Harry and Ron burst into Jenny's room to find her struggling against Dudley. Jenny's shirt was torn and Dudley was trying to force Jenny to kiss him.
"I told you to stay away from her." Harry said as he ran at his cousin and hit him around the head. Dudley grunted but didn't let go of Jenny. He swung at Harry but missed Ron came over as well and tried to pull him off.
"Harry! Help me." Jenny shouted as she tried to push Dudley off her. Harry stepped back and got out his wand.
"Crucio!" Harry shouted. His cousin dropped like a lump onto the floor with a shout of pain and started twitching in pain. Jenny slid onto the cushions holding her neck. "Don't you touch her." Harry said dangerously as he looked at his cousin with a new found hatred. Jenny slowly got to her feet and went to Harry.
"Harry, stop it." She said between tears. Harry just stared at his cousin and let his anger flow out through his wand. "Harry!" Harry lifted his wand but Dudley was lying on the floor unconscious. Ron got his wand out and pointed it at Dudley while Harry looked at Jenny. Jenny had started crying and put her arms around Harry tightly.
"It's ok." Harry said with a forced calmness in his voice. Jenny looked at Harry worriedly and almost fearfully.
"Why did you use that curse?" She asked.
"I don't know." Harry said, "Actually I do. He was hurting you. I love you therefore I use any means to protect you. He had it coming anyway."
"But it's illegal." Jenny said. Harry looked at Jenny as if it wasn't a problem to him. Hesitantly Jenny put her head on Harry's shoulder.
"Stupid bastard." Ron muttered as he pushed Dudley over with his foot. It took a bit of effort but Ron pushed him over eventually. As Dudley rolled over Ron spotted Jenny's broken wand and picked it up. "What happened here?"
"He broke my wand." Jenny said between sobs, "I would have done something but-"
"It's ok." Harry said giving Jenny a kiss. Jenny calmed down slightly and kept her arms around Harry for safety. She felt safe in his arms even if he had just used an unforgivable curse on his cousin. There were a few cracks downstairs and some rushing up the stairs. Hermione and April turned up in the doorway.
"What happened?" Hermione asked as she went to Ron but looked at the unconscious Dudley.
"Dudley was attacking Jenny." Harry said.
"He what?" April asked. She went straight to her daughter who seemed reluctant to let go of Harry.
"He broke my wand and then tried to kiss me and he was-" Jenny stopped and scowled. April glared at the unconscious and then left the room and stormed up the stairs but grabbed Jenny's broken wand from Ron on the way. The Harry looked at his friends uncertainly. They could hear April storming up the stairs then shouting at Vernon, who answered in an equally loud voice.
"DON'T YOU DARE ACCUSE MY SON OF SUCH A THING!"
"I'LL ACCUSE HIM OF ANYTHING I WANT! HE ATTACKED MY DAUGHTER!" Sirius bolted up the stairs and looking into Jenny's room looked at Harry for an explanation. Harry moved aside to show Sirius Dudley on the floor.
"Oh Merlin." Sirius gasped. "Jenny are you ok?" He asked as she approached him. Jenny nodded and held onto Harry slightly tighter. "Harry why don't you take her to your room."
"I DON'T CARE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE."
"YOU CAN'T THROW US OUT, AS YOU SAID, WE'D DIE"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ANY MORE!" April and Vernon shouted at each other, their voices absolutely level. Jenny seemed to be getting more distressed as they continued to shout. Harry was grateful that they'd gotten rid of Mrs. Black's portrait last year or that would add to the noise level as well.
"Can't they just shut up?" Jenny said as she lay down on Harry's bed. Harry sighed and looked up where Sirius's voice had now entered the noise. Ginny, Hermione and Ron all came in and Hermione put a charm on the room so they wouldn't hear the noise from outside.
"Jenny are you alright?" Ginny asked, Jenny nodded and held onto Harry's hand "I should have gone straight back upstairs when Sirius had left your room."
"I would have been ok if he hadn't snapped my wand." Jenny said rather depressed. There was a bang from upstairs making all of them jump. Hermione lifted the charm on the room and they all listened.
"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!" screamed Emma, "YOU leave the house, YOU go and see to Jenny and Sirius, move the lump that hurt my friend!" Jenny let out a grateful smile as the shouting ceased and the adults were obviously following Emma's orders. The door opened and April came into the room.
"Jenny." April said. Jenny looked at her mum and gave her a weak smile. "I'm really sorry." April hugged Jenny, something that Jenny was gratefully for. She held her mum tightly for a moment, not wanting to let go.
"For what?"
"For those people staying here. They'll be out by the end of the day, I promise." April said. Jenny smiled at her mum and took Harry's hand.
"Can I repair my wand?" Jenny asked. April frowned.
"It's too damaged, we're going to have to buy you a new one. Those people, I can't believe you actually survived living with them." April said in a frustrated voice to Harry, "First…Lily, now Jenny. They're better off dead."
"I know they're a bit stupid but can't they live somewhere else until the war is over then we clean their minds?" Harry asked.
"There's no other safe place and I'm not having them stay in any of my homes or Dumbledore's old home. Merlin knows what they'll do to it." April said. "Jenny I have to go and get Cho to-"
"Kingsley's taken her." Ginny told April. "He told me to tell you that he'll have a few guards posted around her bed and Katie's bed until they've recovered." April nodded.
"Ok then. Lets go to Diagon Alley." April said. "Ginny, you travel with Ron, Hermione and Harry meet us at Gringotts and Jenny you come with me. You're the most vulnerable without your wand."
"How are we going to get there?" Ginny asked.
"We will be going by Floo. Hermione and Harry by apparition. Harry I want a word with you in my office tonight, I'll remind you later." April said. Harry made a face, another lecture, no doubt on disobeying her rules. Jenny looked at her mum then at Harry.
"Ok." Jenny said. Hermione glanced at Harry and they both apparated to Diagon Alley. They knew it would be a while before any of the others came so they started walking slowly towards Gringotts. Harry stayed in a subdued stupor the entire way.
"Are you ok Harry?" Hermione asked him worriedly.
"I used an unforgivable curse on my cousin." Harry said darkly. He didn't want to admit it to anyone but it felt good to finally vent out his anger and his hate on someone, even if it was his family.
"You what?" Hermione asked in shock. "How long for?"
"I don't know, a few seconds."
"But he was unconscious." Hermione said. They had both stopped and she was looking at him.
"I know." Harry said darkly. Hermione's eyes widened slightly.
"Don't you care?" Hermione asked. "He's your cousin."
"So." Harry snapped, "You haven't had to live with him all your life, he didn't nearly try and rape your girlfriend-"
"And it's good he didn't" Hermione butted in, "I'm with Ron but it's still something to be concerned about. Did you enjoy it?" Hermione looked into Harry's emerald eyes. She didn't know what she saw in them, happiness, hatred, anger, love? She didn't know but she could see the shadow in the back of them. "You did didn't you?" Harry carried on walking towards Gringotts.
"We have to meet the others." Harry said. Hermione ran after him to catch up.
"Harry, talk to me. You enjoyed it didn't you? Why did you do it?"
"Because I told you. He was hurting Jenny!" Harry snapped at Hermione.
"That's still no excuse!" Hermione snapped back, "Only the worst wizards and witches use that curse, you're above them Harry!" Harry and Hermione stared at each other, anger rising in both of them.
"I've used it before so don't lecture me. You don't know what it feels like." Harry said.
"That's good because it means I'm not even tempted by that side." Hermione said angrily. "I thought you'd be able to fight it, you are Gryffindor's heir aren't you?"
"What does that mean anyway?" Harry asked, "I'm Gryffindor's heir, I have a special weapon, only I can defeat Voldemort. I'd like to see you in my shoes for just one day, see how you like it."
"I'm not saying that I think you have it easy but I'd have thought that you'd have enough brain to know that you shouldn't be using curses like that." Hermione shouted at Harry.
"I DON'T CARE HERMIONE!" Harry shouted back.
"WELL YOU SHOULD! I CARE ABOUT YOU HARRY AND I'M WORRIED!" Hermione shouted back at him.
"THEN DON'T BE! I DON'T NEED ANYONE'S WORRY or sympathy." Harry said, his voice level returning back to normal when he realised that both his and Hermione's voices were carrying down the street. Harry never thought he would shout back at Hermione over something like this. She was one of his best friends. She stood there staring at him with such anger in her face that Harry was preparing himself for a duel with her.
"You're right." She said in a dangerously low tone, "you don't need any sympathy, or help, or love. We better go and meet the others." She said as they both turned to walk to Gringotts in silence while seething and watching out for any threats.
"Harry, I need to talk to you about you insistence on bringing your friends on your patrols" April said sternly as she looked at Harry over her desk. "When they come along you end up doing stupid things like you did this morning when you went to rescue Cho and though I admit that you three do make a good team it is too dangerous for you and them to be doing such foolish things, particularly-"
"You don't need to worry about that anymore." Harry said, "I probably won't have any friends by the end of the night." April looked at Harry in surprise.
"What?" She asked, she hadn't been expecting this reply and was completely off guard.
"Hermione hates me, which means Ron won't like me. I used the Cruciatus Curse on Dudley to try and save Jenny and Jenny seems distant, Ginny, I don't know what's going on with her and Emma's keeping to herself."
"You what?" April asked. "Is Dudley ok?"
"I thought you hated him."
"I do but anyone who has that curse put on them has to go to St. Mungos, you never know how it will effect them." April said worriedly. She got up and went to the fireplace. She stuck her head through as she put some floo powder in and talked to someone for a moment. Harry stood and seethed at everything in his life. Everything was going wrong but when did it ever go right? April turned to look at Harry when she pulled her head out of the fireplace and looked at him with grave concern.
"Harry, sit down." April said to him. "I've just been speaking to Jenny and Sirius and I'm worried about you. What made you use the Cruciatus curse on Dudley?"
"He was hurting Jenny."
"Couldn't you have stunned him?" April asked seriously.
"I suppose." Harry murmured. April sat down in her seat slowly and let out a sigh.
"What am I doing wrong Harry? I'm trying my hardest to try and help you but I know I'm not as good as Dumbledore was and will never be able to replace him but just tell me what I'm doing wrong." April said to Harry.
"Just leave me alone. I don't even know if I want to be an auror any more. I just want this over and done with. Fuck Voldemort and fuck this world, I don't care anymore." Harry said, "I just want things to be as they were."
"So do I." April said sincerely. "More then you could ever imagine but that's not going to happen and Voldemort isn't just going to go away. I can let you out of auror training if you really want but I would like to know what you'd do if I did."
"I don't know." Harry muttered, he didn't look at April and stared at his feet. "Just let me out." April sighed and waved her wand. A piece of Parchment appeared before her and she glanced at it. She picked up a quill and hesitated before giving the quill and parchment to Harry.
"Harry I beg you to reconsider, I know I can't force you to do anything but are you sure this is the best course of action?" April asked.
"Just give me the parchment." Harry said. April gave him a sad smile like her heart was breaking and she gave the parchment to Harry to sign. Harry gazed over it. It was basically a document saying that once signed the person was free from auror training. He put the quill on the parchment.
"Your parents would be so very disappointed in you." April said sadly "but it's your life and therefore your choice. I hope you've made the right one." Harry signed it and gave the parchment back to April.
"My parents are dead." Harry said coldly in reply.