Disclaimer: I don't own 'em!
Summary: Harry discovers that there's a silver lining in every cloud, but why does he keep getting sick?
Growing Pains, by Shedoc
"Mails in!" Dean waved his hand at the owls that fluttered into the Great Hall, and Harry secured a bit of bacon for Hedwig. Surely enough, moments later she was on his shoulder, hooting softly and nudging his cheek. The Gryffindors had gotten used to her obvious concern for her master, and no longer commented on it. Harry smiled and ruffled her feathers before offering her the bacon and returning to his own breakfast. Hedwig would sit on his shoulder until he had to leave for class, just like she did every morning.
The usual brown owl from the Cleansweeep mailroom arrived with the results of the brooms testing before during and after the last match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Slytherin had lost, much to Harry's satisfaction and Ron's unconcealed delight. The brooms were going to be offered to some of the League teams next month, and Ron was campaigning hard for the Cannons to be one of them. Professor Dumbledore had muttered something about Puddlemere United as he was passing Harry in the library last week and Harry had to stifle a laugh. Quidditch was truly the great leveller.
A second owl landed and Hedwig hooted at it crossly. She didn't like other owls near him and he was in the habit of sending her out regularly with little messages to Hagrid or Mrs Weasley to prevent her from becoming overly jealous. The fact that this owl was also white probably wasn't helping matters.
"Shhh," Harry told her, taking the roll of parchment from its leg and letting it fly away. He didn't notice the sudden reaction of the Headmaster to an owl of his own, or the way the older man suddenly stood and moved along the staff table to speak to McGonagal. He glanced at the seal on the back, not recognising it and slid a thumb under the paper to break it open.
"Harry!" Dumbledore's voice was pretty urgent, but Harry had already opened the envelope. He tensed but nothing bad seemed to happen, so he pulled the letter out while the Headmaster hurried towards him, his own mail clutched in one hand.
"Sir?" Harry asked, turning to face the man, a subtle challenge in his eyes. If this was another attempt to control his future then the Headmaster was going to have a huge fight on his hands.
"Come with me," the Headmaster wisely decided that the Great Hall was not the place to have this argument and Harry followed obediently, Hedwig still on his shoulder. He read as he walked, counting on the subtle cues from his owl as he followed the Headmaster up the stairs. They walked briskly, and by the time they were in the mans office (freckled figs) he'd read the letter and was rather annoyed.
"I thought we weren't going to do anything about the Dursley's," he looked into the blue eyes that were completely without their usual twinkle. Harry couldn't believe that he was being summoned to court to testify against his own family. The Wizengamot shouldn't have anything to do with this, and he certainly didn't see the point in persecuting the dumb Muggles.
"As did I," Dumbledore sighed, "However, I was over ruled. The Healers at St Mungo's were outraged at your condition this summer and filed several complaints. Professor Lupin backed them up."
"Oh," Harry hadn't counted on his Healers sticking up for him. Lupin was no surprise, it was all Harry could do to restrain the furious werewolf when it came to the illness he'd suffered that summer. Lupin had not been happy to hear that Harry had been sick before Christmas either, and had come up for a flying visit on New Years day to reassure himself that the teen was recovered. Harry had been able to reassure him that he was in tiptop shape - Ron could vouch for that!
"There is some sort of hearing this Friday afternoon," Harry frowned at the letter, "And I'm supposed to be there."
"I will escort you and Mr Weasley to the hearing," Dumbledore confirmed, "I have his summons to the hearing with my own. As the injured party yours came separately."
"Do we have a choice in the matter?" Harry asked hopefully and the Headmaster shook his head. Harry sighed and accepted the inevitable with as good as grace as possible. There was no way the Dursley's were going to comply with any orders given them by the Wizengamot, which to Harry's mind made this an exercise in futility. However it was unlikely that his opinion would be solicited in this matter, and he went to classes with a sense of foreboding.
Molly and Arthur Weasley met them in the foyer, and Harry accepted his share of the hugs enthusiastically. His sense of foreboding had only grown as the weekend approached, and now that the hearing was upon him it was all he could do not to jump out of his skin with nerves. Ron seemed to have noticed that because he was being especially quiet and helpful at the moment. If he still wanted anything to do with Harry after the hearing, the green-eyed teen was going to find a way to do something special for his boyfriend.
"We're in court room six," Arthur Weasley noted, "I double checked just a minute ago."
Harry grinned at this reference to his hearing last year, and caught the twinkle in Arthur's eye. His grin disappeared when he realised that members of the public and the Press were going to be there, and he put his head down to avoid noticing all the stares he was getting. Arthur and Molly moved to bracket him protectively and an Auror let them in with a curious look. It wasn't one Harry knew, and he wondered if the slender woman was a member of the Order.
They were shown to seats in the front row, which meant that Harry didn't have to look at the crowd looking at him. Ron sat near the wall, with Harry beside him, then Molly, Arthur and the Headmaster. The twins and Lupin were already there, and sat behind Harry with three Healers from St Mungo's. This provided a huge buffer between Harry and the spectators as long as he didn't turn around to look at them. He was surprised when Professor McGonagal and Hagrid arrived and took seats behind him as well. The half giant was wearing his hideous court coat and he smiled at Harry encouragingly.
The Wizengamot filed in, and the Dursley's and their very pretty Witch solicitor followed. Uncle Vernon was red-faced already, and Aunt Petunia had primmed up her lips so much it looked as if she had no mouth. Dudley was sort of swaggering along; at least as best he could with his hands spread over his backside. He sneered at Harry before he sat down with his parents on the bench that had been set aside for them on the other side of the room. Harry watched his cousin squirm, trying to get comfortable until Vernon hissed something that made him stop and switch to sulking.
The session was called to order, and the charges of negligence and abuse read out. The spectators immediately fell to whispering among themselves and Harry fixed his gaze on the floor in front of him. This was going to be highly embarrassing, and he knew that he'd have to be careful if he wanted to avoid losing his temper and making things worse.
"We call Harry Potter," Madam Bones was presiding and Harry got up with a sigh, smiling at Ron's whispered encouragements and walking to sit on the chair that was placed for the witness. Vernon Dursley leapt to his feet, even redder than before.
"The boy is a known liar, you can't trust him!" he shouted, "I won't have it!"
His solicitor stood up as well and pushed him into a seat, before trying to control the damage. The Wizengamot was not used to being shouted at by red-faced Muggles.
"There is some doubt as to the veracity of the boys testimony," she began, but was interrupted by Madam Bones.
"We haven't heard his testimony yet."
"Never the less, the boy is known to actively dislike his relatives," the curly haired Witch continued smoothly, "It would not be unfair to see some… precautions taken."
"You lot are magic! Give him a truth serum or something!" Dudley burst out, his piggy little eyes glaring at Harry. Trust his fat cousin to come up with the one way to rob Harry of all dignity yet ruin his families chances of getting out of this one in the same blow.
"Very well, we can administer Veritaserum to the boy," Madam Bones nodded, and a Wizard pulled out a vial of the liquid. The Dursley's approved the decision at the top of their lungs, even as Remus, the Weasley's and Dumbledore protested it. The Dursley's solicitor was on Harry's side, which wasn't surprising when you realised that whatever Harry said against the Dursley's in response to direct questions would be the absolute truth, therefore any question asked would condemn her clients immediately.
"Order!" Madam Bones let off a huge bang and whistle with her wand and glared at them all. When she was satisfied that they were going to behave, she put her wand down and cleared her throat, "Now. There will be several precautions to prevent Mr Potter from coming to any harm whilst he is dosed with Veritaserum. Everyone will surrender their wands to the Auror, until the potion has worn off. Everyone with the exception of myself, Mr Potter and Solicitor Greengrass will be placed under the Silencing spell with NO EXCEPTIONS until the potion has worn off. Those members of the Wizengamot that wish to ask a question will pass me a written note. If at any time I feel that Mr Potter is in any discomfort the antidote will be administered and the questions ended. Anyone who does not wish to comply with these restrictions had better leave now."
No one left, and an Auror produced a box to collect wands. After the first reporter tried to claim they didn't have one and was summarily ejected, the rest of the press handed their wands over meekly.
"I won't give up my wand," Harry said clearly, making no move to pull it out of his school robes. The spectators murmured to each other again, and several members of the Wizengamot glared at him. Remus and Arthur were nodding in approval though, as was Professor McGonagal. Ron gave him a lopsided grin and shrugged when Harry glanced at him for reassurance.
"Very well, Mr Potter, I don't expect you to," Madam Bones agreed, "Better that you have some way to defend yourself."
Harry sagged in relief and watched as the last of the wands were gathered. Madam Bones cast a huge silencing charm on the room, then reversed it on Harry and the Dursley's solicitor. Harry wondered who had thought to hire her for the Muggles, and made a mental note to thank them when he did. As much as he disliked them, it wouldn't have been fair to leave them to fend for themselves in the Wizard courts.
The potion was verified and then administered, and Madam Bones assigned a Healer to stand beside Harry. The woman would be able to signal if she felt that Harry was having troubles, and he sent her a dreamy smile in thanks. The potion made him feel very detached from the courtroom, and he swayed a little on the chair. He barely noticed the first few questions.
"What is your name?"
"Harry James Potter."
"Where do you go to school?"
"Hogwarts."
"Who is your favourite teacher?"
"Remus Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts," Harry sent a smile at the last Marauder, and Remus smiled back warmly.
"Describe for me your bedroom at the Dursley's house."
"The last one I slept in was a small room full of Dudley's broken toys and the books he doesn't want that I'm not allowed to read. It has a bed and dresser, as well as a desk and stool and an old cupboard," Harry recited emotionlessly. The Weasley's stirred a little as he went on, wishing desperately that he didn't have to, "There are bars on the window and seven locks on the door to keep me in, and a cat flap for them to put food through."
"What was your first bedroom like?"
Uncle Vernon was purple, glaring and ready to leap up off the bench and hit him, but Harry could no more keep the words inside than he could turn pink and walk on the ceiling.
"It was under the stairs with a camp bed and the cleaning supplies."
"For how many years did you sleep under the stairs?"
"Ten," Harry muttered. The Healer leant over him and wiped his forehead clear of the sweat that was starting to gather on his brow as he resisted answering. He didn't want people to know all this. Madam Bones was reading a slip of paper that had been handed to her, and nodded.
"Describe the last clothes that the Dursley's bought for you."
"I wear Dudley's hand me downs," Harry replied, his gut clenching in anticipation of the next question.
"But he'd be five times your size, at least! Surely they don't fit?"
"They don't," he agreed, his mouth working silently to hold back the answer.
"If they don't fit, how did you keep them on?" the solicitor blurted and then clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. Harry gritted his teeth and fought to stay silent, but the words crowded in his throat and he couldn't keep them back.
"I used an old belt of Uncle Vernon for the trousers and tie knots in the underwear until I get to school where I can shrink them to size!" they burst out and he felt tears of frustration and embarrassment gather in his eyes. It wasn't fair! Why was he being punished for the Dursley's actions by being forced to reveal his shameful secrets? He gasped for air and wrapped his arms around his middle, which was starting to ache from being so tense.
"Very well, Harry, just relax. Don't fight it," Madam Bones called up a glass of water and floated it to the Healer, who made Harry drink some.
"Lets move on. Did you have chores to do Harry?"
"Yessssss," he hissed, tensing against the next round of questions.
"What chores did you have to do when you were…ten?"
"Clean the h-house, do the laundry, clean the car, cook breakfast every day, maintain the g-garden," Harry blurted and bit his lips. Madam Bones raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Did your cousin Dudley do any of these chores with you?"
"N n no," Harry shuddered.
"What punishment were you given for failing to complete your chores?"
"N n no f food…" Harry's head was starting to hurt, and his lungs too from struggling to breathe yet let nothing out. The Healers touch was not soothing him at all, and the instruction to relax was one he ignored as a matter of course.
"We need a comparison. What chores did you do when you were three?"
"C-cook b-breakfast, c-cl-clean the h-h-hhouse."
The spectators were very restless, but Harry didn't dare to look at them. He didn't want their pity, and he certainly didn't want to see their disgust.
"Were you beaten by the Dursley's Harry?"
"S-ssssss-sometimessssss," Harry writhed in his chair and the Healer made urgent gestures to Madam Bones, who immediately produced the antidote and dosed him before removing the silencing charm from the Healer. The antidote was taking Harry right outside of himself, and he couldn't resist when he was helped up and placed back on his bench. Molly Weasley and Ron immediately put their arms around him and he rested in the embrace gratefully. Molly petted his head lightly, and Ron pressed close to his side.
By the time he'd come to his senses, the silencing charm had been removed from the spectators, put back on the Dursley's when they failed to stop shouting threats and abuse at him, and the Healers had given their evidence that Harry's body showed clear signs of starvation from an early age, as well as several old breaks and a nasty scar on his liver that had appeared as a result of his natural magic healing that organ when it was badly hurt. Neither of the Weasley's showed any sign of letting go of him, and Ron had managed to retain the glass of water which kept filling itself after Harry drained it. Since the cool liquid was reviving him nicely, Harry didn't mind and drank it dry several times.
The decision was made that no further witnesses would need to be called in the light of Harry's testimony under Veritaserum, and a short recess was called for the Wizengamot to consider their verdict.