Um…standard disclaimers (me poor, she rich) part two. Enjoy. And
as always, R/R!!!!
Arthur apparated into the backyard of the Burrow, still holding Harry tightly in his arms. With one hand he shoved the door open and quickly walked into the house. He overheard Molly asking Ginny to go get the boys from the field for dinner. She was walking toward the back door when she passed her father and the bloody and unconscious Harry. Ginny gave a shriek and fell back against the wall with her hands over her mouth.
"Ginny, did you see a mouse?" came a call from the kitchen. "Ginny?"
Arthur strode in the kitchen carrying Harry and headed for the living room couch. "Molly, bring some rags please. Wet ones." Molly gave a little yelp of surprise "Harry? Is he, is he okay?"
As he was about to answer, the back door slammed and the sound of Ginny running out into the yard and yelling Ron's name over and over again could be heard. "I think so. His uncle was beating on him. He was drunk out of his mind."
Molly stepped in with a rag and carefully started wiping the blood off of Harry's face. "The poor dear. How could he do that?"
"I don't know Molly, but if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm going to make sure it never happens again." Mr. Weasley walked over to the 'telly-phone' and called the police.
Molly lifted the tatters of Harry's shirt and looked at his chest and stomach. "He's so thin," she thought, as she saw a number of ugly bruises just starting to form on his side. Looking up his chest, she noticed how visible his ribs were, and that at least one of them appeared to be broken, maybe two. She was just lifting the shirt over Harry's head when a herd of elephants stormed in the back door and headed right for the living room.
"Harry!!! Is he alright, mum? Is he?" Ron was nearly crying at the sight of his best friend laying in that condition. Ginny had said that he was hurt, but he wasn't ready for this. Behind Ron, the twins stood absolutely silent and still, probably for the first time in their lives. Ron reached down and grasped Harry's hand in his and kneeled down near Harry. "Harry! Harry, wake up. It's me, Ron. You're safe now," he said softly as a few tears fell down his cheeks.
Ron squeezed Harry's hand lightly and after about ten seconds, Harry squeezed back. Ron covered their hands in his other one, and looked over at the rest of his family. Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and he looked back down at Harry, who had begun to stir.
"Oh Harry, easy dear, you're in pretty rough shape," Molly said as Harry opened his and tried to lift his head up.
"Easy, Ron, you might break me more," Harry squeaked out as Ron gave him a hug.
"Fred, go into the cabinet and bring me the emergency potion kit." Fred left immediately and returned with a wicker basket of labeled bottles.
"Here Harry, drink these two. They won't taste all wonderful, but they'll make you feel better." Molly handed Harry two small bottles, one of which was pea soup green, and the other was a bright, obnoxiously bright Chudley Cannons orange. Harry read the labels after he drank them and discovered that the green soupy one was a tonic to make the swellings go down, while the orange one (which tasted like a very sweet blackberry) was a pain blocker.
After he had downed the two bottles, he felt a bit better almost immediately. He sat up and moaned a little. "Harry, what happened?"
"It was my uncle. He had come home from a very lousy day at work and was mumbling something about losing a huge order of drills and he started drinking quickly and ceaselessly. Could I have a cup of water, please?" Ginny was in the kitchen and back in short order.
"I guess that I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was coming in the back door after trimming the hedges and he just started yelling at me. Horrible stuff, mostly." Harry looked away a minute and then faced them again. "If Mr. Weasley hadn't been there, I might well be dead now."
"Well Harry, if Arthur and I have anything to do about it, you'll never see him again, unless you wanted to visit him in the muggle prison."
Harry smiled wanly at that, thinking that there would only be two people to torment him there now, not three. As if reading Harry's thoughts, Ron piped in, "Mum, Harry isn't going back there, is he? You can't let him! There's more than enough space in my room. I'll even sleep in the yard if I have to."
"Easy, Ron. No Harry isn't going back there and yes, he can stay with us. He is almost a Weasley already anyway," Molly said, calming her youngest son's fears.
There was a knocking at the front door and Ginny went to open it. Outside were Harry's belongings floating over the doormat. "Come on in, top of the stairs please." The trunk and other assorted items nonchalantly flew past the gathering in the living room and sailed up the stairs.
"Okay everyone, let's let Harry get a little rest now. Ginny, help me with dinner. Fred and George, go, oh, go make mischief quietly." With that announcement, the room cleared out leaving Ron and Harry. "Hey Ron, help me upstairs so I can get out of these ragged clothes, please."
"Sure Harry, let's get you up. Easy now."
Harry winced in pain, holding his side. "Blimey, that hurts. Let's go." It seemed to take forever to get up to Ron's room because Harry would stop after every couple of steps and wait for the pain to go away. Finally, they made it up to the room. Coincidentally, that was about when the pain blocking potion decided to kick in. "Well, that just figures, doesn't it?" Ron said.
"Yeah, if I didn't have bad luck…" Harry said, not bothering to finish the old line. He fished a clean and unbloodied set of clothes from his trunk and headed to the shower. "Don't take too long, Harry, mum will have dinner ready in short order."
"I'll just be a few minutes," he replied and shut the door behind him.
Ron sat down on his bed and looked at the ruined shirt on the floor beside him. He thought back to how he believed Harry dead when he first saw him. He rubbed an eye again. "Harry," he said to the trunk and the players of the Cannons, "if he ever touches you, if he ever comes near you again, I swear that I will kill him." He sat on the bed and looked at the players flying around until the water turned off and Harry stepped back into the room. "Come on Ron, I smell dinner. What's the matter?" Harry added the second part after he saw a very odd look in his best friend's eye.
"Nothing Harry. I'm fine. Let's go get some dinner."
Dinner was good and filling. Much better than the scraps of burnt bacon and leftover crusty meatloaf left him by the Dursleys in his first week home. Much better. After a few more potions administered by Mrs. Weasley, one of which tasted remarkably like buttered corn, Harry and the rest of the kids went off to bed.
The boys were greeted by a number of Hedwig's hoots as they entered the room. She (is Hedwig a she?? Is it ever said?? Anyway..) fluttered onto Harry's arm and gave his ear a loving nibble. As she (she's a she now, in this author's opinion) flew away, Harry got a whiff of mouse breath. Harry climbed into his pajamas and then climbed into bed, already feeling quite a bit better.
"Goodnight Ron. See you in the morning."
"G'night Harry," Ron said as he was stepping into his own pajamas. "Sleep tight." and to himself he added, "You're safe here."
Arthur apparated into the backyard of the Burrow, still holding Harry tightly in his arms. With one hand he shoved the door open and quickly walked into the house. He overheard Molly asking Ginny to go get the boys from the field for dinner. She was walking toward the back door when she passed her father and the bloody and unconscious Harry. Ginny gave a shriek and fell back against the wall with her hands over her mouth.
"Ginny, did you see a mouse?" came a call from the kitchen. "Ginny?"
Arthur strode in the kitchen carrying Harry and headed for the living room couch. "Molly, bring some rags please. Wet ones." Molly gave a little yelp of surprise "Harry? Is he, is he okay?"
As he was about to answer, the back door slammed and the sound of Ginny running out into the yard and yelling Ron's name over and over again could be heard. "I think so. His uncle was beating on him. He was drunk out of his mind."
Molly stepped in with a rag and carefully started wiping the blood off of Harry's face. "The poor dear. How could he do that?"
"I don't know Molly, but if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm going to make sure it never happens again." Mr. Weasley walked over to the 'telly-phone' and called the police.
Molly lifted the tatters of Harry's shirt and looked at his chest and stomach. "He's so thin," she thought, as she saw a number of ugly bruises just starting to form on his side. Looking up his chest, she noticed how visible his ribs were, and that at least one of them appeared to be broken, maybe two. She was just lifting the shirt over Harry's head when a herd of elephants stormed in the back door and headed right for the living room.
"Harry!!! Is he alright, mum? Is he?" Ron was nearly crying at the sight of his best friend laying in that condition. Ginny had said that he was hurt, but he wasn't ready for this. Behind Ron, the twins stood absolutely silent and still, probably for the first time in their lives. Ron reached down and grasped Harry's hand in his and kneeled down near Harry. "Harry! Harry, wake up. It's me, Ron. You're safe now," he said softly as a few tears fell down his cheeks.
Ron squeezed Harry's hand lightly and after about ten seconds, Harry squeezed back. Ron covered their hands in his other one, and looked over at the rest of his family. Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and he looked back down at Harry, who had begun to stir.
"Oh Harry, easy dear, you're in pretty rough shape," Molly said as Harry opened his and tried to lift his head up.
"Easy, Ron, you might break me more," Harry squeaked out as Ron gave him a hug.
"Fred, go into the cabinet and bring me the emergency potion kit." Fred left immediately and returned with a wicker basket of labeled bottles.
"Here Harry, drink these two. They won't taste all wonderful, but they'll make you feel better." Molly handed Harry two small bottles, one of which was pea soup green, and the other was a bright, obnoxiously bright Chudley Cannons orange. Harry read the labels after he drank them and discovered that the green soupy one was a tonic to make the swellings go down, while the orange one (which tasted like a very sweet blackberry) was a pain blocker.
After he had downed the two bottles, he felt a bit better almost immediately. He sat up and moaned a little. "Harry, what happened?"
"It was my uncle. He had come home from a very lousy day at work and was mumbling something about losing a huge order of drills and he started drinking quickly and ceaselessly. Could I have a cup of water, please?" Ginny was in the kitchen and back in short order.
"I guess that I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was coming in the back door after trimming the hedges and he just started yelling at me. Horrible stuff, mostly." Harry looked away a minute and then faced them again. "If Mr. Weasley hadn't been there, I might well be dead now."
"Well Harry, if Arthur and I have anything to do about it, you'll never see him again, unless you wanted to visit him in the muggle prison."
Harry smiled wanly at that, thinking that there would only be two people to torment him there now, not three. As if reading Harry's thoughts, Ron piped in, "Mum, Harry isn't going back there, is he? You can't let him! There's more than enough space in my room. I'll even sleep in the yard if I have to."
"Easy, Ron. No Harry isn't going back there and yes, he can stay with us. He is almost a Weasley already anyway," Molly said, calming her youngest son's fears.
There was a knocking at the front door and Ginny went to open it. Outside were Harry's belongings floating over the doormat. "Come on in, top of the stairs please." The trunk and other assorted items nonchalantly flew past the gathering in the living room and sailed up the stairs.
"Okay everyone, let's let Harry get a little rest now. Ginny, help me with dinner. Fred and George, go, oh, go make mischief quietly." With that announcement, the room cleared out leaving Ron and Harry. "Hey Ron, help me upstairs so I can get out of these ragged clothes, please."
"Sure Harry, let's get you up. Easy now."
Harry winced in pain, holding his side. "Blimey, that hurts. Let's go." It seemed to take forever to get up to Ron's room because Harry would stop after every couple of steps and wait for the pain to go away. Finally, they made it up to the room. Coincidentally, that was about when the pain blocking potion decided to kick in. "Well, that just figures, doesn't it?" Ron said.
"Yeah, if I didn't have bad luck…" Harry said, not bothering to finish the old line. He fished a clean and unbloodied set of clothes from his trunk and headed to the shower. "Don't take too long, Harry, mum will have dinner ready in short order."
"I'll just be a few minutes," he replied and shut the door behind him.
Ron sat down on his bed and looked at the ruined shirt on the floor beside him. He thought back to how he believed Harry dead when he first saw him. He rubbed an eye again. "Harry," he said to the trunk and the players of the Cannons, "if he ever touches you, if he ever comes near you again, I swear that I will kill him." He sat on the bed and looked at the players flying around until the water turned off and Harry stepped back into the room. "Come on Ron, I smell dinner. What's the matter?" Harry added the second part after he saw a very odd look in his best friend's eye.
"Nothing Harry. I'm fine. Let's go get some dinner."
Dinner was good and filling. Much better than the scraps of burnt bacon and leftover crusty meatloaf left him by the Dursleys in his first week home. Much better. After a few more potions administered by Mrs. Weasley, one of which tasted remarkably like buttered corn, Harry and the rest of the kids went off to bed.
The boys were greeted by a number of Hedwig's hoots as they entered the room. She (is Hedwig a she?? Is it ever said?? Anyway..) fluttered onto Harry's arm and gave his ear a loving nibble. As she (she's a she now, in this author's opinion) flew away, Harry got a whiff of mouse breath. Harry climbed into his pajamas and then climbed into bed, already feeling quite a bit better.
"Goodnight Ron. See you in the morning."
"G'night Harry," Ron said as he was stepping into his own pajamas. "Sleep tight." and to himself he added, "You're safe here."