CHAPTER 7
THIS CHAPTER WAS RE-UPLOADED BECAUSE I FORGOT A BUNCH OF REVIEW RESPONSES THE FIRST TIME! I HUMBLY APOLOGIZE AND BEG FORGIVENESS!!! Disclaimer: Don't sue me, not mine, making no $$$ from it, do not take credit for noble works of J.K. Rowling, etc..
Warning: Violence, Language, OotP Spoilers
Review Responses:
Amber 16: Thanks for being the first reviewer for Chapter 6
Samhaincant: Thanks! I've been reading "Solstice"-it's wonderful! I'm so excited that you're reading my story!
Melindaleo: Thanks for all the feedback..hmmm.sneaking past Albus.Yuppers, if Harry's in a relationship it's gonna be with Ginny, but he just might not have time for romance.we'll see.
Alexis: Yup. I wrote more.
Hermionegreen: Thanks.
Too lazy to sign in: I am.
Mikee: Yes, more Dursley punishment. Severus will be helping Harry care..hmmm.well, Ron and Hermione visit Harry this chapter, but I think Gred, Forge and Ginny may drop in. I like that idea
Ginnygal189: Thanks!
Athenakitty: Yup, Dumbledore told dear old Sevvie to scare the Dursleys. Dumbledore isn't a good person to anger.
Jazzylady: Yay. Glad to hear McGonagall wasn't too OOC. That was a spur-of- the-moment scene. Um, Albus didn't tell Mcgonagall yet because.he was too busy. Actually, I kind of.erm.forgot she saw Harry. I'm only human.
Michele: Thanks. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about my being accurate. In any case, you have no idea how much reviews like yours help. Merry Christmas to you too!
Pip3: Thanks! I LOVE the hugs.
Siriuslupin2002: Aah. I see your review is from chapter one. I am going to get around to fixing that chapter eventually.when I'm done being lazy, that is.
Ckat44: Thanks. That letter was hard for me to write Voldemort.I actually have no idea what to do with the slimy little bastard. Harry and Snape will talk EVENTUALLY. I want to make a Sirius comeback-I loved Snuffles!-but there are two reasons why I probably won't have him come back: a) I don't think that's what Rowling intended for the plot, and I want this fic to be as realistic as possible; b) I want Harry to be angsting. I love angst. If you can think of a good way for me to bring him back, I'll see what I can do.
SafSaf: Thanks! I'm not going to resort Harry because, in my opinion, even though he's darker, he still knows Ron and Hermione are there for him. There's not going to be any suddenly chummy Harry and Draco either.
Hogwarts, a History Girl: Thanks!
Iniysa: Thanks!
Katani Petitedra: Glad to help make you feel special. Was this a quick enough update?
Englishgirl: Thanks!
Sally-Jo: Thanks. And yup, I'm a band geek. A MAJOR band geek.
A/N: Aaahh.my whole body hurts. I got out of school early today cause I only had to take one final and I had to pressure wash our hog barns and I hit my self in the arm with a jet of highly pressurized water. To get an idea of how that feels, imagine that you have a horrible sunburn. You're walkin' down the street, you got Aloe Vera, it's all good, then some jerk runs up to you and slaps you as hard as human possible with a wet towel. Over and over again. That's how much it hurts. Then I was running inside because it's snowy here and I was wet from pressure washing and I was cold and I tripped on some ice and fell and bruised myself up and I think I twisted my ankle. So I'm having a little pity party for myself here. I'm done now. I have a question. Would anyone mind terribly if I took out review responses? They just take up so much room/time. If I do decide to stop individual review responses, still feel free to e-mail me. Anyway, let me know. Enjoy your chapter.
AAAAAAAHHH! FINALS WEEK IS UPON US!
SUFFERING: CHAPTER 7
When Severus entered the Hospital Wing, Harry was sitting up in his bed, staring meditatively at the blank wall in front of him. It seemed the boy had been doing that a lot lately, and it slightly disconcerted him. The boy did not even acknowledge his presence until Severus was right next to the bed.
"Potter," he said softly, "I went to retrieve your things." Harry nodded as he took the Sickle out of his pocket, set it on the floor, and turned it back into a trunk. "Dumbledore wants those Muggles you lived with to be put on Wizard trial."
The boy's head snapped up. "No!" he whispered fiercely.
"What?"
"No! If my uncle has a Wizard trial, what do you think will be all over the Daily Prophet the next day? I get too much attention from our world without my home life being exposed. I'd rather just not press charges and be able to stay somewhere else during holidays."
For once in his life, Severus couldn't think of how to respond to what Potter had said. After several moments' silence, he said stiffly, "Eat more. Get some rest." He flicked his wand and a bowl of soup appeared on the nightstand. He then quickly retreated to his own rooms for some much needed sleep.
*******************************************************
Harry had actually started eating once Snape left, though his encounter with the man left him feeling slightly nauseous.
A few minutes later, Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office holding a couple of bottles. "You're eating. Good." She looked quite please. "I will be able to heal some of your injuries now. Your leg, stomach, and ribs. I couldn't heal them earlier because you were physically too weak for the shock of healing spells."
Harry shrugged and continued slurping his soup. He didn't really care.
Madame Pomfrey plowed on. "I can also give you a potion for the minor cuts and bruises. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for the welts and scars."
Harry set down his soup and shrugged again.
"I'm going to have to ask you to remove your shirt," said the nurse matter-of-factly.
Harry unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off.
"I'm going to unwrap your stomach so I can apply a salve. It's going to be painful."
Harry found it was quite painful indeed, but bit his tongue and did not cry out. Once the bandages had been removed, Pomfrey took one of the bottles and dumped some of its strong-smelling contents onto a rag. She set the rag over his stomach and then jabbed her wand at the wound. It stung and throbbed, but looking down, Harry saw the area heal.
"There," she said, satisfied. It's going to hurt for awhile, but it's completely healed otherwise. Now for that leg." Madame Pomfrey tapped hard on the cast with her wand, muttering very strange words under her breath. Harry felt his bones healing, though not without pain. The nurse tapped the Muggle cast again and it fell away in pieces.
Finally, the nurse said, "Much better." She poured a blue potion from a different bottle into a goblet and handed it to Harry. He groaned but drank it quickly and handed the goblet back to her.
He fell back onto the pillows and was asleep within minutes.
********************************************************
Ginny Weasley waited tensely with Hermione and Ron for Lupin to return from his visit with Harry at Hogwarts. Had the situation not been so serious, Ginny would have laughed at the way Ron and Hermione were acting. Ron refused to tear his eyes away from his bushy-haired friend. Hermione was completely ignoring his stares, except to get a dull red flush in her cheeks every few minutes. Ginny rolled her eyes. For a very smart girl, Hermione was acting incredibly stupid. And Ron.well, it was a known fact that Ron had even less luck with girls than Harry. And that was saying something, considering Harry's fiasco with Cho Chang the previous year.
As Ginny's thoughts drifted back to Harry, a loud pop announced Lupin's arrival in the kitchen. He seemed rather alarmed to see the three of them still waiting for him. They all jumped to their feet at the same time, Hermione immediately launching into questions about Harry.
"How is Harry? What happened? Why is he at Hogwarts? Can we see him soon?"
"Hermione," said Lupin, "calm down! You and Ron can see Harry tomorrow." Hearing Ginny's offended snort, he turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, Ginny, Dumbledore doesn't want Harry to experience too much commotion, it seems."
Hermione brightened up immediately. "We can see him tomorrow? How early?"
"I don't know. But there is something I need to say to you, and I want all three of you to listen closely. Harry has changed. A lot. He was in pretty bad shape when I saw him, and he's very depressed. Don't act weird around him. Now," said Lupin, pausing for a moment, "it's getting late. Go to bed before Molly's after my hide. Ron and Hermione, get a good night's sleep so we can leave right after breakfast tomorrow."
They retreated to their respective bedrooms. As Ginny listened to Hermione falling asleep in the bed next to hers, she lay awake wondering exactly what Lupin had meant when he said that Harry had changed.
***************************************************
Harry woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath and shaking violently. As he hyperventilated, his hands flat against his scar in pain, memories of his dream-no, vision-swirled around his head in rapid succession. He had seen Voldemort and the Death Eaters torturing Muggles and Wizards alike. He could still hear the screams echoing in his brain. He had experienced similar "dreams" before, and they were always actual occurrences. He prayed he this time it was nothing more than a nightmare..
Feeling very sick, he got up on his sore leg and hobbled across the moonlit Hospital Wing.
Several minutes later, he straightened up shakily and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Splashing cool water on his face from the sink, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was very pale and still bruised.
The mirror tutted at him. "My dear," it said in a musty, wheezy voice, "you don't look too well."
Harry ignored it and padded gingerly back across the wing, the torches extinguishing themselves as he left. As he carefully arranged his aching body on the bed, Madame Pomfrey entered the ward, wearing a dressing robe and a lamp in hand.
"Mr. Potter," she asked, yawning, "are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he said wearily. "I just had a nightmare. It's nothing, really. Just go back to bed."
The nurse gave him an incredulous look. "This is my ward, and you are my patient. I will give the orders here. What's wrong?"
"I just had a dream and I'm feeling a little sick."
The nurse was immediately at his side, holding a hand to his forehead. ~Why does everyone do that?~ wondered Harry.
"Oh, dear, you're all feverish."
"It's really no big deal," Harry muttered quietly. "You've already lost sleep today because of me."
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "It's my job. Now what was this dream about, Potter?"
"Voldemort. And it was a vision," he said shortly.
The woman immediately straightened considerably, though wincing at the name. "I'm going to go get the headmaster. Don't move."
Harry feebly attempted to protest that he would tell Dumbledore in the morning, but the nurse was bustling in her office. She strode back out and handed him yet another potion. "This will settle your stomach. Drink all of it while I go to get Albus." She shoved the vial into his hands and strode out of the ward.
Harry uncorked the vial and gagged. The potion smelled absolutely horrible. He quickly gulped it down and felt his nausea slowly recede. He sat breathing deeply, hands over his scar again, for several minutes when he heard footsteps approaching outside the door. Professor Dumbledore entered, followed closely by Madame Pomfrey. Both hurried to Harry's bedside.
"Madame Pomfrey tells me you had a vision about Voldemort, Harry."
He nodded.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
He shook his head slowly.
"Can you?"
Harry hesitated, then nodded again. He took a deep breath, and began to speak. His voice sounded hoarse. "I could see Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They were in a Muggle village, torturing Muggles. Not just men. Women and children as well. Little children. They used the Cruciatus curse. I could feel it. I woke up and my scar hurt as much as it does when I'm staring Voldemort in the face--"
"That will do, Harry. We can deal with details later, if necessary. It seems that since the Ministry has acknowledged Voldemort, he has stopped attempting stealth and is doing his best to terrify the Wizarding community as he did fifteen years ago. Tomorrow we will talk about this more, but now is not the time. Madame Pomfrey, would you kindly get a Dreamless Sleep Potion? I must admit, though, I do not know how effective it will be with these visions. Harry, you need to get some sleep."
Madame Pomfrey appeared yet again with still one more vial. Harry groaned inwardly but took several gulps of the potion and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
**********************************************************
Hermione awoke very early the next morning. She knew she was acting like a giddy schoolgirl, but she missed Harry horribly and couldn't wait to talk to him. After laying in bed for nearly half an hour and failing to get back to sleep, she got up and began to quietly get dressed. Leaving quietly so she wouldn't wake Ginny, she slipped down to the kitchen. She had just begun making tea when Ron showed up, his hair standing on end. He yawned and stretched.
"I see I'm not the only one anxious to see Harry. Honestly Ron, at least I had the decency to comb my hair."
Ron gave her as haughty a look as he could muster while trying to stifle another yawn.
A quarter of an hour later, Lupin showed up. He laughed at the sight of the two of them hunched over their tea. "I thought I was an early riser."
Hermione shrugged. Ron did not respond. His head was flat on the table and she had to wonder if he had fallen asleep.
"Well, everyone wants to see us off and Molly insisted on making us all a good breakfast."
Ron groaned and muttered something incomprehensible, his face still flat on the table.
"Sorry?" said Remus good-naturedly. "Didn't catch that."
The redhead pulled his head of the table irritably and said, "I said, that means we'll be here for hours."
Remus looked faintly amused. "We can't go barging into the Hospital Wing at half past six anyway." He helped himself to a cup of tea.
Over the next hour, the other occupants of Grimuald Place trickled down to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had fixed them all toast and was working on a variety of other breakfast foods by the time Fred and George finally stumbled in.
By the time they finally got to eat, it was clear that all three of them were getting impatient.
Finally, Remus said, "Well, we really should get going."
"Tell Harry I said 'hi'," said Tonks, who this morning was grinning blearily at them all from under a mop of black hair.
Mrs. Weasley sniffed and said, "Yes, tell him we're all bursting to see him."
Lupin nodded and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder form the mantle. "Right, you two," he said, turning to Ron and Hermione, "we'll be using Dumbledore's office, so follow my lead. Password's 'Sugar Quill'". He turned to the fire and threw the powder into the flames and ducked into the hearth, shouting "Albus Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts, Sugar Quill." He disappeared in a rush of flames and Hermione followed suit.
***********************************************************
Quite the opposite of Ron and Hermione, Harry woke fairly late the next morning. He could feel the bright sunlight burning on his eyes before he even opened them.
Sitting up, he blinked wearily and stretched, rubbing his aching muscles. He groaned stiffly. He was incredibly sore.
"Ah, you're up," said the nurse in a businesslike tone, striding over to him. Harry groaned to himself. It seemed he couldn't be awake for two minutes without the woman breathing down his neck.
"Now," she said, "your friends will be here soon, but I think you should clean yourself up and have some breakfast. I'll get you something to eat."
Harry nodded, but he was still feeling ill from the night before, and the thought of food made his stomach turn.
Perhaps the nurse saw the look on his face, because the next thing she said was, "The rest of that Stomach Settling Potion is still there on the table, if you need it." The witch waved her wand and a generous helping of oatmeal appeared.
Harry thanked her quietly and looked at the oatmeal for a minute before quickly downing the remnants of the potion. He began to eat slowly as the nurse walked away, muttering something about useless Muggles. He was able to take several bites before he began to feel sick, despite the potion. He quickly set the bowl aside and went to the foot of his bed to look through his trunk for a pair of clothes that would downplay his skinniness the best. Once he had found the least baggy clothes that he owned, he limped across the ward with them.
The steaming shower water thumped slightly painfully on his sore frame, but the heat soothed his aches. Once he was dressed again, he took another look at himself in the mirror. There was no way around it, he looked like shit. The smallest Muggle clothes that he owned hung off his body, and he still looked pale and bruised. Harry vaguely contemplated using his concealing crème to hide his face from Ron and Hermione, but decided it would be useless, since Prof-Remus-had already seen him without it. Besides, Ron and Hermione would be suspicious if he was in the Hospital Wing with no sign of injuries.
Once back in the ward, Harry gingerly pulled one of the Defense books that Remus and.Sirius.had gotten him for Christmas out and sat on the bed, reading it. He had just gotten to different types of confusion-causing hexes when he heard footsteps in the stone corridor. Harry suddenly began to feel very nervous and sweaty, his nausea returning. The mere thought of revealing what had happened to him to his two best friends made him tremble. He began to take deep, slow breaths and had just gotten himself under control when the door opened.
******************************************************
Hermione, Ron, and Remus were standing outside the hospital wing when Lupin turned around and said to the other two, in undertone, "Remember what I said last night. He's changed a bit."
Hermione felt a slight thrill of apprehension, but took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
It took her a minute to spot Harry at the end of the ward, but when she did catch sight of him, she flew down the length of the ward and wrapped Harry in a hug.
"Harry!" she cried, squeezing him fiercely. He winced slightly in pain. "Oh!" she said, quickly pulling her weight off him. "Sorry--" she stopped, having just taken a good look at Harry.
He was very thin-his clothes hung off him worse than ever, and his face was bruised. "What happened?" asked Hermione, astonished.
Harry's eyes were dark and dull, and his skin had a sickly pallor. "I don't want to talk about that right now."
"Harry," asked Remus abruptly, "are you okay? You look tired and pale."
His eyes flickered. :I had a nightmare last night."
"Did you talk to Dumbledore?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to talk about it now?"
"Maybe later." Harry's responses were short, and his voice sounded hoarse.
"I'll leave the three of you alone for awhile to catch up," said Remus. "But can I have a quick word with you two first?" he asked, motioning to Ron and Hermione. They nodded and followed him out of the wing.
"Professor?" asked Hermione the instant the door clicked shut, "What happened to him? Why won't he talk to us?"
Lupin gave her a contemplative look. "I told you earlier, he should be the one to let you know what's going on. And that's why I wanted to talk to you. I want you to do your best to get him to open up. Don't force him to talk about something he doesn't want to, just ease him into conversation and see if you can't get a few words out of him."
Hermione and Ron nodded fervently.
"I'm going to have a word with Albus and see if Hagrid's around. It would do Harry good to get some fresh air and go visit him."
"Thanks, Professor."
"It's Remus."
*********************************************************
As Harry waited for Ron and Hermione to return, he felt the numbness he'd trained himself into slowly being replaced by misery. He knew that they would eventually find out about his uncle, but the thought of him having to tell them made him shudder. Perhaps Lupin was telling them both right now. A spasm of horror shot through him at this very thought. Hearing the door swing open again, Harry did his best to arrange his features into a blank expression.
"Hey Harry," chirped Hermione almost immediately, "do you think Madame Pomfrey would let you visit Hagrid today?" He shrugged indifferently.
"Well, we can't go now anyway," said Ron. "We don't even know if he's here. So Harry, mate, heard you're back on the Quidditch team. Excellent!" Ron immediately launched into a long-winded explanation of the tactics he'd been reading up on, leaving Harry free to come up with the best lie he could think of.
*************************************************************
Remus walked down to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. "Rubeus? You there?"
"Coming, coming," came Hagrid's gruff response. He threw the door open. "Professor Lupin?"
"Remus, please," he said.
"O' course. Eh.not to be rude, but what're you doing here?"
"I brought Ron and Hermione to visit Harry in the Hospital Wing."
"What? 'Arry's here?" Hagrid looked bemused.
"You didn't know? Perhaps we should go inside and sit down." Remus contemplated the best way to tell Hagrid.
"Er, yeah. Come in. Tea?" Hagrid quickly ushered the werewolf into his hut.
"No thanks, Rubeus, I better cut right to the chase. Severus removed Harry from the Dursley's care the night before last," he said slowly, "grievously injured." Hagrid opened his mouth to speak, but Remus hurriedly pressed on. "I'm sure you are very anxious to know how Harry is and how he got hurt in the first place. Madame Pomfrey has done an excellent job healing him-he is sore and bruised, but his major injuries have been fixed. As for the cause of his injuries." Remus took a deep breath. "Rubeus, I tell you this in complete confidence. Harry's uncle beat him." Lupin steeled himself for the outburst.
The giant of a man looked confused, but his expression rapidly changed to understanding, and then anger. His face darkened and he began to shout. "Lousy, good-fer-nuthin' Muggles! I oughta tear 'em apart!"
"Hagrid!" said Lupin severely, "Calm yourself. Remember what I said about telling you this in complete confidence?"
The gamekeeper eyed him, breathing heavily.
"I just thought I 'd tell you he's here. I'm sure he wants to see you. He may be coming down with Ron and Hermione later. Do try and stay calm."
Rubeus gave his word that he wouldn't tell a soul, but as Remus left, he heard the man muttering under his breath. "Oughta see to them lousy Muggles meself.."
**********************************************************
After nearly an hour of asking Harry questions and rarely receiving more than monosyllabic answers, Ron and Hermione were starting to get worried. No subject they had brought up had sparked his interests. Snape, Umbridge, Hagrid, Quidditch, Hogwarts, O.W.L.s-they'd even tried talking about Voldemort.
"Let's ask Madame Pomfrey if we can go visit Hagrid now," said Ron hopefully.
Harry seemed to like the idea. "Yes, let's ask her. I haven't been able to enjoy the outdoors for awhile-" Harry immediately stopped himself, realizing his mistake.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, sounding suspicious.
"Oh-well," Harry desperately began to think up a lie. "I had a bit of a fever last week and the Dursleys were so afraid of the Order's warning that they wouldn't let me do anything."
"Oh.right." she said, looking rather disbelieving.
The truth was, the Dursleys hadn't let Harry outside much for fear the neighbors would notice. Of course, every now and then, out of pure spite, Vernon had set a chore for him to do outside. He had been outside the day his uncle had stabbed him, but it hadn't been much for enjoyment, as he had been trying not to pass out.
"Where is Madame Pomfrey?" asked Ron.
"Probably in her office," said Hermione, pacing across the room and knocking on the door to the woman's office. A few moments later, the nurse appeared at the door, yawning.
"Miss Granger?" she asked, yawning.
"Um, sorry to disturb you, Madame Pomfrey, but we were wondering if we could take Harry to see Hagrid."
The nurse turned a hawk-like eye to Harry and said, "Come over here, please, Mr. Potter."
Harry got up and walked slowly over to the nurse. Hermione noticed a definite limp. Madame Pomfrey clucked her tongue at him. "You're still quite a sight," she said, looking him over carefully. After several tense minutes where he muttered under her breath, pressed on Harry's stomach (he winced slightly), and looked him over from every angle, she announced, "Well Potter, you can go, but drink this first. It's a basic Strengthening Potion."
Harry looked revolted but took the vial she held out and downed it in one gulp, making a face.
The nurse nodded approvingly at him before turning to Ron and Hermione.
"You two," she said sternly, "don't go to fast and keep an eye on him."
Hermione thought she could actually hear Harry making a face, but said, "Of course." She took a step backwards; the woman's glare clearly said 'or else'.
The nurse turned away and walked to the door, taking out her wand and muttering, "Finite Incatatem." A frame of blue light came out of the door and dissolved into the air. Then she went back to her office and closed the door with a quiet click.
Ron sent a triumphant glance at Harry and Hermione and said, "Let's go."
Harry started walking slowly with them. Glancing sideways at him as the trio fell into step, Hermione could see Harry biting his lip in pain. She quickly looked away so he wouldn't see her staring.
"You guys don't really have to go this slow. You know how Madame Pomfrey is. She's just being overly protective."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at Ron but sped up to keep up with Harry. A few minutes later, the three of them were walking across the grounds towards Hagrid's cabin. Hermione could no longer pretend she didn't hear Harry's labored breathing.
"Harry?" she asked timidly. "We can slow down if you-"
Harry shot her a glare. "I'm fine," he said tightly through clenched teeth.
Hermione would've very much liked to force Harry to slow down, but decided it wasn't worth a fight.
When the three of them finally reached Hagrid's cabin, Ron raised his hand and knocked as Harry took deep, steadying breaths.
Hagrid opened the door and his face lit up. "'Arry! Ron! 'Ermione! Good ter see you lot." He ushered them into his house with a wide, sweeping arm. Then he turned to Harry again and said, "'Arry! Good ter see you're doing alright!" He enveloped him into a bone-crushing bear hug, Hermione saw him wince again.
He gasped, "Um, Hagrid, it's great to see you and all, but I can't breathe."
"O' course, o' course. Sorry about that, 'arry." He let go, and Harry stumbled backward looking quite relieved.
" 'Eard abou' those relative o' yours," said Hagrid gruffly.
Confused, Hermione turned to look at Harry, whose facial expression had changed suddenly. His face paled, and he stared at Hagrid in horror, mouth open. He looked around the cabin, a frantic expression on his face.
"I tell yer," Hagrid continued with watery eyes, "If I'd known what those lousy Muggles were doin' ter ya-" he stopped mid-sentence, staring at Harry. The horrified look on his face had grown, and he was suddenly white as a ghost. Next moment, he had turned on his heel and fled from the cabin. Hermione could see him out the window, speeding across the Hogwarts lawn and leaning heavily into every alternate step.
*************************************************************
Harry was scrambling up the hill, breathing heavily. Pain was shooting up his leg and his breath was no more than short, chopped gasps, but He could neither stop nor look behind him. Hagrid knew! And now Ron and Hermione would too! The thought of his two best friends knowing his deepest, darkest secret made him feel physically ill again. Harry didn't care. He didn't slow down until he reached the front doors. Throwing them open, he dashed inside and sprinted up the marble steps in the Entrance Hall. He went down a few random corridors until he was confident he would not be found. Sinking down against the wall, he clutched a stitch in his side, panting in an effort to breathe. Every pain in his body had come back, but that was nothing compared to the fear that gnawed him. Ron and Hermione knew now. He could imagine their looks of shock and disgust when they realized what Hagrid was talking about.
**********************************************************
Hermione and Ron looked at each other dumbfounded, not only by what they had heard, but by Harry's flight. They turned back to Hagrid, who looked quite confused.
"Umm, we have to go, Hagrid. We're not supposed to.erm.lose him. Sorry."
Hagrid nodded, a puzzled expression on his face.
The two quickly bade him good-bye and bolted out of the cabin after Harry. They could no longer see him, but the only place he could've gone was through the front doors. Sprinting up the castle steps, they flung open the doors just as Harry had minutes earlier. Inside the front doors, they skidded to a stop and looked around wildly .
"Which way did he go?" panted Ron, staring around.
"I don't know!" gasped Hermione. "Maybe he-" a cold voice interrupted her.
"Don't you two get in enough trouble during the school year? I was so enjoying the quiet."
Ron and Hermione spun around. Snape was standing behind him. Something about him, however, was less malicious then before. He was thin and tired-looking, and his voice lacked its usual sting.
"Sir, we were just here to visit Harry, and we went down to see Hagrid. He said something to Harry about his relatives, and Harry ran off," said Hermione breathlessly.
The Potions Master made an irritated noise in the back of his throat and said, "Yes, he's been doing a lot of that in the last day and a half."
"And, well, we don't really know where he is."
Snape looked annoyed. "I will find Potter. You two head to the Hospital Wing and see if he's there. Even if he's not, just wait there." The man swept off, leaving no room for argument.
"Slimy git." muttered Ron.
**********************************************************
Severus stalked up the marble staircase, groaning inwardly. Couldn't the gods grant him just one moment of peace to not chase after the bloody Boy-Who-Lived? No, of course not. Not after all he had done. The gods gave no peace to a Death Eater. Even one who was a spy.
Snape had never before appreciated just how large Hogwarts was. The school suddenly had an infuriating number of hallways. Deciding to use all the help he could get, the Slytherin walked up to the nearest portrait and asked its subject, a red-haired wizard with a mischievous look that reminded him forcefully of Fred or George Weasley, "Did a black-haired boy run by here a few minutes ago?"
"Ah, yes, good sir," replied the portrait haughtily.
~Maybe Percy Weasley,~ thought Severus
"He went down that corridor." The portrait pointed down the hall to its left.
Snape nodded curtly and tore off in that direction. He looked down the hall, which had at least a dozen more corridors leading off from either side. He began to walk down the hall slowly, checking every hall he passed. There was no sign of Potter, and the Potions Master was beginning to get worried. He was checking the second to last corridor when he spotted a sniffling figure slouched against the wall.
Practically flying to the boy's side, he saw the boy taking deep, gasping breaths with his eyes squeezed shut. His thin cheeks glistened with tears.
"Potter?" he asked, none too gently. "Harry?"
His eyes fluttered open and he stared at Snape with a dead expression, his frail chest heaving.
"What in God's name are you thinking?"
The boy looked at the floor and said quietly, "Ron and Hermione know."
"What are you on about?"
"Hagrid told them about.about why I'm here."
Understanding coursed through Severus like wildfire. Not, of course, that this gave the boy a justifiable reason for running away. "Stand up. We can talk about this on our way back to the Hospital Wing.
Harry looked up at him. "Are they there?"
"I sent your friends there, yes."
"I don't want to see them right now," said Potter stiffly.
Severus frowned at him. "You'll have to talk to them sometime," he said sternly.
"I'm not talking to them. I don't need to talk to anybody."
"Fine. Suffer in silence. We're still going to back to the Hospital Wing." He pulled the obstinate Gryffindor up by the arm and began to steer him toward the infirmary.
********************************************************
Ron and Hermione sat on a bed in the Hospital Wing. "I've never said this before, nor will I ever say it again, but I hope Snape finds Harry," said Ron. Hermione nodded. "Why do you think he ran off like that?" he continued.
Hermione was debating telling Ron what she really thought. "Well, do you remember what Hagrid said right before Harry tore out of there?"
The redheaded looked perplexed. "Yeah," he said, "something about what the Muggles did. I didn't think it was anything important until Harry ran away."
Hermione felt as though she were trying to explain something to a four-year-old. "Well, you've seen Harry's relatives. Don't you think it's possible that they had something to do with his injuries?"
Comprehension dawned on Ron's face. "You-you mean-you think his-his family did that to him?" he stuttered.
"Ron, I know your family is very close and loving, but there are a lot of families who aren't. Child abuse isn't as common in the Wizarding world as it is in the Muggle world, but it still happens. You said yourself there were bars on his window when you went to get him before our second year."
Ron sputtered at her. He looked around the room and then slumped as if in defeat. "I can't believe he'd hide something like this from us," he muttered from behind his hands.
Hermione looked at him. "It's probably been going on for a very long time," she said sadly.
Ron snapped his head up. "What? Why do you think that?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd that he never wants to go home for the summer? I know we dismissed it the last two years, but ever since first year, he's hated going home at the end of term. And he's always so skinny when he comes back.and I know he's asked Professor Dumbledore if he can stay here for the summer every year."
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment so did the door. Snape walked in leading a very pale Harry. Hermione noticed his limp was even more pronounced then before.
"Harry!" she jumped up. "Are you okay?" Snape sneered.
"Of course I'm okay," he said flatly.
"Really?" said Ron, also getting to his feet. "Because you look like you're going to pass out"
"Really," hissed Harry, "I'm fine."
Snape cleared hi throat. "As much as I would love to stick around and enjoy your company, Potter, I believe you matters to discuss with Granger and Weasley."
Harry glared at him, though it was of little effect as what color remained in his face drained. He sat shakily on his bed as Snape left, staring at his feet.
"Harry," asked Hermione, "why did you run away like that?"
Harry raised his head and looked her in the eyes. His eyes scared her. She had seen Harry's eyes full of sorrow, she had seen them flare with rage and hatred, she had seen them set with grim determination and sparkle with malicious laughter. Harry's eyes had always been a window to his soul, and now they were dead and flat.
"Hermione," he said, "don't do this to me. You're a very smart witch. If you want to ask me something, just say it!"
She looked at Ron, who was nodding encouragingly. She turned back to Harry and said, "Yes, Harry, I want to ask you something. What Hagrid said back there-about your family-was he saying that-that the reason you're here- "
"Spit it out, Hermione," said Harry softly.
She took a deep breath and said, "Well, Harry.did your family hurt you?"
"They're not my family. All my family's dead."
"Oh, Harry!" cried Hermione, throwing her arms around Harry's neck. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" Harry regarded her warily.
"You could've come to us, mate," said Ron quietly.
Harry looked from Hermione to Ron as though they were the two stupidest people he had ever met. "I hid it and lived with it alone for ten years. I didn't have anyone to go to. What was I supposed to do when I got to Hogwarts? Go to Professor Dumbledore and say, 'Sir, my uncle hits me with a belt and I was just wondering if you gave a damn'? Or was I supposed to tell you two-the first two friends I ever had-about the time Vernon threw me down a flight of stairs headfirst when I was eight because he was drunk and I bumped into him? I had just gotten friends, I wasn't going to lose you right away."
"So, Harry," prompted Hermione quietly, "What happened to get you in here? Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not now," said Harry, who looked as though he hadn't quite expected all those words to be pouring out of his mouth.
"Well.why are you in here? I mean, you're bruised up, but you're limping, too. Are you badly injured?" said Ron.
Hermione rolled her eyes. He was trying to help, but Ron could be so tactless at times.
Harry looked at him and sighed. "I broke my leg in three places and got stabbed twice in the stomach.
Ron gasped. Hermione did a better job of concealing her horror, but anger welled up inside her. Harry's uncle had stabbed him? Harry, who had been through hell over and over again? Yes, Harry had been moody and unpredictable since the end of fourth year, but there was no reason for anybody to hurt Harry like that, especially someone who was supposed to be his family. "Oh Harry!" she exclaimed, hugging him again.
"Hermione, I'm fine."
She let go of him and said, "Talk to us about this any time."
"Sure," he said flatly.
After several minutes, their conversation went back to centering on Quidditch and Hogwarts.
"So," said Ron, "you gotten O.W.L. results back yet?" Harry shook his head.
"We haven't either," put in Hermione, glad for a change in subject. "They should be coming soon, though."
The conversation continued in that vein for over an hour before Madame Pomfrey appeared at Harry's bedside with a tray. "It's time for you to eat again."
Harry groaned, but grudgingly accepted the bowl of soup she held out to him.
END CHAPTER 7
A/N: Wow that was long. Aren't you proud of how fast I updated? Insomnia will do crazy things to you. You lot better update cause this is my longest chapter ever out in the shortest amount of time ever! MY LAST FINAL IS TOMORROW!!! MY BIRTHDAY'S IN THREE DAYS!
THIS CHAPTER WAS RE-UPLOADED BECAUSE I FORGOT A BUNCH OF REVIEW RESPONSES THE FIRST TIME! I HUMBLY APOLOGIZE AND BEG FORGIVENESS!!! Disclaimer: Don't sue me, not mine, making no $$$ from it, do not take credit for noble works of J.K. Rowling, etc..
Warning: Violence, Language, OotP Spoilers
Review Responses:
Amber 16: Thanks for being the first reviewer for Chapter 6
Samhaincant: Thanks! I've been reading "Solstice"-it's wonderful! I'm so excited that you're reading my story!
Melindaleo: Thanks for all the feedback..hmmm.sneaking past Albus.Yuppers, if Harry's in a relationship it's gonna be with Ginny, but he just might not have time for romance.we'll see.
Alexis: Yup. I wrote more.
Hermionegreen: Thanks.
Too lazy to sign in: I am.
Mikee: Yes, more Dursley punishment. Severus will be helping Harry care..hmmm.well, Ron and Hermione visit Harry this chapter, but I think Gred, Forge and Ginny may drop in. I like that idea
Ginnygal189: Thanks!
Athenakitty: Yup, Dumbledore told dear old Sevvie to scare the Dursleys. Dumbledore isn't a good person to anger.
Jazzylady: Yay. Glad to hear McGonagall wasn't too OOC. That was a spur-of- the-moment scene. Um, Albus didn't tell Mcgonagall yet because.he was too busy. Actually, I kind of.erm.forgot she saw Harry. I'm only human.
Michele: Thanks. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about my being accurate. In any case, you have no idea how much reviews like yours help. Merry Christmas to you too!
Pip3: Thanks! I LOVE the hugs.
Siriuslupin2002: Aah. I see your review is from chapter one. I am going to get around to fixing that chapter eventually.when I'm done being lazy, that is.
Ckat44: Thanks. That letter was hard for me to write Voldemort.I actually have no idea what to do with the slimy little bastard. Harry and Snape will talk EVENTUALLY. I want to make a Sirius comeback-I loved Snuffles!-but there are two reasons why I probably won't have him come back: a) I don't think that's what Rowling intended for the plot, and I want this fic to be as realistic as possible; b) I want Harry to be angsting. I love angst. If you can think of a good way for me to bring him back, I'll see what I can do.
SafSaf: Thanks! I'm not going to resort Harry because, in my opinion, even though he's darker, he still knows Ron and Hermione are there for him. There's not going to be any suddenly chummy Harry and Draco either.
Hogwarts, a History Girl: Thanks!
Iniysa: Thanks!
Katani Petitedra: Glad to help make you feel special. Was this a quick enough update?
Englishgirl: Thanks!
Sally-Jo: Thanks. And yup, I'm a band geek. A MAJOR band geek.
A/N: Aaahh.my whole body hurts. I got out of school early today cause I only had to take one final and I had to pressure wash our hog barns and I hit my self in the arm with a jet of highly pressurized water. To get an idea of how that feels, imagine that you have a horrible sunburn. You're walkin' down the street, you got Aloe Vera, it's all good, then some jerk runs up to you and slaps you as hard as human possible with a wet towel. Over and over again. That's how much it hurts. Then I was running inside because it's snowy here and I was wet from pressure washing and I was cold and I tripped on some ice and fell and bruised myself up and I think I twisted my ankle. So I'm having a little pity party for myself here. I'm done now. I have a question. Would anyone mind terribly if I took out review responses? They just take up so much room/time. If I do decide to stop individual review responses, still feel free to e-mail me. Anyway, let me know. Enjoy your chapter.
AAAAAAAHHH! FINALS WEEK IS UPON US!
SUFFERING: CHAPTER 7
When Severus entered the Hospital Wing, Harry was sitting up in his bed, staring meditatively at the blank wall in front of him. It seemed the boy had been doing that a lot lately, and it slightly disconcerted him. The boy did not even acknowledge his presence until Severus was right next to the bed.
"Potter," he said softly, "I went to retrieve your things." Harry nodded as he took the Sickle out of his pocket, set it on the floor, and turned it back into a trunk. "Dumbledore wants those Muggles you lived with to be put on Wizard trial."
The boy's head snapped up. "No!" he whispered fiercely.
"What?"
"No! If my uncle has a Wizard trial, what do you think will be all over the Daily Prophet the next day? I get too much attention from our world without my home life being exposed. I'd rather just not press charges and be able to stay somewhere else during holidays."
For once in his life, Severus couldn't think of how to respond to what Potter had said. After several moments' silence, he said stiffly, "Eat more. Get some rest." He flicked his wand and a bowl of soup appeared on the nightstand. He then quickly retreated to his own rooms for some much needed sleep.
*******************************************************
Harry had actually started eating once Snape left, though his encounter with the man left him feeling slightly nauseous.
A few minutes later, Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office holding a couple of bottles. "You're eating. Good." She looked quite please. "I will be able to heal some of your injuries now. Your leg, stomach, and ribs. I couldn't heal them earlier because you were physically too weak for the shock of healing spells."
Harry shrugged and continued slurping his soup. He didn't really care.
Madame Pomfrey plowed on. "I can also give you a potion for the minor cuts and bruises. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for the welts and scars."
Harry set down his soup and shrugged again.
"I'm going to have to ask you to remove your shirt," said the nurse matter-of-factly.
Harry unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off.
"I'm going to unwrap your stomach so I can apply a salve. It's going to be painful."
Harry found it was quite painful indeed, but bit his tongue and did not cry out. Once the bandages had been removed, Pomfrey took one of the bottles and dumped some of its strong-smelling contents onto a rag. She set the rag over his stomach and then jabbed her wand at the wound. It stung and throbbed, but looking down, Harry saw the area heal.
"There," she said, satisfied. It's going to hurt for awhile, but it's completely healed otherwise. Now for that leg." Madame Pomfrey tapped hard on the cast with her wand, muttering very strange words under her breath. Harry felt his bones healing, though not without pain. The nurse tapped the Muggle cast again and it fell away in pieces.
Finally, the nurse said, "Much better." She poured a blue potion from a different bottle into a goblet and handed it to Harry. He groaned but drank it quickly and handed the goblet back to her.
He fell back onto the pillows and was asleep within minutes.
********************************************************
Ginny Weasley waited tensely with Hermione and Ron for Lupin to return from his visit with Harry at Hogwarts. Had the situation not been so serious, Ginny would have laughed at the way Ron and Hermione were acting. Ron refused to tear his eyes away from his bushy-haired friend. Hermione was completely ignoring his stares, except to get a dull red flush in her cheeks every few minutes. Ginny rolled her eyes. For a very smart girl, Hermione was acting incredibly stupid. And Ron.well, it was a known fact that Ron had even less luck with girls than Harry. And that was saying something, considering Harry's fiasco with Cho Chang the previous year.
As Ginny's thoughts drifted back to Harry, a loud pop announced Lupin's arrival in the kitchen. He seemed rather alarmed to see the three of them still waiting for him. They all jumped to their feet at the same time, Hermione immediately launching into questions about Harry.
"How is Harry? What happened? Why is he at Hogwarts? Can we see him soon?"
"Hermione," said Lupin, "calm down! You and Ron can see Harry tomorrow." Hearing Ginny's offended snort, he turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, Ginny, Dumbledore doesn't want Harry to experience too much commotion, it seems."
Hermione brightened up immediately. "We can see him tomorrow? How early?"
"I don't know. But there is something I need to say to you, and I want all three of you to listen closely. Harry has changed. A lot. He was in pretty bad shape when I saw him, and he's very depressed. Don't act weird around him. Now," said Lupin, pausing for a moment, "it's getting late. Go to bed before Molly's after my hide. Ron and Hermione, get a good night's sleep so we can leave right after breakfast tomorrow."
They retreated to their respective bedrooms. As Ginny listened to Hermione falling asleep in the bed next to hers, she lay awake wondering exactly what Lupin had meant when he said that Harry had changed.
***************************************************
Harry woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath and shaking violently. As he hyperventilated, his hands flat against his scar in pain, memories of his dream-no, vision-swirled around his head in rapid succession. He had seen Voldemort and the Death Eaters torturing Muggles and Wizards alike. He could still hear the screams echoing in his brain. He had experienced similar "dreams" before, and they were always actual occurrences. He prayed he this time it was nothing more than a nightmare..
Feeling very sick, he got up on his sore leg and hobbled across the moonlit Hospital Wing.
Several minutes later, he straightened up shakily and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Splashing cool water on his face from the sink, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was very pale and still bruised.
The mirror tutted at him. "My dear," it said in a musty, wheezy voice, "you don't look too well."
Harry ignored it and padded gingerly back across the wing, the torches extinguishing themselves as he left. As he carefully arranged his aching body on the bed, Madame Pomfrey entered the ward, wearing a dressing robe and a lamp in hand.
"Mr. Potter," she asked, yawning, "are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he said wearily. "I just had a nightmare. It's nothing, really. Just go back to bed."
The nurse gave him an incredulous look. "This is my ward, and you are my patient. I will give the orders here. What's wrong?"
"I just had a dream and I'm feeling a little sick."
The nurse was immediately at his side, holding a hand to his forehead. ~Why does everyone do that?~ wondered Harry.
"Oh, dear, you're all feverish."
"It's really no big deal," Harry muttered quietly. "You've already lost sleep today because of me."
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "It's my job. Now what was this dream about, Potter?"
"Voldemort. And it was a vision," he said shortly.
The woman immediately straightened considerably, though wincing at the name. "I'm going to go get the headmaster. Don't move."
Harry feebly attempted to protest that he would tell Dumbledore in the morning, but the nurse was bustling in her office. She strode back out and handed him yet another potion. "This will settle your stomach. Drink all of it while I go to get Albus." She shoved the vial into his hands and strode out of the ward.
Harry uncorked the vial and gagged. The potion smelled absolutely horrible. He quickly gulped it down and felt his nausea slowly recede. He sat breathing deeply, hands over his scar again, for several minutes when he heard footsteps approaching outside the door. Professor Dumbledore entered, followed closely by Madame Pomfrey. Both hurried to Harry's bedside.
"Madame Pomfrey tells me you had a vision about Voldemort, Harry."
He nodded.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
He shook his head slowly.
"Can you?"
Harry hesitated, then nodded again. He took a deep breath, and began to speak. His voice sounded hoarse. "I could see Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They were in a Muggle village, torturing Muggles. Not just men. Women and children as well. Little children. They used the Cruciatus curse. I could feel it. I woke up and my scar hurt as much as it does when I'm staring Voldemort in the face--"
"That will do, Harry. We can deal with details later, if necessary. It seems that since the Ministry has acknowledged Voldemort, he has stopped attempting stealth and is doing his best to terrify the Wizarding community as he did fifteen years ago. Tomorrow we will talk about this more, but now is not the time. Madame Pomfrey, would you kindly get a Dreamless Sleep Potion? I must admit, though, I do not know how effective it will be with these visions. Harry, you need to get some sleep."
Madame Pomfrey appeared yet again with still one more vial. Harry groaned inwardly but took several gulps of the potion and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
**********************************************************
Hermione awoke very early the next morning. She knew she was acting like a giddy schoolgirl, but she missed Harry horribly and couldn't wait to talk to him. After laying in bed for nearly half an hour and failing to get back to sleep, she got up and began to quietly get dressed. Leaving quietly so she wouldn't wake Ginny, she slipped down to the kitchen. She had just begun making tea when Ron showed up, his hair standing on end. He yawned and stretched.
"I see I'm not the only one anxious to see Harry. Honestly Ron, at least I had the decency to comb my hair."
Ron gave her as haughty a look as he could muster while trying to stifle another yawn.
A quarter of an hour later, Lupin showed up. He laughed at the sight of the two of them hunched over their tea. "I thought I was an early riser."
Hermione shrugged. Ron did not respond. His head was flat on the table and she had to wonder if he had fallen asleep.
"Well, everyone wants to see us off and Molly insisted on making us all a good breakfast."
Ron groaned and muttered something incomprehensible, his face still flat on the table.
"Sorry?" said Remus good-naturedly. "Didn't catch that."
The redhead pulled his head of the table irritably and said, "I said, that means we'll be here for hours."
Remus looked faintly amused. "We can't go barging into the Hospital Wing at half past six anyway." He helped himself to a cup of tea.
Over the next hour, the other occupants of Grimuald Place trickled down to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had fixed them all toast and was working on a variety of other breakfast foods by the time Fred and George finally stumbled in.
By the time they finally got to eat, it was clear that all three of them were getting impatient.
Finally, Remus said, "Well, we really should get going."
"Tell Harry I said 'hi'," said Tonks, who this morning was grinning blearily at them all from under a mop of black hair.
Mrs. Weasley sniffed and said, "Yes, tell him we're all bursting to see him."
Lupin nodded and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder form the mantle. "Right, you two," he said, turning to Ron and Hermione, "we'll be using Dumbledore's office, so follow my lead. Password's 'Sugar Quill'". He turned to the fire and threw the powder into the flames and ducked into the hearth, shouting "Albus Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts, Sugar Quill." He disappeared in a rush of flames and Hermione followed suit.
***********************************************************
Quite the opposite of Ron and Hermione, Harry woke fairly late the next morning. He could feel the bright sunlight burning on his eyes before he even opened them.
Sitting up, he blinked wearily and stretched, rubbing his aching muscles. He groaned stiffly. He was incredibly sore.
"Ah, you're up," said the nurse in a businesslike tone, striding over to him. Harry groaned to himself. It seemed he couldn't be awake for two minutes without the woman breathing down his neck.
"Now," she said, "your friends will be here soon, but I think you should clean yourself up and have some breakfast. I'll get you something to eat."
Harry nodded, but he was still feeling ill from the night before, and the thought of food made his stomach turn.
Perhaps the nurse saw the look on his face, because the next thing she said was, "The rest of that Stomach Settling Potion is still there on the table, if you need it." The witch waved her wand and a generous helping of oatmeal appeared.
Harry thanked her quietly and looked at the oatmeal for a minute before quickly downing the remnants of the potion. He began to eat slowly as the nurse walked away, muttering something about useless Muggles. He was able to take several bites before he began to feel sick, despite the potion. He quickly set the bowl aside and went to the foot of his bed to look through his trunk for a pair of clothes that would downplay his skinniness the best. Once he had found the least baggy clothes that he owned, he limped across the ward with them.
The steaming shower water thumped slightly painfully on his sore frame, but the heat soothed his aches. Once he was dressed again, he took another look at himself in the mirror. There was no way around it, he looked like shit. The smallest Muggle clothes that he owned hung off his body, and he still looked pale and bruised. Harry vaguely contemplated using his concealing crème to hide his face from Ron and Hermione, but decided it would be useless, since Prof-Remus-had already seen him without it. Besides, Ron and Hermione would be suspicious if he was in the Hospital Wing with no sign of injuries.
Once back in the ward, Harry gingerly pulled one of the Defense books that Remus and.Sirius.had gotten him for Christmas out and sat on the bed, reading it. He had just gotten to different types of confusion-causing hexes when he heard footsteps in the stone corridor. Harry suddenly began to feel very nervous and sweaty, his nausea returning. The mere thought of revealing what had happened to him to his two best friends made him tremble. He began to take deep, slow breaths and had just gotten himself under control when the door opened.
******************************************************
Hermione, Ron, and Remus were standing outside the hospital wing when Lupin turned around and said to the other two, in undertone, "Remember what I said last night. He's changed a bit."
Hermione felt a slight thrill of apprehension, but took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
It took her a minute to spot Harry at the end of the ward, but when she did catch sight of him, she flew down the length of the ward and wrapped Harry in a hug.
"Harry!" she cried, squeezing him fiercely. He winced slightly in pain. "Oh!" she said, quickly pulling her weight off him. "Sorry--" she stopped, having just taken a good look at Harry.
He was very thin-his clothes hung off him worse than ever, and his face was bruised. "What happened?" asked Hermione, astonished.
Harry's eyes were dark and dull, and his skin had a sickly pallor. "I don't want to talk about that right now."
"Harry," asked Remus abruptly, "are you okay? You look tired and pale."
His eyes flickered. :I had a nightmare last night."
"Did you talk to Dumbledore?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to talk about it now?"
"Maybe later." Harry's responses were short, and his voice sounded hoarse.
"I'll leave the three of you alone for awhile to catch up," said Remus. "But can I have a quick word with you two first?" he asked, motioning to Ron and Hermione. They nodded and followed him out of the wing.
"Professor?" asked Hermione the instant the door clicked shut, "What happened to him? Why won't he talk to us?"
Lupin gave her a contemplative look. "I told you earlier, he should be the one to let you know what's going on. And that's why I wanted to talk to you. I want you to do your best to get him to open up. Don't force him to talk about something he doesn't want to, just ease him into conversation and see if you can't get a few words out of him."
Hermione and Ron nodded fervently.
"I'm going to have a word with Albus and see if Hagrid's around. It would do Harry good to get some fresh air and go visit him."
"Thanks, Professor."
"It's Remus."
*********************************************************
As Harry waited for Ron and Hermione to return, he felt the numbness he'd trained himself into slowly being replaced by misery. He knew that they would eventually find out about his uncle, but the thought of him having to tell them made him shudder. Perhaps Lupin was telling them both right now. A spasm of horror shot through him at this very thought. Hearing the door swing open again, Harry did his best to arrange his features into a blank expression.
"Hey Harry," chirped Hermione almost immediately, "do you think Madame Pomfrey would let you visit Hagrid today?" He shrugged indifferently.
"Well, we can't go now anyway," said Ron. "We don't even know if he's here. So Harry, mate, heard you're back on the Quidditch team. Excellent!" Ron immediately launched into a long-winded explanation of the tactics he'd been reading up on, leaving Harry free to come up with the best lie he could think of.
*************************************************************
Remus walked down to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. "Rubeus? You there?"
"Coming, coming," came Hagrid's gruff response. He threw the door open. "Professor Lupin?"
"Remus, please," he said.
"O' course. Eh.not to be rude, but what're you doing here?"
"I brought Ron and Hermione to visit Harry in the Hospital Wing."
"What? 'Arry's here?" Hagrid looked bemused.
"You didn't know? Perhaps we should go inside and sit down." Remus contemplated the best way to tell Hagrid.
"Er, yeah. Come in. Tea?" Hagrid quickly ushered the werewolf into his hut.
"No thanks, Rubeus, I better cut right to the chase. Severus removed Harry from the Dursley's care the night before last," he said slowly, "grievously injured." Hagrid opened his mouth to speak, but Remus hurriedly pressed on. "I'm sure you are very anxious to know how Harry is and how he got hurt in the first place. Madame Pomfrey has done an excellent job healing him-he is sore and bruised, but his major injuries have been fixed. As for the cause of his injuries." Remus took a deep breath. "Rubeus, I tell you this in complete confidence. Harry's uncle beat him." Lupin steeled himself for the outburst.
The giant of a man looked confused, but his expression rapidly changed to understanding, and then anger. His face darkened and he began to shout. "Lousy, good-fer-nuthin' Muggles! I oughta tear 'em apart!"
"Hagrid!" said Lupin severely, "Calm yourself. Remember what I said about telling you this in complete confidence?"
The gamekeeper eyed him, breathing heavily.
"I just thought I 'd tell you he's here. I'm sure he wants to see you. He may be coming down with Ron and Hermione later. Do try and stay calm."
Rubeus gave his word that he wouldn't tell a soul, but as Remus left, he heard the man muttering under his breath. "Oughta see to them lousy Muggles meself.."
**********************************************************
After nearly an hour of asking Harry questions and rarely receiving more than monosyllabic answers, Ron and Hermione were starting to get worried. No subject they had brought up had sparked his interests. Snape, Umbridge, Hagrid, Quidditch, Hogwarts, O.W.L.s-they'd even tried talking about Voldemort.
"Let's ask Madame Pomfrey if we can go visit Hagrid now," said Ron hopefully.
Harry seemed to like the idea. "Yes, let's ask her. I haven't been able to enjoy the outdoors for awhile-" Harry immediately stopped himself, realizing his mistake.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, sounding suspicious.
"Oh-well," Harry desperately began to think up a lie. "I had a bit of a fever last week and the Dursleys were so afraid of the Order's warning that they wouldn't let me do anything."
"Oh.right." she said, looking rather disbelieving.
The truth was, the Dursleys hadn't let Harry outside much for fear the neighbors would notice. Of course, every now and then, out of pure spite, Vernon had set a chore for him to do outside. He had been outside the day his uncle had stabbed him, but it hadn't been much for enjoyment, as he had been trying not to pass out.
"Where is Madame Pomfrey?" asked Ron.
"Probably in her office," said Hermione, pacing across the room and knocking on the door to the woman's office. A few moments later, the nurse appeared at the door, yawning.
"Miss Granger?" she asked, yawning.
"Um, sorry to disturb you, Madame Pomfrey, but we were wondering if we could take Harry to see Hagrid."
The nurse turned a hawk-like eye to Harry and said, "Come over here, please, Mr. Potter."
Harry got up and walked slowly over to the nurse. Hermione noticed a definite limp. Madame Pomfrey clucked her tongue at him. "You're still quite a sight," she said, looking him over carefully. After several tense minutes where he muttered under her breath, pressed on Harry's stomach (he winced slightly), and looked him over from every angle, she announced, "Well Potter, you can go, but drink this first. It's a basic Strengthening Potion."
Harry looked revolted but took the vial she held out and downed it in one gulp, making a face.
The nurse nodded approvingly at him before turning to Ron and Hermione.
"You two," she said sternly, "don't go to fast and keep an eye on him."
Hermione thought she could actually hear Harry making a face, but said, "Of course." She took a step backwards; the woman's glare clearly said 'or else'.
The nurse turned away and walked to the door, taking out her wand and muttering, "Finite Incatatem." A frame of blue light came out of the door and dissolved into the air. Then she went back to her office and closed the door with a quiet click.
Ron sent a triumphant glance at Harry and Hermione and said, "Let's go."
Harry started walking slowly with them. Glancing sideways at him as the trio fell into step, Hermione could see Harry biting his lip in pain. She quickly looked away so he wouldn't see her staring.
"You guys don't really have to go this slow. You know how Madame Pomfrey is. She's just being overly protective."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at Ron but sped up to keep up with Harry. A few minutes later, the three of them were walking across the grounds towards Hagrid's cabin. Hermione could no longer pretend she didn't hear Harry's labored breathing.
"Harry?" she asked timidly. "We can slow down if you-"
Harry shot her a glare. "I'm fine," he said tightly through clenched teeth.
Hermione would've very much liked to force Harry to slow down, but decided it wasn't worth a fight.
When the three of them finally reached Hagrid's cabin, Ron raised his hand and knocked as Harry took deep, steadying breaths.
Hagrid opened the door and his face lit up. "'Arry! Ron! 'Ermione! Good ter see you lot." He ushered them into his house with a wide, sweeping arm. Then he turned to Harry again and said, "'Arry! Good ter see you're doing alright!" He enveloped him into a bone-crushing bear hug, Hermione saw him wince again.
He gasped, "Um, Hagrid, it's great to see you and all, but I can't breathe."
"O' course, o' course. Sorry about that, 'arry." He let go, and Harry stumbled backward looking quite relieved.
" 'Eard abou' those relative o' yours," said Hagrid gruffly.
Confused, Hermione turned to look at Harry, whose facial expression had changed suddenly. His face paled, and he stared at Hagrid in horror, mouth open. He looked around the cabin, a frantic expression on his face.
"I tell yer," Hagrid continued with watery eyes, "If I'd known what those lousy Muggles were doin' ter ya-" he stopped mid-sentence, staring at Harry. The horrified look on his face had grown, and he was suddenly white as a ghost. Next moment, he had turned on his heel and fled from the cabin. Hermione could see him out the window, speeding across the Hogwarts lawn and leaning heavily into every alternate step.
*************************************************************
Harry was scrambling up the hill, breathing heavily. Pain was shooting up his leg and his breath was no more than short, chopped gasps, but He could neither stop nor look behind him. Hagrid knew! And now Ron and Hermione would too! The thought of his two best friends knowing his deepest, darkest secret made him feel physically ill again. Harry didn't care. He didn't slow down until he reached the front doors. Throwing them open, he dashed inside and sprinted up the marble steps in the Entrance Hall. He went down a few random corridors until he was confident he would not be found. Sinking down against the wall, he clutched a stitch in his side, panting in an effort to breathe. Every pain in his body had come back, but that was nothing compared to the fear that gnawed him. Ron and Hermione knew now. He could imagine their looks of shock and disgust when they realized what Hagrid was talking about.
**********************************************************
Hermione and Ron looked at each other dumbfounded, not only by what they had heard, but by Harry's flight. They turned back to Hagrid, who looked quite confused.
"Umm, we have to go, Hagrid. We're not supposed to.erm.lose him. Sorry."
Hagrid nodded, a puzzled expression on his face.
The two quickly bade him good-bye and bolted out of the cabin after Harry. They could no longer see him, but the only place he could've gone was through the front doors. Sprinting up the castle steps, they flung open the doors just as Harry had minutes earlier. Inside the front doors, they skidded to a stop and looked around wildly .
"Which way did he go?" panted Ron, staring around.
"I don't know!" gasped Hermione. "Maybe he-" a cold voice interrupted her.
"Don't you two get in enough trouble during the school year? I was so enjoying the quiet."
Ron and Hermione spun around. Snape was standing behind him. Something about him, however, was less malicious then before. He was thin and tired-looking, and his voice lacked its usual sting.
"Sir, we were just here to visit Harry, and we went down to see Hagrid. He said something to Harry about his relatives, and Harry ran off," said Hermione breathlessly.
The Potions Master made an irritated noise in the back of his throat and said, "Yes, he's been doing a lot of that in the last day and a half."
"And, well, we don't really know where he is."
Snape looked annoyed. "I will find Potter. You two head to the Hospital Wing and see if he's there. Even if he's not, just wait there." The man swept off, leaving no room for argument.
"Slimy git." muttered Ron.
**********************************************************
Severus stalked up the marble staircase, groaning inwardly. Couldn't the gods grant him just one moment of peace to not chase after the bloody Boy-Who-Lived? No, of course not. Not after all he had done. The gods gave no peace to a Death Eater. Even one who was a spy.
Snape had never before appreciated just how large Hogwarts was. The school suddenly had an infuriating number of hallways. Deciding to use all the help he could get, the Slytherin walked up to the nearest portrait and asked its subject, a red-haired wizard with a mischievous look that reminded him forcefully of Fred or George Weasley, "Did a black-haired boy run by here a few minutes ago?"
"Ah, yes, good sir," replied the portrait haughtily.
~Maybe Percy Weasley,~ thought Severus
"He went down that corridor." The portrait pointed down the hall to its left.
Snape nodded curtly and tore off in that direction. He looked down the hall, which had at least a dozen more corridors leading off from either side. He began to walk down the hall slowly, checking every hall he passed. There was no sign of Potter, and the Potions Master was beginning to get worried. He was checking the second to last corridor when he spotted a sniffling figure slouched against the wall.
Practically flying to the boy's side, he saw the boy taking deep, gasping breaths with his eyes squeezed shut. His thin cheeks glistened with tears.
"Potter?" he asked, none too gently. "Harry?"
His eyes fluttered open and he stared at Snape with a dead expression, his frail chest heaving.
"What in God's name are you thinking?"
The boy looked at the floor and said quietly, "Ron and Hermione know."
"What are you on about?"
"Hagrid told them about.about why I'm here."
Understanding coursed through Severus like wildfire. Not, of course, that this gave the boy a justifiable reason for running away. "Stand up. We can talk about this on our way back to the Hospital Wing.
Harry looked up at him. "Are they there?"
"I sent your friends there, yes."
"I don't want to see them right now," said Potter stiffly.
Severus frowned at him. "You'll have to talk to them sometime," he said sternly.
"I'm not talking to them. I don't need to talk to anybody."
"Fine. Suffer in silence. We're still going to back to the Hospital Wing." He pulled the obstinate Gryffindor up by the arm and began to steer him toward the infirmary.
********************************************************
Ron and Hermione sat on a bed in the Hospital Wing. "I've never said this before, nor will I ever say it again, but I hope Snape finds Harry," said Ron. Hermione nodded. "Why do you think he ran off like that?" he continued.
Hermione was debating telling Ron what she really thought. "Well, do you remember what Hagrid said right before Harry tore out of there?"
The redheaded looked perplexed. "Yeah," he said, "something about what the Muggles did. I didn't think it was anything important until Harry ran away."
Hermione felt as though she were trying to explain something to a four-year-old. "Well, you've seen Harry's relatives. Don't you think it's possible that they had something to do with his injuries?"
Comprehension dawned on Ron's face. "You-you mean-you think his-his family did that to him?" he stuttered.
"Ron, I know your family is very close and loving, but there are a lot of families who aren't. Child abuse isn't as common in the Wizarding world as it is in the Muggle world, but it still happens. You said yourself there were bars on his window when you went to get him before our second year."
Ron sputtered at her. He looked around the room and then slumped as if in defeat. "I can't believe he'd hide something like this from us," he muttered from behind his hands.
Hermione looked at him. "It's probably been going on for a very long time," she said sadly.
Ron snapped his head up. "What? Why do you think that?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd that he never wants to go home for the summer? I know we dismissed it the last two years, but ever since first year, he's hated going home at the end of term. And he's always so skinny when he comes back.and I know he's asked Professor Dumbledore if he can stay here for the summer every year."
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment so did the door. Snape walked in leading a very pale Harry. Hermione noticed his limp was even more pronounced then before.
"Harry!" she jumped up. "Are you okay?" Snape sneered.
"Of course I'm okay," he said flatly.
"Really?" said Ron, also getting to his feet. "Because you look like you're going to pass out"
"Really," hissed Harry, "I'm fine."
Snape cleared hi throat. "As much as I would love to stick around and enjoy your company, Potter, I believe you matters to discuss with Granger and Weasley."
Harry glared at him, though it was of little effect as what color remained in his face drained. He sat shakily on his bed as Snape left, staring at his feet.
"Harry," asked Hermione, "why did you run away like that?"
Harry raised his head and looked her in the eyes. His eyes scared her. She had seen Harry's eyes full of sorrow, she had seen them flare with rage and hatred, she had seen them set with grim determination and sparkle with malicious laughter. Harry's eyes had always been a window to his soul, and now they were dead and flat.
"Hermione," he said, "don't do this to me. You're a very smart witch. If you want to ask me something, just say it!"
She looked at Ron, who was nodding encouragingly. She turned back to Harry and said, "Yes, Harry, I want to ask you something. What Hagrid said back there-about your family-was he saying that-that the reason you're here- "
"Spit it out, Hermione," said Harry softly.
She took a deep breath and said, "Well, Harry.did your family hurt you?"
"They're not my family. All my family's dead."
"Oh, Harry!" cried Hermione, throwing her arms around Harry's neck. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" Harry regarded her warily.
"You could've come to us, mate," said Ron quietly.
Harry looked from Hermione to Ron as though they were the two stupidest people he had ever met. "I hid it and lived with it alone for ten years. I didn't have anyone to go to. What was I supposed to do when I got to Hogwarts? Go to Professor Dumbledore and say, 'Sir, my uncle hits me with a belt and I was just wondering if you gave a damn'? Or was I supposed to tell you two-the first two friends I ever had-about the time Vernon threw me down a flight of stairs headfirst when I was eight because he was drunk and I bumped into him? I had just gotten friends, I wasn't going to lose you right away."
"So, Harry," prompted Hermione quietly, "What happened to get you in here? Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not now," said Harry, who looked as though he hadn't quite expected all those words to be pouring out of his mouth.
"Well.why are you in here? I mean, you're bruised up, but you're limping, too. Are you badly injured?" said Ron.
Hermione rolled her eyes. He was trying to help, but Ron could be so tactless at times.
Harry looked at him and sighed. "I broke my leg in three places and got stabbed twice in the stomach.
Ron gasped. Hermione did a better job of concealing her horror, but anger welled up inside her. Harry's uncle had stabbed him? Harry, who had been through hell over and over again? Yes, Harry had been moody and unpredictable since the end of fourth year, but there was no reason for anybody to hurt Harry like that, especially someone who was supposed to be his family. "Oh Harry!" she exclaimed, hugging him again.
"Hermione, I'm fine."
She let go of him and said, "Talk to us about this any time."
"Sure," he said flatly.
After several minutes, their conversation went back to centering on Quidditch and Hogwarts.
"So," said Ron, "you gotten O.W.L. results back yet?" Harry shook his head.
"We haven't either," put in Hermione, glad for a change in subject. "They should be coming soon, though."
The conversation continued in that vein for over an hour before Madame Pomfrey appeared at Harry's bedside with a tray. "It's time for you to eat again."
Harry groaned, but grudgingly accepted the bowl of soup she held out to him.
END CHAPTER 7
A/N: Wow that was long. Aren't you proud of how fast I updated? Insomnia will do crazy things to you. You lot better update cause this is my longest chapter ever out in the shortest amount of time ever! MY LAST FINAL IS TOMORROW!!! MY BIRTHDAY'S IN THREE DAYS!