STAND BY ME

Chapter 4

The Curse of the Scar

The reading of Sirius' will was to take place the second last week of the holidays and Harry was dreading it. He knew he would be mentioned and there was nothing he could do about it. All he wanted was to have his godfather back. There was a hole in his heart where Sirius and his parents should have been but he had never known any of them properly. He shook his head of these thoughts. Come on Harry are you a Potter or not? It doesn't do well to live in the past. You have to look forward, to what life has in store for you. That's why your parents died - so you could live. With that he stood up from his bed and moved to the door.

No more moping around that's what you have been doing for the last three weeks no more. He made the firm resolution with himself. He had to be strong he had to live to fight so no-one else had to go through what he had gone through.

Harry headed down the stairs to find his aunt in the kitchen. It was only the two of them because his cousin and uncle were out.

Dudley was off goodness only knows where. Probably smoking pot with his mates and for once something good, he was spending the night with them.

His uncle had gone to visit Aunt Marge but 'because he can not be trusted the in the house by himself' and 'Marge hates the boy' his aunt had stayed to look after him. Of course it's got nothing to do with the fact that she doesn't like her Harry thought bitterly.

He glanced at the clock as he walked into the kitchen it was five to six.

"There you are!" his aunt scolded "Peel the carrots, chop the mushrooms and put the sauce on the chicken. Then put it in the oven at one hundred and eighty degrees. I'm going to go and polish the living room and if the meal is not done by the time I come back I'll be reading the riot act."

Harry sighed and started on the meal it was too much to hope for that his aunt would just ignore him.

He quickly chopped the carrots and the mushrooms the skills he had learned in potions about being organised coming in handy. 'I suppose it had to be good for something' he thought. This reminded Harry that his OWL results were going to be coming that summer. I wonder how I've done. Better not think about it Harry he thought to himself, you will just make yourself worried.

He quickly finished the meal was and it was ready at about half past seven.

Harry had finished eating by eight.

"Clear up boy and make the coffee. Instructed his aunt, and then leave me in peace. Harry was more than obliged to follow the latter instruction

He was just finishing putting the plates in the dish washer when pain like he had not felt since Voldemort had tried to possess him ripped through his scar. He fell to his knees and cried out in agony as the room began to shake. The last thing he saw before he passed out was his aunt at the doorway with a look of fear and compassion on her face he never knew she possessed.

The next thing Harry knew was that he had woken up still lying on the floor, with a cold sponge being pressed against his scar. His aunt was on her knees beside him. "What happened?" he said groggily as he sat up. His aunt's mouth pursed as he dared to ask a question but then she sighed. She had held on to her hatred of her sister for so long and never really got to know her nephew. Was now the time to forgive and forget?

As she was lost in her thoughts Harry pulled himself up into a sitting position with his back against the kitchen cupboard.

"The plates." Harry moaned and attempted to stand when he was pushed back by his aunt's hand on his shoulder.

"Leave it you will just make more of a mess than you already have." She chastised.

He looked at his aunt and felt waves of fear, pain, shock and understanding washing over him.

"What happened?" he asked again this time a little more forcefully.

"I don't really know I never saw anyone do that not even your mother with her wand. It...it was like there was an earthquake the whole place shook"

Harry didn't know what to make of this but before he had time to ponder the emotions he was feeling they left him and he was hit by another dose of pain from his scar like a thousand tiny daggers turning in his brain, this pain even stronger than the last. He gritted his teeth against it as tears ran down his face.

"Get Mrs Figg, trust me she can help" he breathed and with that he succumbed once more to the darkness that waited to engulf him.

"Harry, open your eyes." A snappy voice commanded. Harry slowly opened his weary eyes.

"What happened?" Harry asked again, groggily.

"Sit up" The voice snapped another command.

Harry felt a hand on his back forcibly pushing him up into a sitting position, gently rubbing small soothing circles.

"Do you think you can stand Boy?"

"Yes" Harry managed to croak out.

With the help of his aunt he managed to get to his feet. When he was upright he swayed slightly. He put his hand on the work surface for support.

"We are going to go through to the couch in the living room" instructed his aunt.

Eventually they managed to get through to the couch, with his aunt Petunia supporting him with one arm round his back the other holding his arm round her neck.

She lay him down on the couch with his head resting on one of the cushions.

Harry closed his eyes as his aunt left the room. His head ached painfully. A few minutes had passed when he suddenly felt something cool touch his scar. He started at the sudden change in temperature and moved away slightly, reaching up a hand to remove the thing that was on his head.

A hand took his gently and held it short of touching the cool object.

He blearily opened his eyes. His vision was hazy and it was a moment before he realised that he had not got his glasses on. He was not thinking straight. He was not 100 percent sure what was going on.

The thing that was on his head was removed and Harry saw that his aunt had left the room to get a tea towel filled with ice. As soon as it was removed he wished it hadn't been. He winced at the pain which had now reached the back of his neck.

He was slowly starting to realise that this was not his normal scar pains. This was something else something new. He didn't know what but he knew he had to tell someone anyone. For all he knew this thing could be killing him.

"Aunt Petunia did you get Mrs Figg?" asked Harry urgently.

"No Harry you are delirious why would I go and get her she is just the batty old Lady from next door."

"She is a squib".

"She is a what?"

"It doesn't matter, please just phone her she can help, trust me."

Aunt Petunia didn't know what to do.

"Please Aunt Petunia what harm, can it do?" Harry begged. His head was still hurting really badly and it was taking all his energy just to stay conscious, he didn't know what else to do.

"At best she's going to be able to help, at the worst she won't know what you're on about."

With that, Aunt Petunia finally gave in. She stood up and walked to the telephone in the hallway.

About 15 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Aunt Petunia went to answer it. There on the doorstep stood Mrs. Figg complete in her bathroom slippers, holding one of her cats in her arms. She gave off the impression she had lost some of her memory over the years.

"I'm sorry I was so long Mrs Dursley" she said handing her the cat. "I had to switch off the cooker, lock the door, and walk over it's not as easy as it once was. I also had to find my cat." Indicating the cat now in Aunt Petunia's arms, "I wouldn't have brought Mr Tibbles along but I didn't want to leave him by himself in the house, I think he is developing a cold and I don't what him giving it to my other cats."

Mrs Dursley made a face that showed she did indeed mind, but she let it slide, after all there were appearances to be kept. She had questions and there would be too many asked if Harry died, she needed answered but she could not get them answered without Harry there.

"Now what seems to be the problem my dear?" asked the old woman.

"It's Harry…" but that was as far as she got.

"What have you done this time?" Questioned Mrs Figg

"WHAT?" exclaimed Mrs Dursley? "What do you mean what have I done to him? I invite you into my house, asking for your help because my nephew asked me to and you accuse me of goodness only knows what.

"Well it would not be the first time something has happened to him under your care. I have stood by for many a year watching how you treat your nephew so do not become the caring aunt now Petunia. You used to be such a lovely girl; I don't know how you turned out like this."

"Auntie Ella?" At this point there was a moan from the living room.

"Enough of this let us talk later."

Harry moaned again in his semi-conscious sleep. He stood on a mountain staring out towards the land before him admiring the beauty before him. The time has come a voice said from behind him. There was a final flash of orange light and a roaring sound all-around so loud he thought he would never hear again.

"No…" he gasped as he shot up out of the dream. Horror at what he had seen reflected in his eyes.

The pain that he had felt had now moved over his left shoulder and was pinpointed in the position on the left hand side of his chest where a crest would be situated on a uniform. The path it had travelled did not hurt really badly, it was more of a dull ache, but there was a really bad pain over his chest. Now he had awoken it was slowly beginning to recede.

He sat up and this time the world did not spin as much.

"Harry."

He turned his head toward the voice.

"Thank you for coming so late Mrs Figg, I wouldn't have asked for you to come but I didn't know what else to do and I knew you were the closest. I don't know what is going on.

"How are you feeling at the moment, Harry?"

"I'm better than I was, I'm sill confused though."

At this moment Aunt Petunia came into the room carrying a tea tray with three cups of milky coffee and a tub of biscuits on it. She placed them on the coffee table and sat down in one of the armchairs without a word. She was lost in thought about who this woman could be.

"Do you think you can sit up?" questioned the old woman.

"Yes, it's not as bad as it was before." Harry swung up into a sitting position and pulled his legs up towards him on one side.

"Take your feet off that couch boy!" snapped his aunt.

Harry did as he was told but not before he noticed the look that Mrs Figg shot towards his aunt.

"Can you tell me what happened, Harry?"

"I was just putting the dishes away when…" but before Harry could tell continue he was struck by another bout of pain from both his scar and his chest, the room shook and he knew no more.

Thank you to my Beta KCEstel who is always ready to read and correct this thing.

Hope you enjoyed the update. I'm sorry it took so long to get out. I moved out into University halls and adjusting took a while plus I was concentrating on my studies. Plus I had writers block but enough with the excuses.

I'm not going to give you a time for the next update because I know I will probably not keep it.

So till next time.

Thank you for reading

Len87

Just an after note.

When I ask people "how do you shorten Arabella?" you do not chop of Mrs Figg's legs because I mean her name. ; P