Severus and I can handle Harry, we will still be here when you return"

"Thank you Healer Richards. I will be as quick as I can" Dumbledore replied as he left the office. Severus was now alone with harry and Gareth. Gareth made sure the door was closed before trying to speak to the distraught boy.

"Harry, its Gareth. You are safe" Gareth repeated these words but there was no response or effect, he needed to personally connect with the boy and feed some calming magic into him but knew it would be difficult just by the way harry was positioned, ready to run and curled up in defence. Gareth sat down next to harry and kept talking to him explaining what he was going to do before attempting to touch him. Gareth didn't know if harry was listening or not, but it was worth a go. Slowly and carefully he placed a hand on the boy's small back. At the first slight tough the boy flinched away. Gareth didn't move though he kept talking to Harry letting him know he was safe and explaining what he was going to do.

Harry could hear Gareth there by his side, but he didn't know what Gareth was going to do after this, it was safer to stay here, he couldn't let anyone I, he couldn't let him now, he had let Gareth down. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried harder. He tried to listen to Gareth he knew what the healer wanted to do but Harry couldn't let anyone take him away. Gareth wasn't giving up though.

Gareth turned to Severus and said "Harry is listening"

"He is crying harder though, we are obviously distressing him, we need to stop."

"No, if we stop then Harry is more likely to do something again when he wakes from exhaustion tomorrow" explained Gareth "Harry, you are safe, I am not going anywhere, professor Snape is here too, come say hello. We aren't going to hurt you; we aren't mad or angry. You aren't going to be punished okay? You are safe" Gareth kept repeating this making attempt to place his hand on the boys back replacing it every time the boy flinched away.

The hand on his back was gentle, they weren't going to leave him or take him away. He didn't flinch away and soon he could feel the magic flowing inside him, his breathing was more under control he could think straight. He had been stupid, why did he jump, why did he let the adrenaline take over.

"That's it Harry well done you are doing so well. You are safe, come back to me"

Once Harry was calm enough and knew Gareth wasn't going anywhere and wanted to be with him all Harry wanted to do was be in the healer's arms, that was a safe place, nothing could hurt him there. People could still take him away here. Harry unravelled himself slowly before quickly scooting onto Gareth's lap, into the healer's arms and buried his head in Gareth's shoulder, crying still hard.

"Well done Harry, great job. You are safe with me, I'm not going to let you go until you are ready" Gareth said smiling slightly placing one hand around the boys back and onto the back his head and the other around the boys waist, this was the best position to let the calming magic flow. Gareth looked up at the potions master who was now speaking to him.

"I don't know how you managed to do that but thank you healer Richards"

"no problem Severus and please call me Gareth, we were both in the same year in school first name terms shouldn't change and especially now you've done such a great job with Harry"

"I haven't look at him he's just jumped"

"You couldn't have helped it, you reached out to him, he knows he can come to you. The problem is when children don't get the right messages early in life then they don't feel like they can reach out to anyone, that they don't deserve help, that adults lie to them. My aim for Harry has been to try to get him to open up, but he is a tough cookie and needs more time than most."

"You are right there, today might have been too much for him"

"Is today a significant day?"

"Tonight, is the night ten years ago from when his parents were murdered" at that Harry cried harder he missed his parents, he wanted to be with them so badly. Gareth held the boy tight feeding him some calming magic.

"I think I know what to tackle next with him" Gareth was about to say something more when tree professors came into the office behind Dumbledore.