Hey guys, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! I was very busy with writing this story (I actually have two more chapters already written), and writing my other story, and school, etc…but I am proud to present you with chapter 6 of One Heck of a Year, and I hope you will enjoy it! Also, if you have plot suggestions/predictions, feel free to leave them with your reviews. Enjoy!
Chapter 6
Minor Conflicts
McGonagall ran to Harry's help while Dumbledore remained in his place, his wand pointed at the terrified Dursleys.
"As I am sure the Minister already knows, I do not allow anyone to manhandle my students, and what you are doing is far beyond manhandling," Dumbledore said, trying to keep himself calm.
"What are you going to do, Professor? Going to kill me? I would like to see you try!" Vernon scorned.
"Oh, but I'm afraid killing you will do no one any good…perhaps maybe Harry," Dumbledore said furiously. Harry tried to smile, but winced in pain.
"How dare you speak to me like that? I am a well-respected person, you cannot just threaten me!" Vernon screamed in rage.
"I thought I just did," said Dumbledore coolly. "But in the meantime, I suggest that you and your wife go back to that clean house of yours, until we figure out further arrangements."
"Not without the boy we're not! The only reason I agreed to come to this filthy place is to get him away from here, and I'm not leaving without him!" he yelled at Dumbledore.
McGonagall's fears were now confirmed. The Dursleys were here to take Harry, probably so they can abuse him some more; but she won't let that happen!
"If you thought you were taking Harry back to Privet Drive, you were undoubtedly wrong," said McGonagall angrily.
Harry could not tell them how much he appreciated the protection they were giving him, both because he couldn't find words and because his jaw hurt every time he tried to talk. He knew McGonagall was doing her best to help him, but his eyes hurt so he kept them closed, and therefore could not see what she was doing.
"Oh, is that so? Well, since I'm his only living relative—thank god they're all dead—I have every right to take him wherever I want; no freak like yourself or that mad head next to you is going to stop me."
"Actually, Mr. Dursley, as headmaster of Harry's school, I have every right to request Harry stays here," said Dumbledore.
"Sure, you can request whatever you like…but that boy is going with me, whether you like it or not!"
And with that being said, he grabbed Harry by his blood-soaked shirt from under McGonagall's arms, and began running out of the door, dragging Harry and not caring that every inch of Harry's body was hurting; Petunia ran after him. Just as Dumbledore meant to Stun them, Fudge threw them a shoe, which they caught, and they disappeared; the shoe was a portkey.
"What do you think you're doing? You just helped them escape!" McGonagall dismayed him.
"I am very aware of that, thank you very much. Harry is a threat to the Wizarding World, Chosen One or not, and it would only harm us if he stays in our world. His relatives might even succeed in knocking some sense into him, he might not want to come back," Fudge said happily.
Dumbledore and McGonagall, who both knew about the prophecy, looked at each other. Then, shaking with rage, McGonagall said, "He might not be able to come back! I bet you anything they're going to hit him and probably kill him in the end!"
"Nonsense, they wouldn't kill him! And the beating can only do him justice," Fudge said.
Dumbledore then realized something. He looked at McGonagall, and it was soon obvious to both of them that Fudge had put the Imperious curse on the Dursleys. They doubted Fudge was dumb enough to send them back to Privet Drive, but they hoped with all their heart that they were overestimating him.
Dumbledore immediately conjured Patronuses and sent one to Lupin, Tonks, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. McGonagall, however, stood in her place, staring at Fudge, who was now lying motionless on the floor, having been Stunned by Dumbledore.
"We'll get him back, don't worry," Dumbledore said soothingly, as if he read her mind.
"But Albus, this is exactly what I was afraid of! They took him and we have no idea where he is!"
"The Dursleys don't know the magical world; Fudge wouldn't send them there, especially because he wants Harry out of here. They're probably at Privet Drive; Voldemort apparently did something to weaken the protection wards, which is why the Death Eaters got a hold of Harry in the first place. I strengthened the wards since, so I know for a fact those indeed were his relatives and not imposters. I'll just have to take the wards off again before we go there, that's all," explained Dumbledore.
"All right, let's go…no time to waste," answered McGonagall.
Dumbledore lifted the Anti-Apparition charms and they flooed to Lupin's house, where they met everyone else. Dumbledore re-instated the Anti-Apparition charms, and without uttering a word, all five of them Apparated to Number 4, Privet Drive.
A few seconds later, when they all arrived at Privet Drive, they all turned and looked at Dumbledore, waiting for instructions.
Dumbledore, however, didn't say anything, but rushed forward towards the front door; everyone else followed, McGonagall leading the rest of the group.
McGonagall asked, "Albus, shouldn't we try to not make our presence known? It will be easier to get Harry that way."
"No. no, I do not intend to do anything in stealth," was his answer.
They all knew that this situation could not be good under any circumstances.
Dumbledore knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked once more, and the door opened, revealing a very fat Dudley.
"Ah, hello Mr. Dursley! May I speak to your parents?" Dumbledore tried to sound as cheerful as possible.
"My mum doesn't want me talking to strangers!" Dudley answered and made to shut the door. Dumbledore put his foot behind the door to stop it from closing.
"I'm sorry, my name is Albus Dumbledore, I'm Harry's headmaster, and these are acquaintances of Harry." Dudley didn't say anything, but back away as if scared and grabbed his behind so that it looked like it was a large balloon that was being squeezed.
Tonks looked like she would burst out laughing any second.
"We are looking for Harry, might you have any idea of where he could be?" Dumbledore asked.
"No!" Dudley yelled, making it quite obvious that he was lying.
"Please, Mr. Dursley, Harry is badly hurt and he needs to be taken care of. Are your parents home?" Dumbledore tried once more.
"No, they went out, but I'm not supposed to let anyone inside. Now go away!" he made to shut the door, but Dumbledore stopped him again, while the rest of the group stood behind him, shocked.
"Mr. Dursley, we need to know where Harry is!" he commanded the boy, hoping to get the answer he wants and so desperately needs.
"I don't know where he is, he's not in his room or under the cupboard under the stairs, nor is he in any of the other rooms," Dudley finally succumbed.
"Very well…would it be all right if we looked for him? I really need him back at the school," Dumbledore explained.
"Fine, but don't tell my mum…I'll tell her I don't know how Harry got away…that is, if you find him."
"Oh, I'll find him. Thank you for letting us in the house." Dudley just nodded, but backed away from Dumbledore when Dumbledore made to get in.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of giving you a pig's tail or performing any magic on you for that matter," Dumbledore smiled at him. Dudley turned pink and nodded vigorously, though it was plain that Dumbledore's assurance calmed it down.
"Remus, Tonks, you two search the downstairs. Molly, Arthur-look in the Dursleys' bedroom; Minerva-look in Harry's bedroom, I'll look in the cupboard he used to live in and come help upstairs afterwards," Dumbledore instructed them.
They departed right away, each to their designated place. Lupin, Tonks, and the Weasleys came back after five minutes, not having found Harry anywhere. Dumbledore and McGonagall took a longer time.
Dumbledore opened the cupboard door and found it dark, though completely empty. He whispered, "Lumos," just to make sure, but as he suspected, Harry wasn't there. He stood there, staring blankly at the tiny folding mattress Harry used to sleep on, and remained still for quite a while. He thought of Harry, having to live here for more than half his life; of the suffering Harry had endured all of his life, both from his relatives and Voldemort. The image of Harry being beat up by Vernon Dursley flashed through his mind and tears began trickling down his cheeks. He saw Harry fighting Quirrel, Harry coming out of the maze, Harry being possessed by Voldemort, Harry being tortured in Azkaban, Harry screaming in the hospital wing when Voldemort got access to his mind…and the tears just kept coming.
Meanwhile, McGonagall was searching Harry's room. She had searched under the bed, looked at every corner of the room, but she could not finding him anywhere; however, something told her that Harry was in this room. She looked upon the room again, examining every little inch, until…blood! Her eyes fell upon droplets of blood on the floor, leading to…a closet?
There stood a very small closet that looked more like a dresser. It was about her height, but not very wide at all…a person couldn't possibly fit in there. She put her ear against the closet door and listened closely; to her surprise and horror, she heard breathing…very short-breath, shallow breathing, almost gasping for air.
She quickly unlocked the oddly locked closet door; Harry fell right into her arms, coughing and gasping for air.
"Albus! Everyone, I found him, we're in his room! Come quickly!" she yelled for help.
She hugged Harry, held him rightly in her arms.
"Harry, are you ok?" she asked concernedly.
Harry just nodded, still gasping for air. He didn't understand why McGonagall, his teacher, was hugging him, but since he could barely breathe he decided not to waste his breath on asking questions.
She hugged him even tighter, whispering "Anapneo" to try to ease his breathing.
The rest of the group, Dumbledore in the lead, burst into the room. McGonagall immediately released Harry from the hug so that it wouldn't seem suspicious, but still held Harry close to her, his head on her lap. She had never been this close to Harry, never been able to express her grandmotherly love for him…(A/N- I had to add the word 'grandmotherly' in there so that people who like weird pairings wouldn't get any ideas)
Dumbledore knelt beside Harry and McGonagall and looked at Harry, who was still struggling to breathe. How much he loved that boy could never be describe in words; the woman next to Harry, the love of his life…how much he wanted all three of them to live together as a family…
McGonagall looked at Dumbledore and saw that his eyes are watery, but she didn't say anything.
Dumbledore turned to face the others, who were gaping in shock; Molly and Tonks had their hand covering their mouth, while Lupin and Arthur just stood there, eyes wide with astonishment and fear. He took the group outside the room, away from McGonagall and Harry.
"Minerva and I are going to take Harry to the school; I will ask you four to remain here and free the Dursleys from the Imperious curse and Obliviate them. Make sure they are aware that Harry will not be coming back next summer due to their horrible treatment of him. Take the rest of Harry's belongings back to the school and put them in my office."
Dumbledore went back to the room and picked Harry up, and was surprised by how little he weighed. Dumbledore and McGonagall Apparated away, while the rest of the group started packing Harry's stuff.
Dumbledore and McGonagall Apparated to Lupin's house, and from Lupin's house they Apparated straight to the hospital wing (after Dumbledore lifted the Anti-Apparition charms). Dumbledore, once again, re-instated the Anti-Apparition charms, and put Harry on one of the beds. McGonagall called Madame Pomfrey from her office and noticed that Harry was sleeping. Or at least, she hoped that's what he was doing.
Madame Pomfrey ran out of her office, she immediately froze when she saw Harry, sleeping, but soaked in blood. His eyes flickered open once or twice; his sleep was obviously disturbed by the throbbing pains all over his body.
"Albus, Minerva, what happened to him?" she asked worriedly, astonished that one person can get attacked so many times in one month.
'It's a long story…Could you please check that Harry is breathing ok and that he has no broken bones? And perhaps a couple of healing spells for his wounds? I do not wish to wake up him, he needs some rest," Dumbledore said. Madame Pomfrey looked at McGonagall questioningly, but McGonagall gave her an "I'll-Tell-You-Later" look, so she started working without asking further questions.
Madame Pomfrey did all the necessary examinations, and found that Harry's breathing was still shallow; he had broken ribs and a broken jaw, but she healed those immediately. She also healed his wounds and cleaned all of the blood off of him. She could do nothing about the physical effects of the Cruciatus or the shallow breathing, but decided it would be best to monitor him overnight.
"Well, I've done all I can do…I'll check on him once in a while during the night to make sure he's ok."
"That won't be necessary, Poppy, I will be staying with Harry tonight," McGonagall said, making sure Harry was really asleep and not unconscious again.
"And so will I," added Dumbledore, smiling at McGonagall.
"What's going on with you two? You spent half your summer next to this boy! I understand you're worried about him, but one could almost mistake you for his parents with this kind of protectiveness!"
Dumbledore and McGonagall purposely avoided each other's eyes, very tempted to burst out laughing.
"We just want to make sure he's ok, that's all," said Dumbledore, half chuckling.
Madame Pomfrey gave them both a suspicious look, but didn't say anything else. She let to her office, and Dumbledore and McGonagall cuddled together on a bed next to Harry's.
They fell asleep almost immediately, only to be woken up an hour later by Harry's shouting.
"No! Leave me alone, get away from me!"
Dumbledore and McGonagall jumped out of bed and exchanged a concerned look. Harry was having a nightmare.
They both rushed over to him; McGonagall put her hands on Harry's shoulders and said, "Harry, wake up! It's just a bad dream!"
But Harry shouted even louder, "No, please don't hurt me! Let me go, please!"
"Harry, this is Professor McGonagall, you're having a nightmare. Wake up; I'm not going to hurt you."
At once Harry's eyes shot open and he gasped for air and started panting, trying to catch his breath. He didn't know why McGonagall was hugging him, but it soothed him. Dumbledore stood next to McGonagall, holding Harry's hand. Harry didn't understand why both of them were looking concerned…it was just a nightmare, and Professor McGonagall had never been so close to Harry, why was she hugging him? The most contact they ever had was when she patted him on the shoulder in his third year…and yes, Dumbledore had always been protective of him, but this was different…what was going on?
After a long silence, Harry asked, "Do I have to go back there this summer?"
Dumbledore decided not to let Harry off the hook that easily. "Why didn't you tell me they were abusing you?"
Harry looked away from them and stared fixedly at his fingers. McGonagall said, "Harry, promise me you will always tell either me or Professor Dumbledore if anyone is hurting you."
When Harry didn't answer, Dumbledore implored once more. "Harry, promise us"
Harry nodded, still starting at his fingers.
Dumbledore looked at McGonagall and asked, "Do you want to go back there this summer," though he didn't understand why anyone would want to go live with these kind of people.
"Of course I don't want to…but…where will I stay?"
McGonagall looked at Dumbledore, and when he nodded, she knew she had his permission.
Cautiously, she said, "Harry…we need to talk."
