Harry Potter and the Ebony Orb

By tati1

Disclaimer:  sorry, but no, I do not own Harry Potter.  Which really bites.

WARNING:  This story is R for a REASON!  It is NOT NC-17, as I have read much, /much/ worse that was permitted, so I have abused nothing!  Rated for violence, serious angst (later on), and rape.  If you have a problem with it, go read something else because I didn't write it just to be safe.  It's written because it's how and what I write.  So buzz off. :{

(and if my mean attitude offends, I do apologize but I'm sorta protective of my work.)

A/N: RER (Read, Enjoy, Review)!

Chapter 8 – Hysterical

Apparently the dog had made friends with Madame Pomfrey, as he was waiting to greet him as Harry climbed into bed.

After the boy was asleep, Sirius crept away to check if the castle was rat-proof.  Five minutes following the dog's departure, Harry awoke from his latest nightmare to find a wand at his throat.  Several Shadowy forms had surrounded his bed, and as the boy looked about for frantically foe Sirius a figure ordered him to get up; strongly reminding him of Uncle Vernon.

He didn't rise fast enough, and a fist caught the side of his face and toppled him off his bed onto the floor … only to be halted halfway down by one of the strangers seizing his hair and dragging him out of the Hospital Wing and into a deserted corridor five corners away.

"You are so full of it, bastard," whispered one.

"Wimp - "

"Baby - "

"We like you weak - "

"So pathetically innocent - "

"Naïve - "

"We'll beat you to a pulp - "

"No better than you should be - "

On and on it went as they beat him.  The Seventh Year's punishment for him was harsh, but he'd had worse.  Harry cried out as a delicate rib snapped and then pain lanced down his spine.  A fist flashed to connect with his temple and he saw stars before darkness closed in and he slumped to the ground.

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Harry woke to wetness on his face, which was curious as it didn't feel like blood.  He opened his eyes and suppressed a groan as he tried to sit up.  He found himself gently pushed back by a large dark paw.  Or rather, it would have been gentle had Sirius not been pressing down on the broken rib.  Harry whimpered as tears of pain blurred his eyesight, covering his mouth reflexively to muffle the sound into sobs.  The pressure ceased immediately and Sirius gave him a worried nudge.

"'M all right, Sirius," whispered Harry.  "It's just a rib.  I had worse yesterday … and before that," he added to himself.  He seized a clump of the giant dog's fur in each hand and cautiously stood while the hall began to sway nauseatingly.

"Now," he gasped out, "let's go back to bed."

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"Oh, my dear, what's happened?"  Harry shot bolt upright in bed at the shriek from the doorway and then fell back immediately, unable to stop a yelp of pain from springing forth as Madame Pomfrey strode into his blurry line of vision.  He fumbled his glasses on as Poppy began to instruct him briskly.

"Don't get up if it hurts too much," she said.  She seized his head as he flinched, and examined the bruises appearing on his face.  "What happened?"

"I got up to go to the bathroom last night, and fell down the stairs into some armor," Harry lied smoothly.  Sirius gave him an incredulous look from the floor.  He expected that to be believed?!

"And I should believe you why?" questioned Poppy grumpily.  Harry smiled weakly to the irate nurse.

"Because I'm not going to admit to anything else?"  Sirius released a very un-doglike snort of laughter and grinned sheepishly as the two humans blinked down at him before shrugging.  "It's not bad, Madame Pomfrey, really.  I gotta go to class."

"Not quite, young man," she said, pushing him back down sharply into the mattress.  Harry whimpered as her hand slammed him down, and tried to escape, but his ribs hurt more and he attempted to scrunch into a safer position.  His breath came more quickly and sharply, causing Madame Pomfrey to step forward to apologize and see what was wrong.  Sirius growled; warning her away as Harry started to panic and her voice rose and Sirius' growl became a snarl …

The whole situation was rapidly devolving into something far more dangerous for all involved when a voice interrupted with a Calming Charm.  Sirius and Poppy were immediately lulled, but it took three more charms from Professor Dumbledore's wand to relax Harry enough to sit calmly cradling his ribs without flinching every time the room's occupants moved.

"Sorry," Harry whispered; lying down rigidly on the bed.  "But I am late for classes, and … "  Professor Dumbledore looked grave.

"Harry, who hurt you?"  The boy smiled in relief.  He didn't have to lie.

"I don't know who, sir."

"Could you point them out?"

"Probably.  But I won't."  Sirius growled disagreement at him.  Harry would tell!  The boy shook his head at him.  "No, Sirius."  The headmaster looked up with interest.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, he showed up in my COMC class.  He's my project."

"Hmm … "  Albus fiddled with his wand; toying with an idea as the black dog stared back at him defiantly.  "Stay nearby," he finally warned the dog.  "I have some questions to ask later."  Harry looked on confusedly as his dog deliberately bowed and nodded to Dumbledore, who smiled in a relieved way.

"Sirius?" asked Harry; a remote suspicion brewing in his mind.  The dog glanced at him and realized how odd his manner was, quickly resuming the doggy activity of waving his tail; all the while with a human-like, sheepish grin on his face.  Harry's suspicions were practically confirmed, though he said nothing.

"Now," said Albus, "what exactly is wrong with your chest, Harry?"

"Nothing," said the child hastily.  Sirius barked disagreement and Poppy was quick to remove Harry's shirt, despite the youth's protests.  Harry shrank nervously as a sudden intake of breath came from those around him.  Dumbledore's eyes took in the many scars and both new and fading bruises before looking up to Harry's face, eyes blazing as his aura flared angrily.

"Who did this?"  Harry clutched his pillow, muttering fearfully into it.  "Who?" he persisted.

"I did!" Harry shrieked.  "I like pain and I ask bullies to beat me up and burn myself with things and deliberately fall down staircases and hit myself and cut and - " he was growing hysterical in his lie.  Crying and laughing by turns, Harry tried to make these people believe him.  They were so persistent; no one had ever seemed to care before, except Severus.  But Severus never pushed, never hurt the way this man and this lady did.  Had Harry been able to spend the six years of his life since first meeting the Potions Master with Severus he would have been able to trust; he would have understood that what the Dursleys did to him was wrong, but he hadn't and he didn't know, and now he was paying the price of the Dursley crimes.

Albus hurriedly cast a few more calming charms to soothe the boy before directing Poppy to care for his ribs and bruises.

"You are not attending classes today, Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore sternly.  Then he smiled.  "I never said you couldn't get up after you are proclaimed healthy, though.  You have my leave to wander the castle after Poppy is done with you.  However, do not go to the third floor corridor unless you wish to die a most painful death."  Harry blinked; what could be wrong on the third floor?  He nodded anyway, and began a session of hard thinking as Dumbledore took his leave.  Soon enough, Madame Pomfrey was scolding him as he too abandoned her ward when she proclaimed the end of his examination. 

"You should be resting!  I don't know why he - " the door snapped shut behind Harry, cutting her off.  She was forced to open the door a few minutes later to release Sirius because he kept begging.

"Fine!  Go on then!  And keep an eye on the boy!" she hollered after the retreating tail.

```````````````````

Harry dashed out of the Hospital Wing and up a flight of stairs before turning and dashing pell-mell about the empty parts of the castle until he stopped in an empty room before a tapestry.  As he sighed from pure, rare, unadulterated exhilaration, he was surprised to see Sirius run through the tapestry and sit panting at him.  He rushed to the dog.

"Hey, Sir'!  Do you want to play?"  The dog gave a cheery bark and jumped his tiny companion.

```````````````````

Several hours, disgruntled and amused portraits later, Harry and Sirius were admiring a lovely tapestry of a phoenix in flight when Sirius abruptly stiffened and began to turn.

"Stupefy!" came a malicious shout.  Harry whirled in time to see Sirius fall.  The Seventh Years chuckled at his surprise.

"Do you really think we'd let you go unpunished for skipping classes?"

"B – but Professor Dumbledore told me to - " the jarring sting of a slap whipped Harry into the wall.  He glanced up, scared, as they advanced; his nose bleeding freely.  "Right," he murmured, rising and walking into their midst.  "But - "  He was cut off as a fist smashed into his solar plexus.  Harry wheezed, sinking to the ground, his head jerked back viciously.

As the beating was swiftly administered, Harry noticed two slip away.  He was temporarily dropped – in time to see the two bent over a furry body, wands raised.  He screamed then one gave the mutt a vicious kick.

"NO!"

*

A/N:  New chapter will be up tomorrow!  This one was so long I can't finish typing it all tonight, so I split it in half!  Update, or you won't get it!