Chapter Three – Dursleys

Harry was beginning to regret sending the letter to Ginny telling her the muggles were treating him rather fairly. It seemed to him that he had jinxed it. Of course, Uncle Vernon getting demoted instead of promoted could have had a part to play in the sudden decline of his summer. So could the fact that Dudley got sent home from the camp after breaking another boy's leg in three places and was not ever allowed to return. There was so much negative energy in the house all of a sudden it all got focused on one target and when it shifted it shifted with, well, a bang.

"IF I HEAR ONE MORE NOISE OUT OF THAT RUDDY BIRD," Harry's door flew open so hard that it embedded itself in the wall. Vernon stalked towards Harry with an evil gleam in his eye. He grabbed Harry's left arm and yanked him out of his chair so hard and fast that Harry felt something pop and pain slide through his arm. Vernon began to shake Harry back and forth as he yelled about ungrateful brats, unworthy children, and freaks. With each shake of his throbbing arm Harry felt bursts of pain behind his eyes. Slowly he felt himself sliding into the inky oblivion as he fainted. Vernon just looked at the boy in disgust and threw him to the floor. He stomped out the room and locked the door behind him. If he was going to be miserable then that Potter brat was sure as bloody hell going to be a million times more miserable.

Harry was vaguely aware of a soft face rubbing against his cheek. Wearily he cracked one eye open and saw Hedwig rubbing her face against his trying to wake him. Harry sat up slowly wincing in pain as he did and noticed it was dark outside. Wow, He thought, I must have been out for a long time. He slowly rose to his feet cradling his injured arm against his chest. Ok Potter, first things first, let's see what we are dealing with here. He walked towards the door and shook the handle, securely locked; there was no getting through that. Next he tried his window, nailed shut. There was no getting out, and no way to send Hedwig for help. Harry dropped onto his bed as he ripped up an old shirt of Dudley's to make a sling for his throbbing arm. I'm stuck!

"MUM!!!!" Ginny came running down the stairs at full speed bellowing at the top of her voice. "MUM MUM MUM WHERE ARE YOU?" She dashed towards the kitchen only to run into a solid chest and fall backwards onto the floor. Looking up a little dazed she saw Bill grinning at her.

"Well, that's a great welcome home, and I thought I was your favorite brother too." Bill pretended to pout as he reached down to help her up. Ginny just squealed and launched herself into her oldest brother's arms. She didn't know where her mum was but Bill would help, Bill would understand, wouldn't he?

Bill saw the look on Ginny's face as he released her. It was a cross between elation that he was home, worry about something, and if he wasn't mistaken shyness, but shyness about what. Bill reached out, put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, his smiling hazel eyes boring into her worried chocolate ones. "What is it Gin?"

"Oh Bill," Ginny couldn't hold them back any longer, the tears started to spill out, "It's Harry."

 Harry Potter? Bill thought to himself. What has he done to upset Ginny, I hope I don't have to kill him, I was rather fond of him.

Ginny drew his attention back to her when her petite hand reached out and grasped his arm. He could practically feel the tension radiating off of her. "I'm so worried, I think……Oh I don't know what to think, Bill, this is the sixth owl that I've sent him that has come back unopened. And I sent this one with Hermes and you know she ALWAYS delivers her letter even if the receiver doesn't want it. Bill, something's happened, he cant get to the owls."

Bill looked at his sister again and realized that this wasn't just some frantic panic attack, but that this was a real deep-seated fear founded in something stronger, he wasn't sure what yet but he would find out. He smiled softly at Ginny. "And you want me to go see if he's ok and if not rescue him from those awful muggles?" Ginny nodded shyly. "Well I guess we should call Professor Dumbledore first and let him know what's up."

Ginny could hardly believe it, Bill was going to help her, she sent her thoughts out to Harry, Hold on Harry, we are coming for you, just hold on.

Back at 4 Privet Drive Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world, Triwizard champion, was changing from the Boy-Who-Lived to the Boy-Who-Lived-In-Hell. Every night for the past two weeks his Uncle Vernon had found some reason (though Harry didn't even leave his room anymore) to come into Harry's room, blame him for something, and beat him until Vernon felt better. Now, in addition to the dislocated shoulder he had received the first night, Harry had a couple of broken ribs, a broken nose, a black eye, multiple bruises and cuts, and a shattered left wrist.

Harry vaguely heard his door opening for his nightly beating. His head slowly rose from the bed and saw his uncle coming towards him, just as Vernon started to close the door behind him the doorbell rang. Vernon glared at Harry and growled, "I'll be back boy don't think you are getting off easy tonight." He slammed the door behind him and stormed down the stairs. Harry could hear a mumble of voices coming from the front door but just concentrated on trying to slip back into the blackness, his only escape from the pain. He didn't notice the voices turning into shouts and then suddenly into silence. He didn't notice the soft footsteps creeping towards his bedroom and he didn't notice his door sliding slowly open.

He heard a faint sound behind him, somewhere between a gasp and a sob, but he didn't have the strength to lift his head and see what it was. When he felt the hand on his shoulder he cringed away from the expected pain and curled up tighter around himself. His movements brought a sob from somewhere near the door. The hand slowly turned his body away from the wall, as his face was exposed to the light Harry heard a familiar voice mutter, "Bloody Hell Harry." He let his eyes open slowly and focus on the first thing they met, blue eyes that usually twinkled, hidden behind a pair of half moon spectacles.

"Pr..professor Dumbledore," Harry barely managed to get the name out before wincing in pain. "What are you doing here?"

Dumbledore let his gaze wander to the door for a second before stating softly, "We've come to take you home Harry, home where no one will ever harm you like this again."  At the mention of more people Harry finally tried to sit up and see who else was in the room, the site that awaited him brought tears to his eyes.

"Si..Sirius, Ginny, Bill you, you," but even these few words exhausted him and he winced with pain again trying to draw a deep breath. Over Dumbledore's shoulder a distraught Sirius was torn between going back downstairs and beating the life out of the monster who did this to his godson, and wrapping Harry in his arms and running away to the farthest place he could think of. Bill held a sobbing Ginny in his arms as he leaned back against the doorframe, truth be known, if the doorframe hadn't of been there Bill would have probably been slumped on the ground in shock. No one had to say it, the look in everyone's eyes stated it clearly enough. Some muggles could be more evil than the darkest wizard imaginable. When Harry's pain-filled eyes met Sirius' haunted one, Sirius made the easiest decision he'd ever made in his life. Forget the scum that did this Harry needed him now. In two steps he was at Harry's bedside holding Harry's hand and brushing his bangs away gently.

"Harry, we left Remus and Severus downstairs with the Dursleys," Sirius' heart broke as Harry subconsciously flinched at the mention of the Dursleys, "I'm going to bind these broken bones until we can get you to a mediwitch because I'm not good at healing them." Harry just looked at Sirius, Dumbledore, Ginny, and Bill, Harry smiled and feeling safe for the first time since this nightmare had started he slipped into a deep dreamless sleep.