Author's Note: Here's the next chapter for you all. Sylvia and I are already working on the next chapter!
"Harry. Wake up now." Harry mumbled something and rolled over. Were all teenagers this hard to wake up? "Harry. Up." Harry's eyes finally opened, staring at her in their odd unfocused way before he pulled his glasses on.
"Aunt Petunia? Did I wake you?" He asked, reaching up a hand to rub his face.
"No. It's time you were up." Harry nodded and sat up before shaking his head as though to clear it. "Come on now." Petunia thanked whatever powers there were that Harry was still semi-drugged. It made him much easier to deal with. She pulled him to his feet and steered him across the hall to the bathroom. "You need a shower." She said, starting the water. "Come downstairs when you're done." Harry nodded and pulled off his shirt. She couldn't help it; she gasped. He didn't seem to notice. There was proof that he had lost some serious weight, and not just since he had come home from school.
Did those teachers at that infernal school take no notice of their students at all? Didn't someone notice that the boy was not eating? She left the bathroom and went down to the kitchen, where she started making a light breakfast for Harry. No wonder he didn't want to eat normal food. It probably upset his stomach a great deal. Hot cereal this morning, chicken rice soup for lunch, and steamed fish and a jacket potato for dinner. That child would not get through the day without three meals, and maybe even some tea! She dished up some cereal and put it in the microwave oven to keep warm. She heard Harry come down the stairs.
He looked a little more alert now that he had bathed. His hair had gotten a bit longer, making it seem less wild, thank goodness. Harry hovered in the doorway, looking unsure of what he was supposed to do. If this was how a sleeping pill affected him, she would only give him half from that day on. He was far too fuzzy-headed for her liking. "Come sit down, Harry." Harry did as he was told and sat at the table, resting his head on a hand. She pulled out the cereal and put it in front of him. He made a face.
"I'm really not hungry, Aunt Petunia. Thank you for the thought." He said. She raised an eyebrow. Harry gaped at her for a moment.
"What was that look for?" She asked, truly interested. Harry shrugged.
"Nothing. You just looked like one of my professors for a second." He almost flinched, waiting to be berated for referring to his school. Petunia smirked a bit.
"Which one?" Harry looked up again before answering.
"Professor Snape, my Potions teacher. He likes his eyebrows, the overgrown bat." Petunia hid a laugh before returning to her ingredients. She heard Harry start to get up.
"You're not to move from that chair until you've eaten at least half of that, young man." She could almost feel the child freeze, gape, and then looked defeated as he sat back down. So many years of observing him had paid off. Harry picked up the spoon and started. Petunia smiled to herself and started on the cheesecake.
Soon after Harry had managed to eat half of his cereal, Petunia suggested he bring down some of his homework to the kitchen to work on. She didn't want to let him out of her sight for very long. He shrugged, saying that he didn't feel ready to start on it yet. Petunia didn't want to push it. "Have you written your letter to your friends?" Harry looked up and knew what she was talking about.
"I'll do it later." She only nodded and allowed him to continue sitting there. He seemed perfectly content to do so and he was in her sight. Nothing could have suited her better at that moment. "What are you making?" He asked after about an hour of silence.
"A cheesecake and some sandwiches for tea this afternoon. My friend Ophelia and her husband Ryan are coming over." Harry nodded and asked if he could help. "Are you feeling up to it?" She asked, eyeing him.
"I slept pretty well last night." He admitted. She motioned him over and showed him what to do with the vegetable tray. He worked in silence and she bubbled inside. He was at least willing to interact with her. He finished and then looked for direction.
"Into the refrigerator." She motioned. He picked it up and slid it inside. She heard the slot in the door open. "Could you get the mail?" Harry nodded and wandered out. When he didn't come back in five minutes, she went to check on him and found him sitting on the stairs, some letters in his lap, with one clutched in his hand. "Harry?" She lightly touched him on the arm. That seemed to break him out of it. "What is it?" He handed her the letter. She took it and stared down at the bright green ink.
Dear Harry,
I hope this letter finds you well and that you are comfortable for the moment. I
am sorry that I had to send this the Muggle way, but it had less chance of being
intercepted. We will be bringing you to Headquarters within the next two weeks.
Our informants have told us that Voldemort is actively pursuing you, and he has
less chance of finding you here than there. I'm sure the Dursleys will be thrilled.
Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley will also be here, as most of the Order, so you
will not want for companionship. Give my regards to your family.
Yours,
Albus Dumbledore
"I destroy his office and he acts like nothing happened!" Harry burst out. "He's ordering my life again!" Petunia noticed that this was more words put together at once than he had attempted all summer. "He'll probably do it on my birthday as some kind of twisted present." At that, he fell silent, fuming and raging at Dumbledore only inside his head.
"Who says you're going?" Petunia asked. Harry blinked and looked up.
"What?" He asked. A little slow on the uptake, today. Definitely only half a sleeping pill in the future.
"Who says you're going? I'm still your guardian, and he can't fight the law." Harry smirked at her, looking far too old for his years.
"Dumbledore is above the law. Didn't you know that?" Petunia frowned.
"If that man, or anyone connected to him, so much as lays a finger on this house without my permission, he or she will find out exactly why it is not wise to tamper with Petunia Dursley." Harry sat back a little. Where in the world had that come from? Neglect and dislike for years, and now this? He shook his head, wondering if he were dreaming.
"May I go lay down? I'm not feeling so hot all of a sudden." Petunia nodded and pointed towards the living room. Harry didn't care where, so long as he was horizontal. He found the sofa, which had become a trusted friend in the weeks he had been home, and curled up. Perhaps the world would make a little more sense after some sleep.
She woke Harry for lunch, and allowed him to go back to sleep until tea time. She managed to run a comb through his hair while he was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Perhaps we should let your hair grow out a little. It's less wild this way." Harry only nodded, not really agreeing with her, but just doing something automatically in answer, the way he had done in his last days at Hogwarts before summer break. She frowned a bit and had him help carry in the tea tray and plates. "Stay here for tea. You need to be awake for a while, or you won't sleep tonight." Harry nodded again and took a seat in a chair. She ran to the door when the doorbell sounded.
"Pet, darling, it's been too long!" Ophelia gasped from the doorway. Her husband rolled his eyes at his wife's antics.
"It was only yesterday!" Petunia assured her, returning her hug.
"Exactly! It was too long!" Petunia shook her head and shook Ryan's hand as Ophelia let go of her. "Ryan, you remember Petunia?" She asked.
"I think I do. You only mention her every other minute or so." He returned, causing a playful slap from his wife. Petunia smiled and gestured towards the living room. "Your nephew in there?" Ryan asked in a whisper. Petunia nodded and Ryan went in with a smile on his face.
"Oh, my goodness, Ryan! How he's grown!" Petunia heard as she followed the couple into the living room. Harry looked stunned for a minute before jumping to his feet and offering his hand. "I can't believe that this is that little mite who used to run all over the neighborhood!" Harry thought about telling her why he had run all over the neighborhood, but restrained himself.
"Calm down, Lia! Don't startle the kid too much!" Ryan gave him an easy-going smile and introduced himself. "Sorry about my wife, Harry, but she can be a little enthusiastic sometimes. I doubt you remember us at all." Harry sat back down.
"I remember you. You live just the next street over, in a white house with hedges." He had used those hedges to hide many times, and the couple never seemed to mind. Petunia dished out and the adults started talking, while Harry nursed his cup of tea, hoping that Aunt Petunia's glare meant that he only had to drink some of it, and not all of it. His stomach was too full for anything else. Merlin, he hoped she wouldn't expect him to eat anything! He'd never manage!
"Harry?" He looked up, expecting to see Aunt Petunia offering something to eat. "Why don't you go lie down upstairs? You are looking a little off." Harry nodded, grateful for being banished to his room. Being horizontal again sounded like an important idea just at that moment. Petunia waited until she heard the door shut. "Give him twenty minutes to half an hour, and he'll have a nightmare." She said. Ryan nodded and took out a notebook, following Ophelia and Petunia into the kitchen.
"Perhaps you can answer some questions for me?" Petunia nodded. "How long has he been acting this way?"
"Three weeks. Ever since he came home from school." Ryan nodded and wrote that down. What followed was a fifteen minute session of questioning.
"Now, how did he act at school, specifically in the last few weeks of school, since his godfather's death?" Petunia was at a loss. She had no idea. "What about one of his classmates?" Ryan suggested. Petunia thought of the only one who would have a telephone.
"If you would excuse me, I might be able to call someone that would know. I think I have her number." Petunia flipped through the address book and found the Granger's number. She was sure that the girl would be willing to talk to her. She dialed and waited until someone picked up. "May I speak to Hermione Granger, please?" She asked.
"This is she." A puzzled voice said on the other end.
"Miss Granger, this is Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt." A slight gasp was heard, but she ignored it. "I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me? About Harry?" Hermione blinked. The Twilight Zone had come and swallowed her. There was no other explanation.
"Of course, Mrs. Dursley." The questions asked were amazing, from what his sleeping habits had been like in those last few weeks, to how much he ate at each meal, to which teacher he trusted the most, and which one always had his interests at heart. Hermione answered truthfully, wondering where all this was leading. Petunia seemed to pause after each one, as though relaying the information.
"Thank you, Miss Granger. You've been very helpful." Petunia said, preparing to hang up with the girl.
"Mrs. Dursley, this is to help Harry, right?" Petunia paused. "I know that he isn't handling anything well, and it seemed like I was the only one who noticed that Harry was hurting. You are going to help Harry?" Petunia sighed silently.
"Yes, Miss Granger, I am. Please, do not mention this conversation, or what you know, to anyone. I don't want Professor Dumbledore to find out. Harry seems a bit upset with him, and I don't want that man around him right now." Hermione gave out a sharp laugh.
"I understand completely, Mrs. Dursley. Please call me Hermione. And, if I may take the liberty, Professor Snape, for all of his apparent animosity towards Harry, seems intent on making sure that Harry survives to his twenties, at the least. If you need a professor in on this who won't give the secret away, trust him. Just don't tell him I told you! He'd fail me!" Petunia assured the girl that her secret would never be told, thanked her again, and hung up. Ryan was standing there, looking very grave. He opened his mouth to say something, but it died when a scream came from upstairs. Petunia ran up the stairs, followed closely by Ryan and Ophelia.
"Sirius!" Petunia slapped the door open and went to her nephew, trying to shake him awake. "Sirius!" Harry continued to thrash until Petunia pulled him into her arms. He calmed a little and mumbled something before falling back asleep.
She motioned Ophelia and Ryan out of the room and back downstairs. "That was one of his calmer ones." She told them.
"What did he mumble before falling asleep?" Ophelia asked.
"'All my fault.'" Petunia answered. Ryan tossed his pen on the table and scowled.
"No one at his school noticed this behavior?" He demanded. "No one at all?" Petunia shook her head sadly.
"Both of his parents went to that school. The teachers view Harry in the light of his parents, and not as Harry." Petunia figured that that was as close to the truth that she would allow herself.
"Well, that dream of his clenches my decision. I demand that the child seek immediate, and hopefully, around the clock help. I won't lie, Petunia. You are close to losing that child. Another week or two of this, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him suicidal, if he isn't already." Petunia noticed that when Ryan was angry, he looked very much like an animal on the prowl. She wondered what would happen if she introduced him to Professor Dumbledore and Voldemort. She had a feeling that Ryan would be the only one left.
"I doubt Vernon would be willing to pay..." Ryan cut her off and pulled out a pamphlet.
"This is a new facility. I just received information about this place late last week. I thought of it when Ophelia told me about Harry last night. It's run by a board of very wealthy, very philanthropic, trustees. It's set up like a boarding school, so there are lessons for the kids, the teachers, support staff, even the cooks, know a thing or two about helping kids with problems. It's structured so that the student is able to determine their own speed. They get classes in early morning, one-on-one therapy after classes, and after lunch is another round of classes, and then a group therapy session. The evening is reserved for all types of clubs. I highly suggest you enroll Harry immediately, this afternoon, if possible." Ryan told her. Petunia looked through the brochure.
"Is there a catch?" She asked. Ryan shrugged before taking out a small pad and scribbling on it.
"Only one. A doctor must prescribe the place." He tore off a sheet and Petunia saw that it was a sheet from a prescription pad. "Please, Petunia. Do this for him." Ryan pleaded.
"He'll be there tomorrow." She answered. Ryan gave a deep sigh and almost got on her knees to thank her.
Petunia read through the pamphlet and saw that the school provided everything for new students, even uniforms. The only thing required of families were visits to the students, at least one every two weeks, and meeting with teachers and doctors during those visits. She felt that she could handle that. She made a mental note to remind Harry to write his letter so that his friends wouldn't bang on the door the next day and started dinner. First thing in the morning, she and Harry would start off for St. Jude's Academy.
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