A/N: We're sorry that we didn't get this chapter up last Sunday. We were both away on vacation- sorry! Guilty looks on faces
Yes, this is the second to last chapter! So we do hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 19: Watching Angels Cry
"Harry! Harry, what's wrong? What's the matter?" Dumbledore asked as he quickly apparated into Harry's hospital bedroom.
"You-you're going to tell me that you didn't know anything about this?" Harry asked angrily as he threw a newspaper at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore quickly scanned the paper.
"It's everywhere! Everyone knows- the entire world knows about me and about," Harry paused, "and about that damn place! And that's not the worst of it! They're trying to take me away! The god damn Ministry of Magic is trying to take me! They're trying to get custody!"
Dumbledore silently kept reading the newspaper.
"Do you know what it's like to turn on the bloody TV for the first time in your entire life and actually have the bloody remote and see Percy Weasley announcing to the entire Wizard press that they are trying to get custody of me? How could you not tell me? How could you tell them? Everyone knows- everyone," Harry said angrily, a slight wince of sadness in his eyes.
"Harry, listen, whatever you do don't leave this hospital without me. I honestly don't know how the Ministry got this information. I'm going to sort this all out. Do not leave," Dumbledore said in an extremely serious tone.
Harry looked at him darkly. "You're going to go fix this? Sort this all out? How? Are you going to erase everybody's god damn minds? Dumbledore, do you- you don't- you- everyone knows! Do you understand that? My whole life- they can't know," Harry said quietly, his breathing growing heavy.
Dumbledore quietly nodded and walked over to Harry's bedside, taking a seat next to the raven haired boy. "Harry, I honestly wish there was something more I could say. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes things just happen-"
"But why is it things always have to happen to me?" Harry asked quietly.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "Harry, you're going to need your rest. I'm going to go to the Ministry. You get some sleep; I'll send Mr. Weasley in."
Harry nodded his head, his anger simmering down.
Dumbledore smiled and quickly dissapparated to the Ministry of Magic.
I……………………………..I
"I have a present for you my sweet," Bellatrix purred.
Harry trembled lightly, his eyes full of fear.
"Do you want to know what it is?" Bellatrix whispered into his ear, her long fingers slightly massaging Harry's dark hair.
Harry closed his eyes tightly, "No, no I don't want to know."
Bellatrix smiled broadly. "Oh course you do my pet. I can feel it- you want it."
"No, no I don't," Harry quietly said. "I don't want to see it."
The smile vanished from Bellatrix's darkened mouth. Anger filled her eyes and suddenly she raised her hand and slapped Harry harshly.
Harry's face stung. He raised his unchained hand to his face and felt blood cover his bruised palm.
"Please, just leave me alone. Please, just let me be," Harry cried.
Bellatrix laughed wildly. "Let you go? Why would I let you go? You're my pet and I like to play with you," Bellatrix seductively said, circling Harry with a smirk. She walked over to Harry, he was sitting on the floor curled up in a tight ball. She held his hand out to the raven haired boy, "Come with me. Come see what I have."
Harry looked at her reluctantly, slowly taking her hand. She smiled broadly, "Come with me."
He stood to his feet, slightly trembling from the cold that ran through his entire body. Bellatrix held his hand tightly and led him along as if he were on a tight leash.
She took him to a door and smiled. "Behind this door is a present- a present just for you. All you have to do is open it. Open the door Harry, open it."
Harry gulped and looked into Bellatrix's smiling eyes. "Open it, Harry. Open the door."
Harry nodded his head as Bellatrix released his hand.
He slowly took hold of the doorknob and turned it.
The door swung open, Harry's eyes widened and a sudden shock ran through his body.
"No!" Harry screamed as his scar burned, his eyes yearning to close but transfixed, still, on the scene in front of him. "NO!"
"Harry! Harry! Harry, please wake up! Harry, it's just a nightmare! Please wake up! It's just a nightmare."
Harry suddenly shot out of bed, his head burning fiercely, tears pouring down his cheeks.
"Harry? Harry, are you alright? Should I get my mum or a doctor or somebody?" Ron asked turning to leave.
Harry grasped his hand quickly. "No- no, please don't go. Stay here."
Ron turned towards Harry and smiled. "Yeah, I'll- I'll stay," he paused. "Harry! You- you're bleeding."
Ron ran to the sink and soaked a washcloth in cold water. He hurried back over to Harry and gently placed it on his cheek. Harry raised his arm to the washcloth, holding it steady.
Harry's eyes met with Ron's, he quickly smiled and diverted his eyes away.
Ron looked down at his feet quickly, suddenly feeling awkward. "Um, m-maybe you should, um, lie down," Ron said after a pause.
Harry nodded, glad the silence had been broken. Ron smiled softly as he helped Harry lie down in his bed.
"Um, Harry, I know you don't like to talk about-"
"It was horrible," Harry said softly. "My dream- I have them all the time. It's horrible, like reliving Adflictation Lair. It's like they're real, the dreams, I can see her. I can feel her," Harry let the washcloth fall from his cheek revealing two large cuts. He traced the scratches with his aching fingers. "I just- I just hate it."
Ron quietly nodded. "What- what happens in them?"
Harry was quiet for a moment, contemplating what Healer Colin had said about Ron.
"Harry it's alright, you don't have to-"
"A lot of times it's different, but I've had this dream before- the one I had tonight. It's Bellatrix- she leads me to this room and I-" Harry paused for a moment, a tear falling down his cheek. "This room, it has, it's just- I can't even explain it."
Ron sat in the seat next to Harry's bed and took Harry's hand in his own. Harry closed his eyes as several tears leaked down his face.
"You're in there, with Hermione and your mum and your dad and everyone, even Sirius and Lupin are there. And she- and you, everyone's dead- but not me. I see it- I see it all, how you all die," Harry paused. "It's horrible."
Ron nodded his head quietly. "Harry, look at me."
Harry slowly turned his head to look at Ron. "This is me. I'm alive and so are Hermione and my mum and dad and Dumbledore and Hagrid. Harry, this is what's real." Ron took Harry's hand and held it to his own face. "Feel this- this is real. I'm real. Not Bellatrix, not your nightmares. I'm here- right here, right now- and I'm not leaving, Harry, never."
Harry gave Ron a small smile. "I know, Ron, I know," he paused. "You're my best friend."
Ron nodded. "I know."
Harry silently closed his eyes.
"And, Harry?" Ron asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"You're my best friend to."
I…………………………………………….I
Dumbledore seemed to appear out of nowhere as he stepped out of the fireplace in the Minister of Magic's office. The office was decorated elaborately with glossy red woods and deep colored furnishings.
The new Minister of Magic, sat behind a clean desk, seemingly filling out paperwork. His head shot up as he heard Dumbledore enter the room and he smiled brightly.
"Ah, the infamous Albus Dumbledore, I was expecting that you would show up soon," the younger man stepped out from behind his desk and walked over to Dumbledore and held out his hand. "Phillip Reynolds, I've been just dying to meet you."
Dumbledore reluctantly took the man's hand. "Albus Dumbledore, but there are more important issues I'm here to discuss."
Reynold's continued to smile and walked back behind his desk. "Ah, yes, the issue of Mr. Potter, I thought you might want to discuss that."
"Yes, there has to be a mistake. It's all over the news that the Ministry is trying to get custody of Harry," Dumbledore said slowly.
Reynold's continued to smile, "Nope- no mistake about it. We are going to get custody of Mr. Potter."
Dumbledore's lips tightened. "You can't do that."
"I guarantee you, I can, and I will," Reynold's said firmly.
"You can't take him away from his friends and his family. You don't understand-"
"News check Dumbledore, Harry Potter doesn't have any family and you are obviously incompetent as a guardian. As the new Minister of Magic, it is my duty to protect Harry and due to recent events, it would seem that the only way to do that is to care for him myself, so yes, I will get custody of Harry and no, you can not do anything about that."
Rage filled Dumbledore in every inch of his body. "Bullshit, you mark my words-"
"Please, Dumbledore, don't say anything that you're going to regret. I have a feeling we'll be working quite closely together in future collaborations. You wouldn't want to say anything that would put that relationship in peril would you? Good day, feel free to stop by at any time. You can exit the way you came in."
"You haven't heard the last of this," Dumbledore said in anger.
"I didn't expect it would end here. Good day," Reynold's said with a smirk. "The battle has just begun."
I………………………………..I
Harry sat silently in his room, flipping through the TV channels. He landed on the Wizarding Network. The Ministry was in the middle of a press conference, once again going through the safety measures wizards should take incase of an attack from Voldemort.
Harry rolled his eyes and turned off the television, tired of constantly thinking about all of the evil that the world contained.
The door suddenly slammed open and a very happy Hermione and Ron came galloping into the room.
"Harry? Good morning! How are you doing?" called Hermione.
Harry smiled shortly. "You guys scared me."
Both of his friend's faces turned into a frown. "Oh, Harry, we're really sorry."
Harry smiled slightly. "So, what were you so happy about that you came bursting in here, anyways?"
Ron let out a huge grin. "We've talked to your Healers and they said that you'd be able to go for a little walk around the hospital today. They have an area where we could go so no one will see you."
Harry's face fell. He didn't want to go for a walk. Definitely not. "Oh…are you sure?"
Both his friends just nodded their head, completely unaware of Harry's discomfort. "Yup, don't worry, Harry. We will both make sure you're okay."
"Um, I guess," Harry said quietly.
"Are you sure?" asked Ron.
Harry nodded his head as he carefully pulled back his blankets. He hadn't been using his legs that much, he really didn't know if the burn on his thigh would hurt him. It was still painfully sore, and moving it too much would cause pain. The Healers did say it was okay.
He gently placed his feet on the ground. He felt himself wobble a little from side-to-side, getting used to balancing himself. Harry felt himself shaking the whole time. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. He didn't want to have to go through the pain of walking. This was ridiculous.
"All right Harry?"
Harry nodded his head. "Okay, ready. So, where do we go?" he asked, trying to act cheerful.
"Oh, we're just going to walk down this hall. The Healer said that no one is allowed to come down here this early to visit. She made an exception for us."
They walked down the halls for a good ten minutes, Harry started to walk slower. The pain in his thigh was starting to really hurt. Maybe, this wasn't such a good idea? He just wanted to stop and rest for a while, but he couldn't seem to get a word in. Ron and Hermione were again, arguing about some spell.
Suddenly Harry felt his knee give out. He'd have to stop or he was going to collapse. He slowed down even more, going unnoticed by his friends.
"Ron…" he called. But he went unheard.
Harry continued to walk to try and keep up with him. He was limping more, and now couldn't seem to get his breath. Suddenly his knee gave out and he fell down onto the hospital floor.
The sound of Harry falling did get his friends attention. "Harry? Harry? Oh, Merlin are you okay?" the sound of Hermione's shrill voice rang in the distance.
"I need to sit down." He felt arms lift him up and drag him over to the nearest chair.
"What's wrong?" asked Ron.
"It's just my leg, you know? It-the scar it just hasn't healed yet. Please, I just want to go back to my room and rest." He wanted to sleep the pain away.
Ron and Hermione nodded their heads. If only they had been paying more attention to their friend they might have noticed he was having trouble walking.
"Okay, we'll help you," Hermione said, silently swearing to keep a closer eye on Harry.
I…………………………I
They were all huddled around him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. This was not a good way to wake up from a nap, to have a bunch of Weasley's surrounding your bed.
"What's going on?" Harry asked as she forced himself awake.
"Welcome back, little bro," chimed in George.
"Great to have you back, Har."
Harry felt someone hug him from his side and noticed it was Ginny. "It's great that you're back Harry. We missed you."
"Yeah- it's seemed like forever since we last saw you," Fred said, a smile on his face. "When mum told us what happened, we just couldn't believe…" Fred slowly drifted off.
"It was horrible, you can't imagine what it was like, Harry- not knowing, not being there to help. We were barely able to hold ourselves together and mum wouldn't let us go to Grimmauld Place with Ron and Hermione. I've never felt so lonely," Ginny said in a sad tone.
Harry sat up in his bed and placed his glasses on his face. "Okay…Is there something I'm not getting?"
Fred piped in. "Just checking up on our, little Harrykins!"
"Well, actually, Harry, we wanted to maybe talk to you, make sure you're okay," wondered George."
Harry's eyes flashed. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Honestly, Harry. Get over it. Talk to someone. It's getting old."
He couldn't believe Ginny had said that to him. What did he ever do? "Hmm…"
"Harry, mate. You don't need to keep everything bottled up inside tell us. We want to know! Why did you never tell us about the Dursley's? Did you not trust us Harry?" Fred asked.
"I DON"T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE DURSLEY'S," roared Harry. They came here unannounced, woke him up from his nap, to rattle him about the abuse he had endured.
"Harry, you need to tell someone about it sometime. Don't keep your emotions bottled up."
"I am NOT going to sit here and tell you about all the times I starved, or all the times my uncle hit me! NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW! EVER! ESPECIALLY NOT YOU! I don't want to talk about this!" he screamed.
All three Weasley's faces turned into pure shock at Harry's outburst. "Harry-"
"I thought you had actually came in here to see how I was! But you came in here to find out what my childhood was like. I thought you were my friends. I don't want to think about this anymore. It was all the past-it meant nothing."
"Harry what your uncle-"
"Please, just leave."
Fred and George nodded their heads and they walked to the door. "Come on, Ginny."
"FINE! If you're just going to sit there, Harry, and mope in your own self-pity! FINE, do it! But I don't give a damn."
And with that she stormed out of the room, leaving Harry alone in his room, to dwell on dreams that he once had tried to make just a tiny distant memory.
I…………………………………I
"When you add the dragon bile and stir three times counter clockwise, you will achieve-" a sudden knock at the door interrupted her. "I wonder who that could be?" wondered Hermione as she placed the potions book she had been reading from on the hospital room nightstand to answer the door to Harry's room.
"Neville!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised to see him.
A blush rose on Neville's cheeks as he stepped foot into the room. "Hi, Hermione. I heard that Harry was in here, and wanted to see how he was. I ju-just got done seeing my parents. My grandmother is just waiting outside, if you don't mind."
"Oh, no, Neville, it's fine. I'm sure Harry will be happy to see you. Mind you, I've been reading him potions for the last hour, he keeps falling asleep," Hermione said with a laugh.
Hermione led Neville over to Harry who was laying against his pillows a tired look across his face.
Neville went over to where Harry was laying, a sympathetic look running across his face. He placed a get well card on the nightstand, next to many others and sat down on a chair.
"Hey, Harry, I heard that-that you were here and wanting to make sure you were okay," said Neville.
Harry smiled. "I'm doing pretty good, Neville, thanks. I'm really glad you came by." Truthfully, he was happy that someone wanted to see how he was, but he hated showing people how weak he felt.
Neville forced a smile. "So, I read in the Daily Prophet that you, were, um, kidnapped, by Bellatrix Lestrange, she's the one that um, killed your godfather right?" He knew that he was starting off fast. But his Grandma wasn't going to let him stay long.
Harry felt himself tense up. "Um, yeah."
Neville fell silent at Harry's quiet answer. Maybe he shouldn't talk to Harry about this; maybe he should ask Ron or Hermione. He should just try, if it seemed like too much he would stop. "Um, also, Harry. I was wondering, in the paper they mentioned, about your relatives. Harry, why did you never tell us? Anyone, I mean I'm sure someone could have done something. Really, I would have done something."
Harry felt himself tense up more. What? How did he found out about my uncle? Only some people from the Order know, and Ron and Hermione. Harry felt himself start to shake. "I, um, I don't know," was the only thing he seemed to be able to say.
Neville nodded his head. Harry didn't want to talk about this, he could tell, it almost seemed like he found this a complete shock. Does he not know that this is all over the news?
"That's, okay, Harry. I suppose you might want to get some sleep. I just wanted to tell you that if you ever want to talk to me, if you even need to confide in me for some reason, I'll be there for you to talk to. You've always been nice to me, Harry, since the first day of school. You never once laughed at me, made snide comments at me, and that really means something to me. I don't know, but I look up to you Harry. You're one of my best friends; I just want you to know that. Remember, I'll be there, if you need to talk to me. I'll see you at school." And with that Neville bade Hermione a goodbye and left the room, clearly embarrassed that he brought up such a sensitive subject. He knew he shouldn't had said those things to Harry, but he thought he had known.
Hermione, came shakily over to Harry, wiping some tears from her eyes. "That was really nice of Neville, to say that."
Harry nodded his head and cleared his throat, trying to hide the fact that he was about to cry. This can't be happening! No one's supposed to find out about the abuse. It was suppose to be a secret. "Why didn't you tell me? That it was in the paper?" Harry asked, his eyes shining, as he looked at her for some answers.
Hermione shrugged as she wiped more tears from her face. "Harry, you had just been through so much, they didn't want you to find out until you recovered more. I'm really sorry, Harry. No one knows how they got that information. Really."
Harry closed his eyes. There was no way he could go to school, with everyone knowing. "How long?"
"Oh, um, a few weeks. It came out while you were... gone," whispered Hermione.
Harry felt a tear fall down his cheek; he wiped it away furiously before Hermione could see. "Right…"
Hermione went silent as she sat next to Harry. She truthfully didn't know what to say to Harry to make him feel better. He wasn't supposed to find out like this. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and rubbed her fingers across the top of hands to comfort him. All she felt was him shaking. "Calm down, Harry. It's okay-it's okay.
But in reality-it wasn't.
I…………………………………I
The sunlight which poured through the high window bounced playfully on Harry's pale face. Harry's eyes fluttered open slowly, only to squint away the scorching sun that filled his line of vision.
He rolled over to his side, his sore body slightly aching from the awkward position. His eyes suddenly shot open at the realization that Dumbledore was in his room.
"P-Professor, what are you doing here?" Harry asked in confusion.
"I just got back from the Ministry of Magic- things aren't shaping up, Harry, as much as I hate to say that. Harry, the healers think it's too soon for you to the leave the hospital but it's imperative that we get you out now before the Ministry can get to you and take you out themselves. If you're feeling up to it, we're going to leave."
Harry was silent. "I-I don't want to go back to Grimmauld Place."
"We won't be going back there, it's not safe anymore. The Weasley's have offered their home while we're searching for a new base of operations."
"So I'd be going to the Weasley's?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes, do you think you can go?"
Harry closed his eyes and thought back to the horrible things he had told Fred, George and Ginny, embarrassment filled his cheeks. "Um, yeah, I'm ready to go," he said slowly. "When do we leave?"
"Now, we leave now. There are some clothes Mrs. Weasley has brought for you over in the corner. I'll be waiting outside. We need to leave as soon as possible," Dumbledore said in an extremely serious tone.
Harry nodded his head as Dumbledore stood to leave. "I'm right outside, Harry. Please, hurry."
Harry walked over to the corner and quickly rid himself of the hospital robe he had been wearing for the past few days. He swiftly put on the baggy t-shirt and jeans and painfully walked out to the door.
Dumbledore was waiting, along with Mrs. And Mr. Weasley, with a wheelchair. "We have people stationed everywhere, Harry, to protect you. You'll be fine," Dumbledore added.
Harry smiled slightly as he sat down in the wheelchair and Mrs. Weasley began to push him along.
They walked along the long corridors of the hospital, until they reached the front doors. Mr. Weasley opened the door for them and Mrs. Weasley pushed Harry outside.
Suddenly, someone called, "Look! There he is! There's Harry Potter!"
An ambush of reporters ran over to them.
"Harry, how are you doing?" one asked.
"What was it like in Adflictation Lair?"
"How did you're aunt and uncle abuse you?"
Harry's head suddenly exploded with pain. He became overwhelmed with the questions. "Dumbledore! Stop them, please! I-I can't-"
Mrs. Weasley pushed Harry's wheelchair even harder, nearly running to get to the car. "Harry! Just hold on for a few more moments," Dumbledore said hurriedly. "We're almost there."
Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore were fighting hard to keep the reporters off of Harry.
"Did Bellatrix Lestrange torture you to the point of madness?"
"How did she kidnap you?"
"Please, please just leave me alone," Harry asked quietly, his head was reeling.
They stopped in front of a black car, Mr. Weasley helped Harry into the front passenger seat and jumped into the driver's seat himself as Dumbledore and Mrs. Wealsey jumped in the back. Reporters were pounding hard against the windows.
"By all means Arthur, get us out of here. Harry's had enough," Dumbledore said, watching the younger boy in front of him.
Harry sat in shock, finally realizing what he had been destined for his entire life. "It's all because of a scar," he said softly.
"No, honey," Mrs. Weasley replied in a whisper. "It's all because the world loves you."
I…………………………………I
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it!
Swiffer- We're glad that you liked the chapter! Sorry, this chapter is out so late. Only one more to go….
Monica85- Glad you liked the Mrs. Weasley and Harry scene. Yup, that Ministry can be quiet a pain. Thanks for your review.
Freedom Isn't Free- First off, to clear things up; Harry has been in the hospital for about five days. Our bad! Lol, we may have been a little unclear of that ourselves. He's now, obviously healing pretty fast, which is good. We're glad that you like the television idea and that you like the Mrs. Weasley scene! Yes, Dumbledore is kind of annoying, but we do need him there, to sort the whole Ministry thing out. ;) Thanks for the review!
Patriot Girl- Yup! Harry got the remote, but he didn't like what he watched! Yup, the Ministry wants Harry. But hopefully, Dumbledore will sort things out! You'll just have to wait and find out!
Lil Padfoot17- Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it!
Christina- Glad you liked the end! Yeah, poor Harry. We seem to put him through so much don't we? Will we ever stop? Thanks for the review!
Phorcys- We too long Harry torture, don't worry, the sequel will have TONS of that! Yup, that Ministry can be quiet the bad place sometimes…Thanks for the review!
HPfreakout- So happy that you liked the Ron and Hermione part! It's great that they finally get to see Harry after so long! Thanks for the review!
CheshireCat04402- We're glad that our update made you happy! Thanks so much for the review! Hope you liked this chapter!
harryginnyluv4ever-Harry may or may not get a girlfriend in our stories- you'll have to stay tuned! Dundundun… Glad you liked the Mrs. Weasley and Harry scene!
Nathalie-Z- We are SO happy you like our story! Thanks for the review!
Pandas rule the world- Yeah, what will the Ministry do about Harry? You'll just have to wait and find out!
Froboy- Yes, we do love your reviews! They are great! Thanks for the review!
Pleione- Wow, what a great review! Yes, Dumbledore is just very stressed out right now. We don't know if he should keep making Harry express his feeling or not. It might be good for Harry or bad. Can Harry really recover? We just don't know…..Glad you liked the last scene. Stupid Ministry trying to get custody of Harry, honestly. Thanks for your great review! Yes, we are extremely excited for Saturday. We are making Harry Potter costumes and everything. Not like Hermione costume, we're going as more like obsessed fans! Hehehe
Cynthia1850- We just LOVE it when people tell us that our story has angst. That's obviously what we are aiming for! Thanks for the review!
Centra-gal86- Thanks for your lovely review! It really made our day! That Ministry, just has to keep annoying Harry don't they?
A/N: As you know, we only have one more chapter until the end of Adflictation Lair! Now, we really want to get it out before HBP comes out so we will be posting most likely Wednesday or Thursday. So keep on the look out.
Now, most of you know that we will be writing a sequel for A.L. We will be planning it and writing it for the rest of July. Our goal is to have at least four chapters written before we post the first chapter (like we did with A.L.) We are hoping to get our first chapter out at the beginning of August. We will be posting Sunday nights like we use to when we began Adflictation Lair. We want to keep up the weekly posting that we use to do.
If you have any questions about the sequel or Adflictation Lair that you want to be answered, please email us and we would be happy to answer you. Remember, we have a Yahoo! Group, so if you want to know how our sequel is going-join, because we'll keep you posted!
Again, hope you enjoyed this chapter!