Chapter Six: Difficult Conversations

.TW: Abuse descriptions (non graphic), sexual and physical

The Auror who took their statement was Tonks. Harry wanted to die.

She tried to put them all at ease, to smile. She led them to a private room and offered to get them soft drinks. But Harry couldn't even think of drinking, so he shook his head. Tonks nodded and sat down awkwardly. "Harry, I know this is really hard for you. And we want to do everything we can to make it easier. The boss thought it would be easier for you to talk to me, since I'm closest in age… and since you know me. But if you'd rather talk to someone else I can have one of the guys come in."

Harry flinched. He would have rather talked to someone he didn't know, but men he didn't know scared him. "Your fine Tonks." He sputtered.

She smiled "Okay, would you like Remus to stay with us? Or do you think it would be easier to do alone?"

Harry considered this for a moment. He felt safer with Remus in the room, but he knew that Tonks was going to ask him some graphic questions… and it might be easier to answer them if Remus couldn't hear. He knew it would break his heart. "Maybe just the two of us… if that's okay…" He looked nervously at Remus, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his feelings.

Remus gave him a searching look, then nodded "Okay Harry, whatever makes this easiest for you." Then he gave him a tight hug, and slipped out.

Tonks gave him a moment to breathe after Remus left. "Okay Harry, now I have to ask you some difficult questions… but if there is ever a question you don't want to answer you can just say pass. And if you feel like you need a break just let me know. Okay? Also, I am recording our conversation for the trial. This is a magical recording device though; you and I are the only two who can allow people to hear it. We are going to do everything possible to protect your privacy."

Harry nodded awkwardly "Thank you…" he mumbled.

Tonks gave him a reassuring smile. "You know Harry, none of this was your fault. And it doesn't change how I see you. It takes a lot of courage to come here and help us catch this guy." After a moment she started her questions. Harry just stared at the carpet and tried to stay calm. Tell her what she needs to know and get this over with.

"Alright; Harry, have you ever been inappropriately touched, or verbally or emotionally abused?"

"Yes" Harry's voice was shaky. He dug his nails into his palms and tried to stay focused.

"Who abused you?"

Deep breath "My Uncle, Vernon Dursley."

"Thank you Harry." Tonks hesitated "Can you tell me what he did?"

This was the question Harry had been dreading. It's bad enough to admit something had happened, but to have to talk about it, the details… He wasn't sure he could do it. "Umm" He put his hands to his head, then balled them into fists by his side. "He ummm…. He did a lot of things… bad things…."

Tonks had a look of pity on her face, she put her hand on his arm, but quickly removed it when he flinched. "Sorry… I know this is hard on you Harry. How about we start with some of the easier things. Did he ever hit you?"

Harry nodded "Yeah, um… all the time. It wasn't that bad, you get used to it." As soon as he said it, the look of shock on Tonk's face made him regret it. It wasn't that bad… It's not like they kept me chained to the radiator in the basement or something. Although probably only for lack of a proper basement. Harry shook his head to clear it, a vague memory of Uncle Vernon reading a story about a kid who'd spent his whole life in a basement, being beaten and starved. "You're awfully lucky boy, not everyone knows how to treat charity cases." Uncle Vernon had told him. Later that night he had snuck into Harry's room to remind him of his 'role' in their home. I think I'm going to be sick.

Tonks quickly realized her mistake and forced her face to go blank again. "Sorry, okay… umm… Where did he hit you Harry?" She said as professionally as she could.

Harry shrugged "Mostly my back and shoulders I guess, and my head. When he got tipsy he would get sloppy. When I was little that meant I just kind of got beat all over, but as I got older I started to learn how to keep him from hurting me too badly."

"Okay, did anyone else in the house hit you?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, sure… Aunt Petunia did… but it wasn't really her fault. I don't want them to send her to jail too. "No, just my uncle."

"And when was the last time he hit you?"

Harry shrugged, he had never really thought about it before. Things had been so crazy right after Sirius and Remus came to get him. "Um, I guess it was a few days before Remus came to get me… It was a Sunday night. He had been drinking, and watching the game… and he found me cleaning the kitchen. He got mad about nothing and just started laying in to me. He wasn't drunk enough to be sloppy either." Harry wanted to stop talking, but the words just kept coming out. "He threw plates and dishes at me, then he got a hold of the frying pan and… and…" He could hardly breathe now. Tonks was kneeling in front of him, telling him to do something, but he couldn't hear her. At some point she must have called Remus back in. Harry felt a potion being pressed into his hands, a calming draught, he brought it to his lips and prayed that he wouldn't lose it and the rest of his stomach contents in front of Tonks . And then sat together until the panic attack passed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Remus held up a hand to stop Harry "Don't apologize Harry. This is a really hard thing to do, and you are doing your best. How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged "I'm exhausted. But I'm okay now, I just want to get this over with." The calming draught was helping, and soon the familiar fuzzy, dull feeling had taken hold.

Remus nodded, and left to get Tonks.

Once the two of them were settled again, Tonks asked the question Harry had been waiting for. "Okay, now I need to ask about the sexual abuse. I know this is hard so just take your time, and if it's too hard we can stop."

Harry nodded nervously.

Tonks tried to smile, but she could see that they needed to just push through this. "Do you remember when the abuse started?"

Harry took a deep breath "Um… I was four"

Tonks nodded, her face stone. "Do you remember what happened?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I guess…. Just what you'd imagine. He came into my room late one night… at first it was just touching… then it got worse."

"And eventually he raped you?" Tonks finished.

Harry just nodded. They already know this from those stupid magical scans… Why do they need me to say it?

They continued to talk for a few more minutes. Then Tonks came to her final question. "Harry, that you know of, did your uncle ever hurt anyone else? Either physically or sexually? It is not uncommon for people who do this to have many victims. We want him to answer for all his crimes, and make sure everyone he has hurt gets help."

Harry took a long time to answer, he couldn't meet Tonk's gaze. "No, it was just me."

End TW

After the interview he and Remus headed to the car. Once they were there Harry turned to him. "I know you were trying to help by not telling me about this, so that I wouldn't have to worry. But I have had enough adults in my life lie to me. I need to know that you are going to be honest with me. Even when something is going to make me anxious, being worried is better than being paranoid that you are hiding things from me."

Remus nodded seriously. "I'm sorry Harry, I won't let it happen again."

Harry slept the whole way home.

For the next two days, things were quiet. Harry spent some time each day in Snape's lab, and he ate most of all of his meals. Before He knew it, it was Friday again and it was time for his appointment with Lou. The appointment wasn't actually too bad. They mostly talked about living with Remus and Sirius, and how things were going. For a little while they talked about cutting, and some of the things he could do instead. He told her he honestly did want to get better.

"I haven't been doing great though. I still pinch myself a lot. And I cut again after we went to the ministry."

Lou smiled sympathetically. "Can you tell me a bit about what happened? What led you to that choice?"

Harry explained why they had gone, and how hard it had been. "Every time I closed my eyes I saw him again… I couldn't turn it off."

Lou nodded in understanding "That isn't an uncommon reaction Harry. It sounds as though you were experiencing flashbacks. They are quite common in people who have PTSD."

Harry snapped his head in her direction. "I don't have PTSD. That is something soldiers get."

Lou sighed "Well, it is true that soldiers get PTSD, but anyone who has experienced a trauma can have it Harry."

Harry shook his head "I'm fine."

That earned him a slightly sarcastic look from Lou. "People with PTSD often avoid talking about their traumas, or anything that reminds them of their trauma. They are known to be 'jumpy' or hyper vigilant, always looking for the next attack. They often have nightmares, and or flashbacks. And they can experience dissociation, a feeling like you are disconnected from reality or yourself. Like your memories are not real, or like your surroundings are not real. They also often have problems with anxiety, irritability, and can have problems with things like addiction or self-harm. You don't see yourself in any of those symptoms?"

Harry shrugged uncomfortably "I guess…"

Lou gave him a questioning look "You seem upset at the diagnosis?"

Harry shrugged again, but he knew that wouldn't be enough for her. "I guess I just don't like it…. Like, it makes me feel like I'm broken now… like I'm strapped with this label I'll never get rid of. And it makes it more real…. Like realizing how horrible what happened was."

Lou nodded again. " I'm proud of you for verbalizing all of that Harry, I know it is hard for you to do. I know PTSD can feel like a label, like a sign on your forehead telling everyone what happened to you. But it isn't. The only way people are going to find out is if you tell them. No one can tell that you have been abused by looking at you. And really, the symptoms of PTSD, while very unpleasant, are actually the good things that helped you survive the abuse, and now that it's over you don't need them anymore. If anything, it shows not that your uncle broke you, but that you saved yourself, and that you can heal."

Monday was Harry's birthday, he had nearly forgotten about it until Remus had mentioned it at the store. At the Dursley's he had always watched the calendar, eagerly waiting for the day. Not that they had done anything to celebrate… if anything his relatives used it as an excuse to be worse to him. But at some point, they had started a tradition of going out for the evening, without Harry of course, as a way to rub it in his face. The first few years he had dreaded this, he had been young, and being alone in the house at night was terrifying. They forbade him from using the lights, so he had sat in the dark house alone and scared. But by his ninth birthday, Harry had started to realize that his relatives were full of crap. He had learned that sometimes disobeying was worth the punishment, and that if he was clever, he would never get caught.

They were fairly predictable people, so that year he had started his own tradition. A small feast of the foods he knew they wouldn't miss; a few slices of deli ham, a single piece of bread, and a whole delicious bowl of oatmeal from the can that sat in the cupboard untouched unless Aunt Petunia needed it for a recipe. And for dessert, a small handful of butterscotch chips - another item that had sat forgotten in the cabinet for months after being used for Christmas cookies or something.

He wouldn't risk turning on the lights, as neighbors were nosy and might notice that. But he dared to go into the parlor, and being careful to sit on the floor, since he wasn't allowed on the furniture, he ate by the light of the TV. Thirty minutes before they would return home he cleaned up his small feast, and returned to his cupboard. With a smile on his face and a warm, full stomach, he had fallen asleep before they had pulled into the car park.

Harry wasn't sure what Sirius and Remus had planned, but a small, weird part of him missed the idea of his night to himself… his night of freedom. He was sure they would want to spend the day together, and probably make too big a deal out of it.

And he wasn't exactly wrong, the morning started with both of them bounding in, singing loudly and bearing gifts and a tray laden with breakfast. They sat on his floor while he opened the presents; a set of quidditch practice balls from Sirius, and a few wizarding mystery novels from Remus. They had tried to convince Harry to eat in bed, but he had insisted it was too strange, and opted to take the tray back downstairs to eat at the table with them.

They had kept the rest of the day fairly low key, with the exception of dinner.

"Do we have to go?" Harry had whined, aware he sounded very immature for a boy of fifteen.

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes as he stood in his godson's doorway, waiting for the boy to pick out a shirt to wear. "They're your friends Harry! And they want to celebrate you. I thought you'd be excited to see them!"

Harry shrugged, looking back at his wardrobe. "I am… I just…" He sighed, looking down at his arms, bare except for the bandages wrapped tightly in place.

Sirius seemed to realize his concerns. Harry had gotten used to wearing short sleeves around the house, since they had to clean his cuts daily, it just made things easier. "Your friends don't know about the cutting?"

Harry shook his head "Of course not! They would have told on me!"

Sirius chuckled, "Well, that actually makes me feel a bit better, this whole time I had assumed you'd convinced them to keep it quiet." He walked in and plucked one of Harry's long sleeve shirts from the wardrobe. "Just wear this pup, no one will question it. I know it's scary, so much has changed since you saw them last. But as far as they know, you're living with us because your relatives are miserable human beings. They won't know more than that unless you decide to tell them." He paused as he watched the teen pull off his short sleeves and change into the shirt offered. No matter how many times he saw him shirtless, it would always be a bit of a shock. "One day though, you may decide you want to tell them."

Harry shook his head firmly "I'd rather just forget it all."

The party at the burrow had actually been kind of nice, at first it was hard, being thrown back into his 'old life'. So much had changed since he had seen Ron and Hermione last, he felt like a whole different person. But as the night went on, he relaxed a bit and actually managed to enjoy himself.

When they got home, he headed straight for bed, Remus was sleeping in his room with him that night. Harry pretended to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was certainly tired enough to. But he had something on his mind, something he needed to do.

Once the werewolf's breathing evened, Harry slipped out of bed, and padded silently down stairs to the kitchen. He wasn't really hungry, but that was hardly the point. He nicked his midnight feast, and made his way to the parlor, eating by the TV light.

He was nearly finished when he heard a voice from the darkened doorway. "Is this why you hardly eat during the day? You've just decided to be nocturnal?"

Harry's heart jumped, but it was only Sirius, and as he walked closer to Harry, his face now illuminated by the TV screen, he could see he wasn't mad. "Oh… erm… no, sorry I just…"

Sirius smiled and plopped down next to him on the floor. "It's okay pup, you are welcome to all the food in this house, just no booze… not yet at least." He laughed, then looked down at the remnants of Harry's stolen feast. "You know kid, we have better food…"

Harry chuckled, still feeling a bit on edge, but reminding himself that Sirius wasn't mad. He looked down at the mostly eaten bowl of oatmeal, the bits of chicken, and the apple core. "It's just… a bit of a tradition I guess…" He explained awkwardly.

Sirius looked at him, seeming to search his face. "Okay pup," he said after a moment. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

Harry thought about it for a moment, then shook his head "No, I think I'd actually like the company."

Harry stirred the cauldron in front of him despondently. After his first two weeks visiting Snape, he had been allowed to start helping to make potions. Snape had made a deal with him that as long as he was not self-harming he would be allowed to help. But Snape also trusted him to be honest if he had slipped up. So far though, Harry was doing quite well. He still pinched himself frequently, but he had not cut in three weeks now. And he was starting to open up to Lou a bit more. He refused to talk about the abuse, but they spoke about what was going on in his life now, and how he was feeling. He had even gotten up the courage to tell her about some of his nightmares.

The potion he was making turned from brown to a tepid green color, and so he turned off the flame and started spooning it into small vials to be kept in Snape's store house. It was an anti-infective potion that he kept down here for minor accidents. Half the batch was to be sent up to the hospital wing.

Once Harry had finished with his potion he went to find Snape, who was working on a potion of his own. Harry sat down at the laboratory bench and started picking through the books Snape had left scattered there.

"Find anything that interests you there Harry? You know you are welcome to borrow my books." Snape smiled without looking up from his potion. He had grown fond of Harry over the past few weeks. The boy was extremely bright, and eager to learn.

"I've already read these," Harry said quietly, his voice dripping with boredom.

Snape smiled "Once I finish with this we can go look at the ones in my private collection. I set aside a few I thought might interest you last night."

Harry smiled and turned to watch as Snape worked. After a moment of silence, he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind. "Professor Snape," Severus had tried to get Harry to call him by his first name, but eventually gave up. "What is going to happen when school starts up again in the fall?"

Now Snape risked a glance up at the young teen. Sometimes it was easy to forget Harry was fifteen years old. He talked as though he was an adult, but he had the fears of a child. "What do you mean Harry? Classes will start, your friends will come back…"

Harry shook his head "I mean… with us… Can I still…"

Now Snape smiled and came over to the boy. "Harry, you will always be welcome in my lab. In fact, I have several advanced students who keep small lab areas during the year. I help them to work on private projects and in return they help me with keeping my cupboards stocked and prepping for classes."

Harry smiled "Thank you Professor, I would like that a lot."

Now Snape gave Harry a more uneasy look "I've been meaning to talk to you about school though Harry. I have a question for you, but you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Harry gave a reluctant smile "You want to know why I pretended to be dumb?"

Snape nodded "I know I've been cruel to you, but Harry you are so bright! Even in your written work you could have done so much better. I'm not upset, I was just curious."

Harry shrugged and chewed at his lip a bit. "I don't really know why, well I guess I do a bit. With my… relatives…. I always had to pretend to be dumb, so as not to attract attention to myself. If I looked smarter than Dudley, I got into trouble. I did everything I could to be invisible, even when we went out, even when I was at school. When I was in my first year of primary my teacher thought I was gifted, she wanted to have me tested and put in special classes and stuff. I brought home a letter about it and… and… Uncle Vernon got really mad. He… did things to me, I mean he beat me… but other things too. He said that was all I was good for. And that I must have cheated, that I deserved to be punished. He said if I ever came home with another letter like that again he wouldn't let me go to school anymore. After that I started playing dumb. At first, I played too dumb, and almost got caught. But as I got older I got better at it. My life goal was to pretend I didn't exist."

Harry bit his lip again, tears welling up in his eyes. But he was not going to cry in front of Snape. "That's why it was so hard when I came here. Because no matter what I did I couldn't be invisible. I was terrified, I didn't know anything about this world, and everywhere I went people knew who I was and wanted to talk to me. That's when things started getting really bad. I started having panic attacks and stuff. That's when I started cutting."

Snape sighed and gave Harry a hug, but he felt Harry stiffen, so he drew back. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." He said quickly. "Harry, thank you for telling me all that. I'm sorry your uncle made you feel you had to hide your intelligence. You know that what he said was a lie right? He lied to you because he was afraid that he would get caught. You didn't do anything wrong."

Now Harry couldn't keep the tears back. He leaned forward and let Snape hug him. It was awkward for both of them, each being uncomfortable with physical contact. But when Harry pulled away he felt a bit better. "Thank you Snape," He managed as he wiped his face.

As Snape turned back to his potion he vanished it away, having been ruined while they were talking.

"Oh Snape, I'm sorry… that was my fault. I can stay late and help you fix it!"

Snape shook his head "Harry, you are more important than a potion, I will have time to work on it later. Let's go find some books for you before you need to get home."

As they were looking through the stack of books Snape had set aside for him, Snape dared to broach the subject again. "Harry, when we come back to school… I've been thinking about what we should do about your potions class…"

Harry looked up from the book he had been flipping through. "What do you mean? Won't I take the same one as all the other fifth years?"

Snape chuckled "I think it would be a bit simple for you, don't you? Harry, you're already doing things that my advanced class doesn't do! That book your reading is a text that many adult wizards wouldn't understand! I think the fifth year class would be a waste of your time."

Harry dropped the book and shook his head "What do you want me to do then?"

Snape smiled "Well I told you about the other students that come to work in my lab. I was thinking of organizing a special potions class just for you, and them of course. Right now they just come in their spare time, but we could make it an accelerated program of some sort."

Harry was shaking his head more vigorously now "I don't want to." he said quietly.

Snape looked at him in confusion. "But Harry, you would love it. It would be a smaller class, and you would all be bright. You would actually learn something, be challenged!"

Now Harry was standing, having cast all the books he had been looking at aside. "No!" He practically screamed. "I don't want to be in your special class, or your special club. I hate potions! You can't make me!" Now he was out the door and running for the floo. Snape tried to run after him, but there was no use.

The next day Harry didn't come to the lab. Snape decided to give him some space. But on the fourth day he missed Snape got worried and flooed over to grimmauld place.

Remus was sitting in the living room when he arrived. "Oh Snape, we weren't expecting you. How are you feeling?"

Snape gave him a look. "I'm fine, I am just worried about Harry. He hasn't been by in a few days and he usually owls me if he can't come."

Remus gave him an equally confused look. "Harry told me that you weren't feeling well and would be out of the lab for a few days. What is going on?" Remus moved towards the living room door and called for Harry to come down. "He should be down in a moment; would you like some tea Severus?"

Snape shook his head "I'm alright Remus."

Remus nodded and motioned for them to sit. "Harry seemed upset when he came home from the lab the other day, but I just thought he was upset about missing a few days. He can get so irritable, and he doesn't like change. I should have asked him more about it."

Snape shook his head "It's not your fault Remus, you're doing a wonderful job with him. But you can only help when he tells you what is wrong."

Remus sighed and nodded "thank you Sev, did something happen in the lab the other day?"

Severus sighed "Yes, it was my fault, I should have thought it through more… but I thought he would be excited by it."

"By what?"

"We were talking about the new school year. And we actually had a really great conversation about why he hid his intelligence in the past. That should have been my clue, he doesn't like the attention being bright brings. His uncle… Well Harry survived all those years at home by not calling attention to himself. I was telling him that I wanted to start a new class. I have several gifted students, and I thought it would be nice to have a class just for them. Right now they all attend their normal classes, and then work with me in their spare time. But there are enough of them now that we could have our own class. I thought he would be excited by the idea, maybe even flattered. And I thought it would be good for him to be with peers who are like he is, to be challenged in a classroom setting."

Remus was about to respond in agreement, but Harry came in. He took one look at Snape and started to leave. But Remus stood and caught him at the door. "Harry, come on now, Severus came over here because he is worried about you. And I am too. You love working with him in the lab, why would you lie to us and say he was sick?"

Harry huffed and crossed his arms. "So I wanted a break from all the school work. This is supposed to be my summer holiday, you know."

Remus gave him a warning look "Harry, no one was forcing you to go there, you knew that you could say you didn't want to anymore at any time. Now come in and talk to us. Severus was just telling me about what happened."

Harry shot a panicked look at Snape who shook his head slightly. "I was telling Remus about the special class I wanted to organize." The potions master clarified.

Harry held his gaze for a moment, then walked into the room and plopped down into one of the wingback chairs. "You can't make me take a special class. And if you do, I'll fail on purpose."

Snape sighed "Harry, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have brought it up like that. I should have realized that it was a difficult topic for you. If you are more comfortable staying in the class with your year, that is alright with me. But I want to see your best work, even on things you find easy. And I can't force you to come to the lab in your spare time, but I think you would enjoy it."

Harry didn't meet his gaze, but he nodded stiffly.

Remus looked between them, trying to think of what to say. Finally, he thought of a question that seemed important. "Harry, is it just potions you were pretending in? Or are there other classes where you did poorly on purpose?"

Harry stiffened for a moment, but said nothing.

Remus knew him very well though, and he could read his face. "So, there are other classes, how many? All of them?"

Harry stared at the carpet and shrugged "I don't know… I guess…"

Remus was smirking a bit now. "You may be the spitting image of your father, but you have your mother's temperament."

Now Harry raised his eyes to meet his uncles "You aren't mad then?"

Remus laughed "Mad? That you are smart? No Harry, not at all. And under the circumstances I can understand why you hid it. But circumstances have changed. I don't care if you get good grades Harry, but I never want to hear that you are not trying your best."

Harry smiled a bit, and nodded.

Remus was scratching his chin now. "We should probably get you tested, you know, see where you actually are. Like your levels." Harry gave him a frightened look, so Remus dropped it.

The next few weeks seemed to fly by, Harry returned to the lab with Snape, and everything was going well. It certainly wasn't perfect; Harry wasn't gaining weight as fast as Poppy wanted him to be, they regularly argued about how much he ate, and Harry was still often closed off and moody. But he was slowly improving. He had started to be able to verbalize his problems, such as telling Sirius and Remus when he was having flashbacks or panic attacks, and he had become more open about talking about his feelings. He still generally avoided talking about his past, but every so often he would open up to someone about something.

They were celebrating his first full month clean from cutting (almost two months into the holiday) when Tonks showed up at their door. It wasn't that shocking, she had been spending more time at the house recently. Staying after order meetings, or coming by in the afternoons before them to hang out with Remus. But this time, she looked upset.

Remus quickly ushered her into the living room and firmly shut the door behind them, after mouthing a "Sorry" to Harry.

Harry didn't mind though, he and Sirius cut into his cake, and he begged Sirius to talk about anything other than how proud he was of him. Sirius laughed and finally relented, instead telling Harry stories of his parents.

Remus quietly led Nymphadora to the small couch by the fire and waved his wand at the bare logs. Once the fire was lit and the room heating it up a bit, he turned to the young woman. "What's wrong Nymph? I've never seen you like this."

Tonks took a deep breath and started pacing before the fire. "I have to tell you something, Remus…. And it's going to upset you. But worse, it's going to upset Harry…. I don't know how this could happen. I was so sure it wouldn't…. Smith promised me that it would be easy, no glitches."

Remus stood and took her gently by the shoulders. "Nymph, just tell me what happened."

She nodded, and after another deep breath she started her story. "So, you know how you and Harry came down to the Ministry a couple of weeks ago, so we could take his statement."

"Yes," Remus said nervously.

"Well, I took the statement because my boss thought Harry would be most comfortable with me. But I'm not in charge of the investigation, Smith is. And he told me that this was going to be an easy case. That we only needed Harry's statement as a formality. But I guess That piece of slime was smarter than Smith had thought, and now he's fighting back. He wants a trial Remus…. Harry's uncle, he is saying that Harry is lying. That someone else must have abused him and he only said it was his uncle because he was scared. They are pretending like they are all upset and concerned. They want to get custody of Harry again and everything."

For a moment Remus just sat there in shock. "He can't win though, with the evidence that Poppy has, it doesn't matter what he says."

Tonks shook her head "That evidence only proves that Harry was abused, it doesn't prove who did it."

Remus dropped his head into his hands. "So, could he get away with it? I don't care what happens, I'm not giving Harry back to that monster."

Tonks put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I don't think they could get Harry back, but he could get away with it. Unless…."

Remus looked up at her, a worried look in his eye. "I don't like the way you said that. Unless what?"

Tonks sighed "Smith says that if Harry were to testify, we would have a very good chance of winning the case."

Remus shook his head "No, you saw how hard it was for him to talk to you, let alone a room full of people. And that monster staring him down? I won't allow it."

Tonks sighed "I know it would be hard, but it might be the only way to make that monster pay for what he has done to Harry. We can't force him, and we wouldn't want to. But don't you think it should at least be Harry's choice? If we don't win this case, The Dursley's could sue to get their rights back. They would never win, but they could drag Harry back to court anyway. They could go public, they could make his life very difficult. And besides that, Harry is the one who had to live through that hell… If it's too hard for him, then that's okay. But I know if it were me, I would sleep a lot better with that monster behind bars."