Chapter Five – Reactions
Somehow Poppy and Dobby managed to get Harry out the bathtub and she began to heal his new wounds and put him back into bed with a fresh pair of pajamas on. She had also instructed Dobby to not leave him for a moment until she could bring in some more calming potions and dreamless sleep potions.
Returning to her patient quickly, Poppy gave him the potions and he took them obediently, though she suspected he wanted desperately to return to the bathtub to finish what he had started. However, Harry soon calmed down and fell off to sleep.
"Madame Poppy?" asked Dobby with a trembling lip, "What is we's doing for Harry Potter now?"
"First we wait until he wakes up tomorrow and see how is feeling, that's the more important thing. In the mean time, I'm going to have a very stern lecture to prepare for when Albus and Severus return to the castle tonight," said Poppy as she went back to her office to prepare more potions for Harry.
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Back at Grimmauld Place, after the meeting had ended, several of the members of the Order were still milling around the kitchen. They were all shocked and upset about the news concerning Harry. Molly Weasley was sitting in the corner of the kitchen crying her eyes out into her handkerchief while her husband Arthur was bent down and patting her on the back, trying to console her.
"How could they do that do him?" she sobbed, "He's just a boy."
"I don't know Molly, m'luv, I just don't know," Arthur said defeated.
Remus, who was still ashen white from the news said, "Are we certain that what Snape saw was accurate? I mean if Dumbledore couldn't reach Harry through Legimency, then what makes us think that Harry allowed Snape to see the truth? Maybe he misdirected him to a false memory."
"No, Remus, I'm afraid it's true," Minerva McGonagall said with a sigh. "Poppy confirmed most of what Albus told us last night when Harry woke the whole castle up with his screaming. I spoke with her myself and she is livid with Severus for doing it."
"Well, she should be!" shouted Molly, "Severus had absolutely no right to do what he did to Harry. Now having to relive it over and over again, it's unthinkable. No wonder he flinched away from me the other day when I brought him his school trunk."
Suddenly a thought occurred to McGonagall, "Molly, I know this is going to be hard for you, but you can't tell your children about Harry's predicament."
Molly sniffed and said, "Of course, I won't tell them, Minerva. They would never be able to understand anything like this. They are far too young."
McGonagall gave Molly a skeptical look; it had been her experience that young people are far more intelligent than parents gave them credit for. However, she continued with her thought, "Not for that reason Molly. I meant that if they know, they'll try and talk to Harry about it and right now, he doesn't need that. He needs to be a regular seventeen year old again. He needs to be playing Quidditch, going to classes, doing homework, complaining that I'm too strict to them."
"Do you think that is possible Minerva?" Remus asked. "Considering what he has been through and from what's been reported to us, I can't really see him leaving that private room anytime soon."
"Well, we have several advantages," McGonagall explained, "He doesn't know that we know yet. He may want to try and forget it happened and blend back into the student body. Harry is a survivor; he will do what he has to do to survive."
"When is Dumbledore going to send him to St. Mungo's?" Tonks asked, speaking up for the first time since she heard the news. Everyone else looked to McGonagall for the answer to this, they all knew Harry needed professional help at this point.
"He's not."
"WHAT?" bellowed most of the people in the room.
"Albus doesn't want to trust anyone outside of the order to help Harry in case they are working with those who abducted him," McGonagall replied curtly, revealing her dissatisfaction with the Headmaster's ideas.
"Minerva, Harry needs to be healed, not shut away and for us to hope he just gets over this on his own," Molly said. "What is that man thinking?"
At this point Bill Weasley interjected, "Is there anyone in the order with experience in these matters who can help Harry?"
Alastor Moody answered, "Not that I know of, unless Albus has someone in mind that he hasn't told us about."
"I hope he has," Molly said quietly and the room fell silent again.
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"Ron, we have to do something, they won't let us see Harry and I am going crazy with not knowing anything," said Hermione.
"I know, I know," he replied, "but what are we suppose to do? They only thing we know is what Fred and George told us. They found him and he stayed with them a couple of days and he was taken to Hogwarts. Then McGonagall tells us he can't have visitors right now because he is still to sick."
Ginny huffed, "Sick? More like beaten and tortured, I'd say." Then she began to pace the room huffily.
"So what are we going to do?" Hermione asked again. "We have to see him."
"Well, there's nothing you can do," said Fred, "However, you'll be returning to Hogwarts the day after tomorrow. Then, when you get there, you can storm the infirmary and demand to see him."
George then said, "If nothing else, maybe you can get Dobby on your side, it seems that he is now in the habit of expelling Dumbledore and Snape from Harry's room when they bother him to much."
"Cool," Ron said in awe. "Maybe we can get to see Snape being tossed out."
The twins laughed, "Well, tosses may be a bit of an understatement. From what we've heard, thrown may be more accurate."
Ron, Ginny and Hermione all laughed at the thought and then went back to worrying about Harry.
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Later in the afternoon, Albus Dumbledore once again enters the Hogwarts infirmary intent on speaking with young Harry Potter. However, he didn't get too far before he was stopped by a very angry school nurse.
"Good afternoon Poppy," he said with twinkling eyes.
"I can only hope my afternoon is better than my morning was," she replied to him waspishly.
Dumbledore became somber and asked, "Did something happen to Harry?" worry written on his face.
"You could say that Albus. He had a reaction this morning and ran into the bath to scrub him self clean. He scrubbed himself so hard that he actually ripped skin off of his arms."
Looking grave, Dumbledore said, "Well, it's to be expected after what he was put through." Then he attempted to continue to Harry's door, but she stopped him once again.
Clucking her tongue in her mouth in irritation, Poppy corrected him, "Actually Albus, the reason he was scrubbing himself was not caused by what his abductors put him through, but rather what you and Severus put him through."
"Poppy, I assure you that we only did what was needed to be done and it was for his own good."
"It was for his own good for you to tell the wizarding world about what happened to him? Is that what you are telling me Headmaster?"
Dumbledore sighed and said, "I only told a select few associates that needed to know so we can protect him better. There is no need for concern Poppy, Harry will not find out about what I have done until after he has been healed and then he may even thank me for it."
Looking thoroughly disgusted by what she just heard, she snapped back at him, "Albus, he already knows what you have done and that is why he was in the bath trying to clean away his guilt and humiliation. HE KNOWS ALBUS!"
"How?" asked the Headmaster in shock.
"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me how he knew, but he does. The point is, due to your actions, he may not trust anyone to help him now. If he thinks that everyone already knows what happened to him, he will have no one to trust to tell about this. Then he will feel all alone and may end up turning into his own mind to escape the horror of his reality."
"I must see him immediately Poppy."
"No, you can't. I had to give him a calming potion and two dreamless sleep potions this morning, just to get him off to sleep. He's going to be asleep for a while. Also, I don't think that Dobby will welcome either you or Severus near him in the immediate future."
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"Ah, Severus, come forward," hissed Voldemort to his follower who fell to the ground and crawled over to this master to kiss the hem of his robes. "What news do you have of young Mr. Potter?"
"He has been located and is in the Hogwarts infirmary under the ever watchful eye of Dumbledore," replied the greasy potions master from the ground.
Voldemort chucked, "Not as watchful as he likes to think, he lost the boy for almost a month."
"That is true my lord," said Snape, "but at Hogwarts he is under constant scrutiny."
"True. Does the old fool have any idea where the boy has been all this time?"
"No one does my lord, Potter is refusing to talk about it," replied Snape once again from the vicinity of Voldemort's feet.
"Understandable," said the dark wizard as he motioned for Snape to stand up once more. "After having seen the visions of what he went through, it doesn't surprise me at all." Voldemort paused for a moment and then asked his servant, "What does the old fool plan to do for Potter?"
"All that he has revealed to me, master, is that he is planning on keeping the boy at Hogwarts to be healed there. Beyond that, he has revealed nothing to anyone."
Voldemort did not look pleased with that and asked, "Who does Dumbledore suspect took Potter?"
"Other than you, my lord, he has no idea."
"Ever the fool then," Snape heard Voldemort mutter.
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Sometime later that evening, Harry finally wakes up from his dreamless sleep. At first he is groggy and unsure of what's going on around him. However, the bliss of forgetfulness is soon forgotten as reality rushes back to him and he sags back into this bed, wanting to go back to sleep.
Unknown to Harry, but the school nurse is aware that he is awake and sends Dobby into his room with a tray of something to eat. Poppy knew full well that he would never accept food from her, but she was hoping he might from the house elf.
"Harry Potter, it is time you's is eating," chimed Dobby happily that Harry was feeling better after his bath.
"Thanks, Dobby, but I'm not hungry," Harry says quietly.
Dobby rounded on Harry and said, "Yes, you's is hungry Harry Potter. You's is going to be eating this good food and you's is getting stronger."
Harry gave a glare to the house elf, whose lower lip began to tremble. Harry sighed and gave in and began to pick at the food on the tray. Then Dobby took a seat beside him on the bed and began to cut the food and group into much smaller portions that Harry began to take from the plate and eat.
Dobby beamed at him, "Just you's wait Harry Potter, soon you's friends be back in school. They's is being so happy to see Harry Potter."
Harry stiffened at the idea of it. He would be so happy to see them again, but thought, 'Do they know my secrets. Had Dumbledore told them as well?' Harry remained scared for a moment and thought, 'Will they still want to be my friends? Do I even deserve to have friends anymore?'
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Some time later as the teaching staff was sitting in a meeting about the upcoming school year in the teacher's lounge, they were surprised to see Harry's snowy white owl, Hedwig, fly in with a letter for Dumbledore.
Dumbledore took the letter from Hedwig and as he went to stroke her, she jumped back from the Headmaster. Clearly she was taking sides. As she spied him opening the letter she took flight and on her way out of the window she flew low enough to leave a scratch from one of her talons on Snape's forehead. Clearly she was taking sides and she was not happy about it.
As Professor Sprout was mending Professor Snape's face, Dumbledore began to read the letter. With a much happier look on his face, he asked Professor McGonagall take over the meeting and began to rush out of the room.
"Albus?" McGonagall asked, "Where are you going?"
"It seems Mr. Potter wishes to have a word with me Minerva. I think he may be ready to talk about his abduction." Then he was gone.
McGonagall frowned at his retreating back and said, "I highly doubt it Albus, I highly doubt it."
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A few minutes later Dumbledore entered the infirmary to find Madame Pomfrey waiting on him. "Albus, I do not want you upsetting him again."
"Not to worry this time Poppy, he sent me a note wanting to talk to me," said Dumbledore with his eyes sparkling behind his half moon glasses.
"Albus, I know he sent for you," she said with a sigh, "just don't get your hopes up." Then she patted him on the arm and went into her office. Albus then noticed that Harry was standing at the far end of the infirmary looking out of a window with Dobby and Hedwig nearby.
Hedwig screeched at him as he walked by and Dobby looked at him suspiciously.
"Harry, did you want to talk to me?"
Harry continued to stare out of the window and said rather coldly, "Yes, Headmaster, I did want to discuss something with you."
"Well," he said jovially ignoring Harry's coldness as a protection he created in order to talk about his ordeal, "are you ready to talk about your abduction?"
"Not exactly. I had a couple of questions for you first."
"Of course Harry, what would you like to know?"
"Have you told anyone about what happened to me? I mean the parts of it that you know about officially."
"Of course not Harry, I have not told anyone who didn't need to know about it."
"Who would that be?"
"The people you need to help you through this?"
Again Harry asked, "Who would that be?"
"Not too many. Now Harry I really think we need to get to the importance of this conversation…"
"I quite agree," Harry said cutting him off in mid-sentence. "You are a liar and a betrayer!"
"Harry…"
"You told the entire Order of the Phoenix something that was NOT any of their business to know without even discussing it with me. You have just now lied about doing it and you sent that greasy git of a teacher down here to play with my mind like it was a toy to him. I want nothing more to do with you again! That goes for Snape as well."
"Harry, you must really think about this and not act rashly."
"Harry Potter is telling you he is not wanting you bothering him again. You's is leaving now," Dobby informed the Headmaster.
Dumbledore sighed sadly and began to leave when he heard Harry say one last thing.
"Dobby is in my employ now and will be with me at all times from now on, including classes."
To Be Continued … Please Read and Review