Chapter Two: The Truth

Downstairs Remus was just entering the living room. Sirius had done an impressive job of destroying it. Since he hated the house so much, he was often quite eager to take his anger out on it. Remus didn't discourage him because he knew there were worse ways of coping. The couch was smoldering in flames, and a china cabinet had been shattered. He quietly pulled out his wand and vanished them both away before transfiguring a large statue into a couch and some new chairs. "Sirius" He said quietly "Come sit down, we need to talk." He looked sternly at his friend, "And you need to stay calm and listen for once."

Sirius was sulking in the far corner of the room. He gave Mooney an angry glance, but seeing his friend's face he dropped his attitude and came to sit next to him. "What is it?" He dared to ask.

Remus sighed "I've just had a long talk with Harry, not that he said anything of course… but before I tell you what I've learned I need you to promise me that you won't do anything rash when I tell you."

Sirius laughed "look at who you are talking to Mooney."

Remus shook his head. "I mean it, Sirius. That boy is upstairs quivering every time you blow something up down here. If you go charging upstairs letting your emotions lead the way he is going to be terrified. This is a sensitive situation and we can't do anything until we've discussed it and both agreed on it, alright?" After Sirius nodded Remus continued. "Now obviously he wasn't going to talk to me, so I asked him yes or no questions. He told me they had been keeping him from writing to us, and working him… and starving him. He admitted to all of those."

Sirius's face turned dark "Those rotten muggles why I ought to…"

But Remus held up a hand "I'm not done Pad…" He waited for his friend to calm down, then continued. "When I asked if they had hurt him he shook his head, but he was so upset, so scared. You should have seen him, Sirius…. He was terrified when I said it." Remus held a hand up to keep Sirius from storming into a rage. "After I told him I knew they had, and once had calmed down a bit…. I asked if they had ever hurt him in other ways… Sirius… that man… he abused him…."

Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual abuse

Sirius's face went pale, for a moment he just sat there. "What do you mean… he beat him… he knocked him around…" His eyes flickered back and forth, studying his friend's face, trying to understand.

Remus nodded "Not just that though Sirius…. I don't know the details… but that man… he sexually abused Harry. I am sure of it."

Sirius panicked, he felt as though his heart had dropped out of his gripped him as he stood and started pacing. HE… He… that oaf touched…. Oh Merlin he violated my… my godson. Oh Harry, oh Harry I'm so sorry. But his sadness and guilt were quickly swallowed up by anger. Anger was easier to deal with, Sirius knew anger well.

End trigger warning: Remus filled Sirius in.

He stormed and raged for what seemed like hours. But eventually he calmed down and they sat over coffee and decided what to do.

"Well we have to tell Dumbledore. "Sirius said sadly.

Remus nodded "We need to be careful though, Harry is horrified that we know… I don't want to tell anyone we don't have to… and I want to give Harry some time to adjust to us knowing before we subject him to questioning from someone like Dumbledore."

Sirius nodded. Remus was right. Eventually they decided that they wouldn't do anything else tonight. Harry was safe, and right now that was most important.

Once that was decided they both went up to check on Harry. They assured him that he was safe, and that they would warn him before they shared the information with anyone else. After they talked about it for a bit Remus suggested they go down stairs and find some dinner. It was almost 8pm.

The next few days were spent quietly in Grimmauld place. Sirius and Remus did their best to be there for Harry, but they tried to let him have as much space as he needed. Sirius had bought a TV at some point, and with the help of the Weasley boys had charmed it to play Harry's favorite programs. He spent most of his time curled up on the couch watching meaningless programs. He hardly slept, and he hardly ate. Sirius insisted he simply needed more time, but Remus was getting worried. A week after he got there Remus finally convinced Sirius that it was time to go to Dumbledore. At the very least they needed to take Harry to a medical professional to be checked out, and Hogwarts Hospital wing would certainly be more private than St. Mungo's.

It was decided that they would split up, Remus would go to speak with Dumbledore, and Sirius would stay with Harry and go to the hospital wing. Once they were there, Sirius had spoken briefly with Poppy, transformed into his dog form and lay protectively next to his godson. He had noticed that this form seemed to comfort Harry more, and he also knew that this was going to be a very difficult day for had performed a basic assessment spell that first day on Harry, ensuring that none of his injuries were life threatening. But even that seemed to upset him, so they hadn't pressed further.

Poppy gave Harry a small smile as she began her assessment. She had offered him a calming draught, but he seemed horrified by this, so they had proceeded without. "I am just running a simple diagnostic right now Harry." She said warmly as she waved her wand around him. "It will show me any injuries you have currently.

Harry inhaled sharply. Sirius lay his head in his lap to try and calm him, but it didn't seem to help.

Poppy mostly ignored him, she was too busy reading through the long list of problems that had appeared before her:

Acute malnutrition

Concussion

Broken ribs (three)

Lacerations (multiple on all extremities)

Contusions and Abrasions on arms, face, torso, and legs

Sexual trauma

Broken metatarsals in the left foot

At Poppy's sharp gasp, Sirius had transformed back into his human form. "What is wrong Poppy?" he asked, snatching the list from her.

She pushed him away and turned to her patient, her professional demeanor returned. "Harry, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to change into a gown. You have a few bones that need setting and some wounds I need to check." She offered him a thin hospital gown.

For a long moment he stared at her in horror, I can't…. I can't wear this… I can't let them see.. but he realized that, as with everything else in his life, he had no choice. She pulled the curtains around him and asked if he needed any help. At that he rapidly shook his head. Once he was alone he started to remove his clothes, quickly climbing under the blankets to cover himself. A few minutes later Poppy and Sirius came back in.

"I'm so sorry pup… this was all my fault… We should have brought you in sooner!" Sirius started to say as he came to stand by Harry. Harry shook his head and smiled, hopefully that was enough to convey that he didn't blame him.

Trigger Warning: Mention of self harm

Poppy quietly started to continue her examination. "Harry, I am going to have to pull the blanket down a bit so that I can look at you okay? My diagnostic showed that you have quite a few lacerations and I need to make sure they are all healing well.

Harry tried to shake his head, but it was no use. She was pulling his arms from the blanket.

Sirius couldn't help but gasp at what he saw. Harry's arms were covered in cuts and scars, some of them terribly fresh. "Did they do this to you?" He asked in horror.

Harry thought he might die with shame, but from the look on Madam Pomfery's face he knew that lying would be useless. Slowly he shook his head.

It took Sirius entirely too long to put things together. "Wait… so… oh Harry…." He finally said quietly. After that Poppy suggested he wait outside, and Harry didn't object.

End Trigger Warning: Poppy reveals that Harry struggles with self harm

Once they were alone Madam Pomfery started the task of cleaning Harry's wound's and dressing them. "Because they are self-inflicted, magic can't heal them." She explained quietly. "But I can do my best with old fashioned medicine. After she had dressed those wounds she did a complete exam, and set the broken ribs and the bones in Harry's foot. "I did my best, they were already healing though, so you will still get some pain and I want you to stay off that foot for a few weeks at least. We will have to set you up with some crutches." She smiled sadly at him. "And you need to eat more my dear, you are painfully underweight."

After she had cleaned up the supplies she had been using she came back to Harry's bedside. "Alright, I have one more test to do, and you aren't going to like it."

Harry gave her a worried look, he couldn't imagine how this day could get much worse.

"I am going to do a long-term diagnostic, it is a test that indicates all the major injuries you have had in the last ten years." Harry's face went white and she reached out and squeezed his hand. "I know, you don't want that… but it is important that we do it, it will help us to prosecute the people that did this to you. And I need to know if there are any old injuries that may have never set properly. I promise that I will only share it with the authorities and your guardians. Alright?"

Harry didn't really have a choice, so he gave a small nod. This test took a lot longer, several sheets of paper appeared before Poppy. To her credit, she kept her face neutral the entire time. And when it was done she disappeared behind the curtain, and Sirius came to sit with him in dog form.

Eventually Remus arrived at the hospital wing, he had insisted that Dumbledore give them some space, and that he could come visit Harry when Harry was ready. After a brief hello to Harry, Poppy called him and Sirius into her office to discuss her findings.

Trigger warning: physical descriptions of consequences of abuse & self harm talk (non graphic)

Remus and Sirius sat down nervously, neither of them was quite used to the role of guardian yet, but they wanted to do whatever they could for Harry. "Alright" Poppy began as she shuffled papers in front of her. Let's start with the current problems. Harry had three broken ribs and several broken bones in his left foot. I was able to heal all of them, but because the wounds were old it will take a week or two for them to heal completely. He needs to stay off that foot and rest until he heals. He also has a mild concussion, which also requires rest, but I think he is healing rather well from that. From what I can put together the concussion occurred early in the summer holiday and so he is almost healed from it already. He has bruises and lacerations all over his body in various states of healing, which is obviously indicative of abuse. But he also has lacerations and scars on his arms that are self-inflicted." She paused, giving the information a moment to sink it. Poppy had spoken with many worried parents over the years, but not often about things of this nature or gravity. "They have been cleaned and bandaged and should heal, but if he continues to self-harm then that won't really matter. This is a common coping mechanism for abused kids, especially those who've been sexually abused. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to stop, even after the abuse has stopped. I will give you a list of local therapists that work with magical children, they will probably be able to offer more help."

Remus took a deep breath. It had never occurred to him that Harry might be cutting. It was just one more thing to add to the list of things he was not prepared to deal with. After a moment he asked "What about his weight? He looks so painfully skinny…"

End Trigger warning

Madam Pomfrey nodded "He is very underweight, I don't see any reason to suspect he is intentionally starving himself, and so at this point I would hope that he will start to gain now that he has ready access to food. And that is all of the current issues."

Remus and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, that was already enough to overwhelm them.

"I also ran a complete intentional injuries scan, this shows the injuries inflicted over the past ten years. Harry's scan showed that the abuse has been going on for at least ten years, I would estimate it started even earlier than that though. He has suffered many broken bones and concussions over the years, it appears that the self-harming started when he was eleven, around the time he came to Hogwarts. He has been malnourished off and on throughout his life." She gave them each a cautious glance "And it appears that the sexual abuse started around the age of six. At least that was the first time on this scan that he was raped. It is certainly possible that less violent abuse was occurring before this and did not appear on the scans. It seems the abuse was very regular while he was home."

Remus and Sirius exchanged glances. This was so much worse than what they had thought possible. How were they supposed to help Harry through this?

Poppy nodded sympathetically, seemingly reading their minds. "I'm sure you feel overwhelmed right now, but just remember, you can do this. What Harry needs most right now is to be supported by people who love him. You two have your work cut out for you, but I am confident that you can help Harry through this."

Remus sighed "I just don't even know where to start… I'm afraid we will end up doing the wrong thing and only hurt him more," he admitted.

Poppy nodded again. "Well I am always here if you want to talk, but I can't say I have much experience with the day to day of helping children heal from abuse. I do know someone who you may be able to talk to though."

Remus nodded quickly "We would be happy for any help that we can get!"

Madam Pomfry smiled, "Well you might want to wait until I tell you who it is." She gave them both an amused look. "Severus has a lot of experience helping abused students. When he became the head of Slytherin he implemented health screenings for all his students. For some reason that house seems to have a higher incidence of abuse, or perhaps we just catch it more, because of the screenings."

Sirius reeled at her suggestion "We are not going to talk to that snake about this! He torments Harry, don't you think he has been through enough?"

Poppy sighed "I know he has not always been kind to Harry, but he is actually a good man. I think if he were aware of Harry's current circumstances he might feel a bit differently. Even if he cannot set aside his prejudice with Harry, he could give you both some sound advice. Severus has a way with these children, and valuable experience that you could draw from."

Sirius was about to shoot back a sharp retort but Remus held up a hand to silence him. "Wait Sirius, Poppy is right. We are way out of our depth here and I think we need to at least see what he has to say. I don't want him talking to Harry, at least not until after we've talked to him. But I think we need to accept any help we can get."

Sirius still looked less than convinced, but he didn't argue anymore. "We need to tell Harry first though. He deserves to know who is being told about this."

Remus nodded "We will tell Harry first."

Poppy smiled and offered to speak with Severus first, to fill him in on the details before he spoke with them. Eventually the conversation moved back to Harry and what the next steps would be. Remus and Sirius wanted to take Harry home now. After some persuasion Poppy agreed. "You need to bring him back every few days so I can check on his progress." After a bit more discussion Remus and Sirius left to go speak with Harry, and Poppy promised to come out in a few minutes with some medications and then they could be on their way.

Remus and Sirius paused before going in to see Harry. "How are we going to do this?" Remus asked quietly.

Sirius sighed and clapped his friend on the back. "We love Harry, that is what is most important right now. We will figure out how to help him."

Remus nodded, and then walked over to the curtained area and called to Harry before he pulled back the curtain. "Hey kid, how are you feeling?"

Harry was sitting on the cot with his knees curled up to his chest when they walked in. He looked up at them when they walked in. He did his best to offer a smile, but said nothing.

Remus sighed and came in to sit down at the chair by Harry's bed. "Alright kid, I know today has been really hard but we are almost done. Poppy is getting some things together for us and then we can head out." Harry didn't respond, and he wouldn't look Remus in the eyes, but he seemed to be listening.

"Some things are going to have to change at home, but we don't need to talk about that right now." Remus paused and gave Sirius a nervous look. "We did want to talk to you about something else though… Poppy told us that she knows of someone who has a lot of experience with helping students who…. Who have had similar... situations." Remus winced as he said it. "And she thought it might be helpful for Sirius and I to talk to him. We just want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help you okay. But like I said last week, we aren't going to share this with people without warning you first. And we are doing our best to only tell people who need to know." Remus gave Sirius a look, he knew that this was going to upset Harry, and so he was rambling.

Sirius, seeing his friend struggling, interjected. "Harry, It's Snape…. They want us to talk to Snape."

Harry's eyes burned with rage and he firmly shook his head.

Sirius sighed "I know kid, I don't want to do it either… but this is uncharted territory for us… and we need to get some advice on how to help you. We just want to make sure we are doing the right things. You don't have to talk to him, okay?"

Harry glared at them both. NO! It's not okay. But I don't get a choice, do I? I've never had a choice! I didn't even choose to be the boy who lived. They don't care what I want. He balled up his fists, digging his nails into his palms. It wasn't the same as using his blade, but it helped ebb the feelings a bit.

Remus saw what Harry was doing and moved to stop him, but Sirius shook his head. Remus gave him a questioning look, but he dropped his hand.

Eventually Poppy came in carrying a paper bag full of potions and some muggle medicines and a pair of wooden crutches. "Alright" she said as cheerfully as she could. Then she proceeded to explain each of the medications and potions to them, and finally the crutches. "You need to rest as much as you can, Harry, so these are only to be used when you really have to move. But they will help you to stay off that foot. I expect you'll need them for the next two weeks, but we will have to see how it goes." She showed Harry how to use them, then watched as he practiced.

Once that was done she walked them to the floo on the far side of the hospital wing and gave Harry a tight hug. "I'll see you back here in a few days." She said with a smile.