Disclaimer; For the last time I do not own anything vaguely Harry Potter ish

Notes; the answer to the poll on chp 15 is in here…. Sorta and Draconis isn't mine he belongs to Lady Mandara Snake (she writes good stuff HINT).

Chapter 17

Severus gave the password and they were granted admittance, Dumbledore looked up as they entered

"Is there something I can do for you two?" He asked when Severus made no attempt to talk to the head

"Albus, can I borrow your floo link, young Harry hear needs to hear some home truths from people he trusts" Albus furrowed his brow, he didn't like the sound of that Severus sighed his was actually going to have to elaborate.

"Albus did you know what Harry's muggle thick headed uncle has been telling him for the past sixteen years?" Harry who was sitting in one of the overstuffed armchairs drew his legs back into his chest and shrank back into the chair, Albus studied the Harry-ball and then Severus, who was visibly fuming, he was fairly sure he needed to know what happened and was very sure he didn't want to.

"Would you care to enlighten me?" Severus snorted; he was pacing and had barely a cap on his temper

"That pious prick has been drilling it into his that, that he is evil he told him he looked evil so often he won't look in the mirror, he convinced him that his abuse was entirely his fault and then he blamed Harry for that death's of Lily and James and what's more he's done it so often HE BELIEVES IT!" Severus lost his control and his voice cracked at the end, Harry shrank back further and covered his ears, he didn't like it when people shouted he normally got hit

"I'm sorry" he whispered, Severus flew over to him and grabbed his shoulders

"Stop apologising it's not your fault you understand?" he had a firm grip on his son and shook him, unable to contain his frustration, Harry was trembling and tears were forming in his eyes

"You're hurting me" he gasped, Severus let go instantaneously and tried to get a grip on his temper, his heart wrenched when he looked down at Harry, he was trying to be one with the chair and had shrank right into it, he looked terrified, Severus could feel his ring get warm. It was killing him to know it was he who had caused it, he looked at the headmaster

"I want to take him to the headquarters, maybe if he hears the truth enough times he'll believe it" Albus nodded

"You may be right, might I suggest you go on ahead and inform them of the situation. Harry can stay here until you fire call me" Severus was about to argue but looked back at his son and nodded, he needed to calm down. Severus stepped into the fire and was gone. Albus turned his attention back to the boy curled up opposite he was small and frightened, but this could not wait.

"Harry after the party Alastor came to see me; he was concerned that when you returned you had new wounds. How did you get hurt?" Oh shit oh shit oh shit Harry had the words swimming around his head. The old head teacher had a feeling he knew the answer

"Harry if you were using Draconis on yourself I would be obliged to take it off you for your own good" that got the boys attention

"Please don't it's all I have" His green eyes were pleading

"Harry did you deliberately hurt yourself?" Harry swallowed against the lump in his throat

"No"

"Harry, you have many talents, lying is not one of them" subconsciously Harry ran his hands over the gashes he had caused on his birthday.

"It was just the once" he blurted, the twinkle in the headmaster's eyes was no longer present

"Harry I am concerned why would you do that to yourself?"

"I was scared" Harry looked up, Dumbledore wanted him to elaborate

"I was scared, I thought I was going to get lost in the fear, the pain shorts it out it calmed me down" he said quietly

"I promise it won't happen again please don't take Draconis" Dumbledore didn't say anything for a long moment

"Harry I don't think I have a choice, if you insist on causing yourself harm then…"

"It won't happen again I promise, please" he was begging him Harry didn't care the last shreds of pride and self dignity he had were gone. Albus saw the pain in the young boys face and relented

"If it happens again I will have no choice" relief washed over Harry.

"It won't" Dumbledore nodded as the fire place erupted Severus was standing there, he looked quizzically at the headmaster who waved him off, Severus sighed

"Come on Harry they're waiting for you" Harry rose and followed his father through into Grimulad place. Many members of the order were standing round, the Weasley's had relocated and Hermione had come with them, Tonks, Shakelton and Kingsley were standing on one side, Harry couldn't help noticing Mad-eye studying, trying to see if there were new injuries or not Harry thought angrily, Remus was also there looking concerned. Harry shuddered, too many people he thought, though in reality there had been more at his party, but he had been too drunk to pay much attention. Severus noticed the slight shiver in his son, he stood by his side and caught his left wrist rubbing a circular patter with his fingers, Harry calmed a little.

"Hello" he said quietly looking at all the faces, most of them smiled back

"Harry dear why don't you go into the front room and get settled" Molly spoke gently, Harry looked at Severus who nodded and Harry left. As soon as he was out of sight Severus buried his head in his hands and took several deep breaths before looking back at the other members

"Any ideas what to do with him?" he got sympathetic looks off all of the room except Hermione who had her thinking face on, but seemed to think better of saying anything.

"Miss Granger if you know something that would help Harry please share it" Hermione looked stunned, Snape hadn't even sneered; he seemed genuinely asking for help. She chewed the inside of her lip

"I did some research on the internet"

"Internet?"

"Yes it's sort of a large library that contains information about anything and everything and can be access from pretty much anywhere with a computer, muggles use it" She took a breath and continued

"Anyway if we all go in there and try and talk to him at once he's most likely going to curl into a ball and ignore all of us"

"He spends most of his life in a ball as it is" Severus said getting uncharacteristically impatient Hermione ignored it

"Yes, but if we talk to him on his own, or in twos he might just listen to us. He's been told that everything was his fault for years, he's had it drilled into him that he deserved it we're going to need to tell him that he didn't as many times if not more. It's going to take time and it's going to be hard especially when school starts" Ron gave her a puzzeled looked she rolled her eyes

"Oh for Merlin's sake Ron do you really expect the Slytherin's to be patient and understanding, they are going to use this to hurt him every chance they get" she flushed when she saw Severus staring at her

"No offence Sir" she added quietly, Severus nodded

"I'm afraid that you are most likely quite correct Miss Granger" Severus hadn't thought of that, his own house would be out to destroy his fragile son. Hermione continued

"Anyway, we need to get him to talk, tell what happened, how old he was what that very- soon-to-be-hexed-into-oblivion-tosser told him as a reason and then try and convince him it's not true" Severus raised an eyebrow, he'd never heard the young witch swear before but she looked ready to kill Vernon Dursely along with everyone else in the room. Hermione shrugged.

"If you don't mind I'd like to talk to him now" Severus nodded, Hermione indicated to Ron to come with her. Severus collapsed in the empty chair left by Ron and buried his head in his hands, when school the shit was most definitely going to hit the fan.

Harry had curled up in an armchair and was contemplating what the headmaster had said. He didn't want to lose Draconis but at the same time he didn't think he could stop. If he then the darkness would claim him. He was bought back to reality by someone saying his name. Hermione and Ron had just walked in. Hermione looked at her best friend, he was still drawing into himself, she wasn't sure how to do this, she wasn't a trained counsellor but he needed her, so she would try.

"Harry, do you mind if we talk to you for a bit?" She chewed her lip, if he said 'yes and go away' that would be the end of it, she couldn't force the details from him. Harry looked at her

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" He looked from her to Ron and saw the serious expression and uncomfortable body language.

"Oh you want to talk about that" he said simply, Hermione nodded and sat on the arm of the chair, Ron not really sure what he was doing there sat on the couch and found the textured floor amazingly interesting. Hermione reached to brush Harry's hair from his eyes but paused with her hand in mid air.

"Harry can I touch you" he was surprised she asked most people just did, he nodded but then flinched when she made contact, he looked at her sheepishly

"Sorry"

"Don't worry. Look I know you don't want to people about you life with the Dursley's, but it might help you know" Harry swallowed he wouldn't know where to start; he was still recoiling from his early reprieve this year.

"What do you want to know?" he said quietly, Hermione had to contain the smile that almost crossed her lips, if he talked he'd recover it was a start.

"How old were you the first time you got hit?" Harry thought about this for along time.

"I remember being hit when I was three, but it might have been before that" Ron audibly gasped;

"Three? Three years old and they hit you?" Harry was the one now finding the floor interesting;

"I did something. Magic I guess but at the time I didn't know, and I got punished for it" hi picked a loose thread on his trousers.

"Harry mate I don't care if you apparated them to the far side of the moon, there's no excuse for hitting a child…" He trailed off upon receiving eyes of daggers from Hermione. Harry didn't notice, he was truly fascinated by the loose thread Hermione took a deep breath.

"How did you feel?" Harry shrugged

"Don't remember, in pain I guess" Hermione rolled her eyes sometimes he could be so

frustratingly male.

"Did anything else happen to you?" She asked the question knowing the answer but needing to hear him say it. Harry nodded

"What?"

"They wouldn't feed me, they locked me up" Harry was fighting the tears in his eyes, and buried his face in his knees before continuing. This was so humiliating letting them see him so weak. He felt a hand on his back, he flinched but the hand remained.

"Anything else?" Harry nodded

"You know there is, please don't make me say it" his voice was muffled by his legs but the pain was obvious. Hermione nodded

"It's ok Harry you don't have to say it. Why do you think he did this to you?" Harry thought about this

"Because it was my fault, I should have had the decency to die with my freak parents" He spat the words, Hermione recognised it, he was quoting what his uncle said to him, Hermione couldn't help herself she pulled her best friend into a hug, Harry continued through sobs

"He said I'm evil, I looked evil and I should be punished, he said no one would ever love a freak like me and I should just die and stop causing trouble" by the time he finished Hermione had wrapped her arms around his small body and was crooning at him, she glanced at Ron who was looking pale, she indicated to him that he should join them with eye movements. Ron slowly got up and went to hug his best friend Harry jumped a mile

"I'm sorry" he whispered Ron just looked at him.

"Go get Snape" Hermione said quietly to Ron, he looked relieved not to have to watch this and left the room. Severus swept in a few seconds later, followed by most of the occupants of the house, he knelt in front of his son, holding one his small wrists in his each of his hands slowly rubbing them in small circles, the methodical motion calmed Harry a lot he stopped crying and gasping and just sat there in silence. Hermione watched Severus with interest, noting the effect it had on Harry, she wondered how the potions master had found that out and filed it as useful information. Molly also noticed the gesture;

"That used to work on one Lily Evans too" She said, Severus just nodded. When Harry had calmed himself down again, Hermione continued talking to him

"Harry I know you don't believe me or Professor Snape and probably you won't believe anyone but it really wasn't you fault, you have done nothing wrong. I hope in time you will trust us" Harry nodded wrapping himself tighter in a ball. He yelped in pain and glanced at Severus who was clutching his arm, they spy was unwilling to leave his son even with the Dark Lord calling. The pain got worse

"Go" Harry chocked out, Severus nodded and had apparated before he'd walked across the room. The moment he had Harry felt very vulnerable, everyone was watching him.

A/N sorry to do this guys but I wont be able to upload for a bit, worse case scenario is a month, I'm off home and cant get internet access back in my stone aged house! Will try though, please keep reviewing and tell me what you think!