As Long as You Love Me
The summer went very slowly for Harry but, like all things, it finally came to an end.
The night before he was set to board the Hogwarts Express, Harry's uncle gave him on of the worst beatings of his life.
"You will not tell those freaks anything about this summer." he said as his belt buckle lashed painfully acrossed the boy's back.
"I won't Uncle Vernon." Harry whimpered, curling into a tiny ball to try to escape the pain.
"Good, go to your room, boy." he said, going to his own and slamming the door.
Harry lay there for a moment, then stood up painfully. He nearly screamed as the muscles in his back seized up. He limped into the bathroom and pulled off his blood-stained clothes. He got into the shower and started to remove the blood and sweat from his pain-wracked body. Then he put on a pair of boxers and slipped into his room and lay on the bed. He pulled a vial out from his bedside cabinet, the last of his Dreamless Sleep potion. He'd have to make more when he returned to school.
Slipping into a peaceful sleep, Harry wondered what it was like to have a family to love you.
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The next morning, Harry woke to an angry yell at his door.
"Potter! Get down stairs and make breakfast." Harry swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his body protesting at the sudden movement. He sighed and got dressed. Then he picked up his already packed trunk and Hedwigs empty cage and went downstairs.
"Hurry up boy," his uncle said, slapping him on the back of the head. Harry made the breakfast quickly and they were soon in the car, on the way to King's Cross Station.
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"Remember what I said boy." Uncle Vernon said, throwing Harry's things out of the back seat.
"Yes Uncle Vernon." Harry said, dully. He wheeled his trunk over to the barrier and walked through it. There was the scarlet steam engine, there were all of the witches and wizards. The sounds of owls hooting, cats meowing, rats squeaking, and the croak of an occasional toad filled the air.
"Harry, hey Harry!" Harry turned to see Ron and Hermione running towards him.
"Hey Ron, hi Hermione." he smiled but it did not reach his eyes.
"Harry, are you ok?" hermione asked, picking up on it.
"Yeah, fine." he assured them. He suddenly felt anxious around his friends. He crossed his arms in front of his chest casually. Bad move.
"Harry, where did you get all of those bruises?" Ron asked. Sure enough, the large, purple bruises were easily visible.
"Oh, um, got in a fight with my cousin and lost spectacularly." he said, cursing his stupidity. "He and a bunch of his friends ganged up on he."
"Your cousin is a right git, you know that?" Ron said.
"Yeah, he is." Harry agreed, thinking that Uncle Vernon was ten times worse.
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Harry didn't talk to Ron and Hermione much but they just attributed that to the loss of Sirius which was part of it. Harry didn't want to talk about it and the easiest way to avoid that conversation was not to talk. So they just let it go.
It seemed in no time at all, they had arrived at Hogwarts. As the carriages carried them to the school, Harry gazed out of the window at the passing grounds. It had started to rain. Harry caught a glimpse of the Whomping Willow and his heart nearly stopped. Once agian he fought back tears, thinking of his godfather. A solitary tear ran down his cheek. Ron and Hermione looked at eachother and their gaze drifted to the same sight. Hermione placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. He shrugged it off.
"Harry...?"
"Don't Hermione," he said. "Just don't." The carriages stopped and the three of them got out and made their way to the Gryffindor table.
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Harry didn't pay attention to the sorting. He was lost in memories.
"They seem to get smaller every year don't they Harry?" Ron said.
"What?"
"The first years. They seem to get smaller every year." Greatful for the distraction, Harry replyed,
"I know. Or maybe it just seems like that as we get bigger. But really I don't think I was that small as a first year." Ron nodded.
"What do you think Hermione?" he asked.
"Hmmm." was her only reply. Dumbledore stood.
"A few words please. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, tuck in." he sat.
"What does that mean?" Ron asked.
"Never tickle a sleeping Dragon." Hermione replied. Ron and Harry snorted into their mashed potatos.
"Its actually the school motto."
"Sounds really mental."
"Good advice though."
"Anyone with half a brain could figure that out."
"And its back to the usual bickering." Harry thought.
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The food diappeared and Dumbledore stood, waving for silence.
"Now that all of your stomachs have been appeased, I have a few announcements. Some of our oldest students may remember this," he looked straight at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "But once agian, the third floor is off limits."
"Oh I do love it when he tells us things," Harry said sarcasticly. "He always expains things so well." Ron snorted.
"I mean," Harry continued. "we always figure it out. He might as well save us the trouble and tell us."
"I'm sure he has his reasons." Hermione said.
"The forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students," agian his eyes rested on the trio. "And lastly. Welcome to our new Defense teacher, Professor Thistlethorne." A beautiful woman with long black hair that seemed to wave as if blown by breeze and bright, sea blue eyes that seems to shimmer when the light hit them stood up.
"Well, to bed with you all." Dumbledore said.
Harry's gaze went to Snape. He thought he'd be angry agian. But as his eye met the form of the potions master, he was greatly surprised to see that he was sitting in his seat, calm as anything.
"She's so beautiful." Ron said, not taking his eyes from the woman.
"Yeah," Dean said, his mouth hanging open.
"Dean, your jaw is on the floor." Lavender Brown said, distainfully.
"What? Oh.." he closed his mouth.
"Yeah Thomas. If you opened it a little wider, you might catch some flies." said Pansy Parkinson as she passed.
"At least his face doesn't look like a pug who ran into a brick wall too many times." Seamus said. The Gryffindors snorted as she walked away in a huff.
"Come on. I want to get to bed." Harry said, leading the way out of the Great Hall.