Chapter Sixty-Eight: Misdirected Anger

"What?" Harry said blankly.

He looked at Daphne for support, but she could only shrug in return. She had no idea what to make of this, or even who this person was.

"He left!" the old lady said, wringing her hands. "Left to see someone about a batch of cauldrons that fell off the back of a broom! I told him I'd flay him alive if he went, and now look! Dementors! It's just lucky I put Mr. Tibbies on the case! But we haven't got time to stand around! Hurry, now, we've got to get you back! Oh, the trouble this is going to cause! I will kill him!"

"You're…you're a witch?" Harry asked. He was apparently completely stumped to see that this particular woman was a part of the wizarding world.

"You know each other?" Daphne asked.

"I'm a Squib, as Mundungus knows full well!" the old lady said. "And my name is Arabella Figg. The Dursleys used to leave Harry with me when they went on trips without him… But for Mundungus to leave Harry entirely undefended when–"

"The Dursleys' house is being watched?" Daphne interrupted.

Mrs. Figg looked at her as if she were mad. "Of course it is! You didn't think Dumbledore wouldn't have someone on the lookout after what happened in June? Only that no-good thieving idiot skived off!"

She looked at Dudley, who still lay on the ground in a daze. "Get up, you fat lug! Get up, quickly! You two, drag him to his feet; we have to get back to the Dursleys as soon as possible…"

Daphne and Harry each grabbed one of Dudley's massive arms and pulled him to his feet with monumental effort. Even keeping him upright took nearly all of Daphne's strength. Dudley was sweating and trembling. He looked like he had a terrible fever.

Slowly, they began to drag him out of the alley. "Why didn't you ever tell me you're a Squib?" Harry asked, his voice strained by the effort of dragging Dudley along.

"Dumbledore's orders. I was to keep an eye on you but not say anything, you were too young. I'm sorry I gave you such a miserable time, but the Dursleys would never have let you come if they thought you enjoyed it. It wasn't easy, you know… But never mind that! When Dumbledore hears about this…he needs to know as quickly as possible. The Ministry will surely use this as a chance to get to you," Mrs. Figg said.

"But I was getting rid of Dementors," Harry said incredulously. "Won't they be more worried why they were here?"

"Harry, I told you, they want to discredit you," Daphne said. "They'll say you just invented those Dementors. You have me as a witness, of course, but I'm your girlfriend. They probably won't believe me."

"Right you are! And as a Squib, my testimony wouldn't mean much either…not that I won't try! MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

With a loud crack, a man Daphne would've thought was homeless Apparated in front of them.

"'Sup, Figgy?" he said, staring from Mrs. Figg to Daphne and Harry carrying Dudley. "What 'appened to staying undercover?"

"I'll give you undercover! Dementors, you useless, skiving sneak thief!" Mrs. Figg shouted.

"Dementors?" Fletcher repeated, aghast. "Dementors here?"

"Yes, here, you worthless pile of bat droppings, here! Dementors attacking the kids on your watch!"

"Blimey," Fletcher said weakly, looking from Mrs. Figg to Harry and Daphne and back again. "Blimey, I…"

"And you off buying stolen cauldrons! Didn't I tell you not to go? Didn't I?"

Fletcher mumbled something it being a 'good business opportunity', and Mrs. Figg began beating him up with her handbag, which sounded like it was full of cat food.

"Ouch, gerroff, gerroff, you mad old bat! Someone's gotta tell Dumbledore!"

"Yes — they — have!" Mrs. Figg yelled, still hitting Fletcher with her bag. "And — it — had — better — be — you — and — you — can — tell — him — why — you — weren't — there — to — help!"

"Keep your 'airnet on! I'm going, I'm going!" He Disapparated with another loud crack.

"I hope Dumbledore murders him!" Mrs. Figg said furiously, and if Fletcher had indeed left Harry unguarded for something as stupid as stolen cauldrons, Daphne hoped the same.

Eventually, they managed to make it back to the house, where Mrs. Figg left them after telling them they had to stay inside. They rang the doorbell, and after a lot of worried gasps and questions from the Dursleys — all aimed at Dudley, who answered by vomiting on the doormat — they were finally all indoor, just in time for Dudley to accuse Daphne and Harry of putting him in that state, so they were immediately dragged into the kitchen for an interrogation.

"What have you done to my son?" Mr. Dursley asked them both.

"We didn't do anything, it was the Dementors," Daphne said.

Right at that moment, two owls flew into the kitchen, to loud swearing of Mr. Dursley. The owls dropped off parchments at the feet of Harry and Daphne, who opened them and grimly scanned them.

As she'd expected, she'd received a warning about the Patronus Charm being used in her vicinity. Harry, however, looked aghast.

"They expelled me," he said darkly. "It says they're coming here to destroy my wand…and I have to attend a hearing."

"No one's destroying your wand," Daphne said immediately. "Don't panic. We'll–"

"Expelled from the madhouse, are you?" Mr. Dursley said unpleasantly. "Well, that's what you get for attacking my son!"

"He didn't do it," Mrs. Dursley said flatly.

Everyone in the kitchen — except for Dudley, who still seemed out of it — stared at her.

"W-what? Petunia, dear–"

"Dementors are real, Vernon. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. I heard that…that awful boy telling her about them," she said disgustedly.

"Why's he been expelled then?" Mr. Dursley asked.

Before Harry could answer, another owl swooped in, dropping a note at Harry's feet. He quickly read it, then handed it to Daphne. She saw that it was a hastily-written scrawl from Mr. Weasley, saying that Dumbledore was trying to sort everything out.

"I got expelled from school because I used the Patronus Charm," Harry said, seeing that Mr. Dursley was about to go on another rant about owls. "Which is the only thing that can drive away a Dementor."

"But what does a dementoid do?" Mr. Dursley asked suspiciously.

"They drain all hope and happiness from their surroundings. And one of the ones that attacked us tried to Kiss Dudley, meaning it wanted to suck his soul out through his mouth, but Harry stopped it in time," Daphne said.

Yet another owl flew in, and Mr. Dursley went on another rant about owls. So much for preventing that, then.

While Mr. Dursley was still raging, Daphne looked at Harry, who wordlessly handed her the letter. While she was still reading it, the next owl already swooped in, further delaying the moment where Mr. Dursley would be able to speak of anything other than owls again.

"It's from Sirius," Harry said impatiently. "Telling us not to leave the house again."

"Oh, but you will be leaving," Mr. Dursley said nastily. "If these dementids are after you, we don't want you here!"

"If Dementors come to this house, Harry is the only one who can stop them," Daphne said. "And like I told you last year, Voldemort — who, by the way, is back — can't get in here while Harry can still call this place home. That is why he is here. That is why he didn't leave the second his godfather offered him a place to live."

"He's back?" Mrs. Dursley whispered fearfully.

"I saw him come back a few months ago," Harry confirmed. "And the magic Dumbledore invoked when my parents died keep both me and you safe while I live here. He and his Death Eaters cannot get into this house until I turn seventeen, or leave here knowing I'll never come back again. Want to kick me out? Fine. I'll have a better chance surviving Voldemort than you lot."

"No…no…if Voldything can't kill us while you're here…you get to stay…" Mr. Dursley said, seeing how frightened his wife was.

"Good. Can we go upstairs, then?" Harry asked, glaring at Mr. Dursley.

"Yes…Yes! Get out of my sight!" Mr. Dursley said, now angry again.

Neither Daphne nor Harry needed another word, and they quickly made their way to their room.

"What's going on?" Harry asked angrily. "Everyone's acting like…like I'm a misbehaving child, or something! Isn't anyone going to say, 'good job fighting off two Dementors and saving your cousin's soul'?"

"They will, once they know the situation at the Ministry has been dealt with," Daphne said. "But you and I are the only ones who know the full truth. Well, us and Mrs. Figg, I guess. I doubt even Sirius and the others know there were Dementors here, but they know underage magic was used because we've got the Trace on us."

"Why else would I have cast a Patronus?! To have a bloody laugh?!" Harry shouted.

Daphne didn't reply. Instead, she simply pulled Harry into a hug. She could feel how tense he was, and she understood. She hated the injustice of what was happening every bit as much as he did, but she was much more familiar with it.

"Harry, I'm on your side," she said softly. "So are Mr. Weasley and Sirius. But they weren't here. All they can do is try and get you off at your hearing, and warn you to not make things worse."

"Do they think I–"

"They don't think you don't know," Daphne said firmly.

She let go of Harry and looked into his eyes, which were filled with anger. "But this is how politics work. Everything is convoluted and unjust. Neither you nor I can change things right now. All you can do is make a good case at the hearing, and hope Mrs. Figg and I will be allowed to testify. They sent me a warning as well, so they know I was there. I'm from an old and wealthy family, so they can't dismiss me out of hand. I think things will be okay, Harry, I really do…but the people trying to help you are all rushing to give you the best possible chance. They don't have time to ask you questions. They don't have time for nuance. They just need us to sit tight for now."

"All we've been doing is sitting tight. We get no news, and by the sound of their letters they're all in the loop on everything. They haven't done half the things I have. I–"

Harry didn't get any further, because Daphne had burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"You really need to pause and listen to yourself for a second," Daphne said. "You complain about being treated like a little kid, but that doesn't mean you need to sound like one."

"I don't sound–"

"'They haven't done half the things I've done, I deserve to know more than they do, and I know full well why they can't owl every detail to me, but I'm still going to be angry about it'," Daphne said with a grin.

"Come on, Harry. You don't seriously believe they're not valuing what you've done and been through. I know you don't. I get that you're angry. I am, too. But this isn't the way to handle it. You're wasting your energy. Worse, you're looking like a prat in front of your girlfriend.

"Or do you want me to join in with you? 'Oh, it's so unfair! My boyfriend is ranting and raving about not being appreciated by anyone, but I've been here for weeks by my own choice and that apparently doesn't even count to him, what a git!'"

"I– Of course I appreciate– How can you even–"

"I know, Harry. That's the point. I know you appreciate me being here. I know that even without you telling me every second of every day. I know that even when you're being all indignant. Oh, sure, I'm afraid that you won't, but every single time it counted you've shown me you do.

"And in complete seriousness: Hermione, Ron, Sirius, Mr. Weasley, Dumbledore, and everyone else you're angry with right now have shown you that they appreciate you and everything you've done every time it counted. Don't take out your anger on them. You want to be angry with someone? Be angry with Fudge and Voldemort. Not the people who would face death for you. Who have faced death for you."

Harry stared at her for a moment. Daphne stared back with what she hoped was a 'tough love' expression.

Then he sighed. "I guess you're right," he said. "I'm sorry…I just…"

"It's okay, Harry. You deserve to be angry," Daphne said softly. "Just direct it at the right people."

Harry sighed again, more deeply this time, and sat down on his bed. "I hate this," he muttered.

Daphne sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder. "So do I, but you're not alone. It'll be okay. You're not going to get expelled," she said.

"But…what if I am?" he asked softly.

"Then we'll find a way around it," Daphne said.

"They'll snap my wand…but that wand is what saved me against Voldemort. I can't let them destroy it," Harry said.

"We won't let that happen. Dumbledore won't let that happen. He knows the value of it as well. He'll have a way to make sure you can retain it."

"But where would I go?"

"Gee, I don't know, if only you had a bunch of really good friends and a girlfriend," Daphne said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, the Dementors are gone. You don't need to talk yourself into a horrible depression now," she went on.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Look, your father is your Patronus against Dementors. Let me be your Patronus against…everything else, then," she said. "I won't leave you, no matter what. I'll face Voldemort himself with you if it ever comes to that. I did it before, and I'll do it again. We'll get Ginny involved too and it'll be just like old times."

For the first time since the Dementors had shown up, Harry smiled faintly.

"Finally, a smile. Good to see it's at hearing the name of your other crush," Daphne said teasingly.

"You seemed pretty close to her too, at the Yule Ball," Harry pointed out, still smiling.

Daphne shrugged. "We'll just be together with the three of us then. I'm sure we could make that work…"

They both laughed and simply leaned into each other for a while. Daphne was happy she'd been able to cheer Harry up a bit and that he'd been willing to listen to her.

After a while, they got ready for bed, and once the light was off Daphne realized how tired everything that had happened had made her. She quickly fell asleep — but she was woken up again what felt like seconds later, by Harry moaning and shouting in his sleep.

"No…don't kill him…no, please…don't…NO!"

Harry shot upright and in the gloom Daphne could see him looking around in bewilderment. She got up and sat down next to him, as she did every time when he had a nightmare.

"It was so vivid," Harry said softly. "Worse than the last few times…" He looked at Daphne. "Is it because of the Dementors?"

Daphne nodded slowly. "Probably. I can imagine their presence…refreshed the memory a bit."

Harry sighed. "Fantastic…" He checked his watch. "And it's still pretty early. It's going to be a long night, then…"

"Because you don't want to go back to sleep?" Daphne asked. "Do you think you'll have the nightmare twice in one night?"

"I don't know…maybe? It's never happened before, but then, I haven't seen Dementors in a while…"

He sighed. "I'll be okay. You just…go back to sleep."

Daphne started to get up, but then she got another idea. "Okay. Move over, then," she said.

"W-what?" Harry asked, startled.

"I told you, I'll be your Patronus against everything else. I'll just…hug you all night long," Daphne said.

She was happy that the room was so dark, because she could feel she was blushing. Judging by the hitch in Harry's breathing, he was shocked, too.

"Don't get any weird ideas," Daphne said. "It's just so you can sleep. Now come on, move over."

Hesitantly, Harry shuffled over to the wall. Daphne picked up her pillow from her mattress and put it next to Harry's. It hung over the edge of the bed, which was after all meant for one person, but it would do.

Daphne climbed into the bed and pushed herself up against Harry. She had to, otherwise she'd fall out. After a lot of hassle with their arms, they finally managed to find a more-or-less comfortable position.

"You better not have another nightmare and make all of this pointless," Daphne said warningly.

"I'll try not to," Harry said, still sounding a bit uncomfortable, though not in an unpleasant way.

Daphne had to admit she felt a bit awkward too, being this close to Harry, but it did feel nice, too, despite how much the bed wasn't built to handle two people sleeping in it. It was warm and soft and safe.

"Well…good night," she said softly.

"Yeah…good night…" Harry replied.

And luckily for both of them, they slept soundly for the rest of the night.

At this point, neither Harry nor Daphne have a real crush on Ginny yet (that they're aware of, anyway) but Daphne's been making offhand predictions a lot, so why not use it for the triad as well? The early part of year five will probably feature a lot of this kind of conversation between Daphne and Harry, but I'll try to not make it too egregious.

I'll be on holiday from tomorrow until Tuesday. I've got chapters lined up for posting, but I probably won't respond to PMs or reviews during that time.