Author's Note: And moving right along!
Harry twitched his robe out of his way as he sat down between Hermione and Neville. He nodded to the boy and smiled at Hermione. It was his first day in classes here at Hogwarts, and his true friends, not the Protectors, had not allowed anyone to get closer to him than the people who surrounded him. The PPs took their jobs seriously, and instead of feeling suffocated, he felt protected from the rest of the world. It was comforting in a way, almost the same way he felt when Sensei and Rick had protected him.
It was strange, being back at Hogwarts. Nothing felt right. He felt out of place. Dinner had been odd the night before as the entire Gryffindor table and most of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had swarmed around him. He had backed up a bit and the PPs had surrounded him. The Protectors had gathered around, as well, until Mad-Eye Moody had shouted something nearly unintelligible at them, and they scattered back to their table. Harry sat down between Hermione and Ginny, ignoring Dumbledore's attempts to catch his eye. The food was ample, as always, but Harry really wished for spaghetti and meatballs with the accompanying breadsticks. He had no appetite at all. He forced several bites down and chased it with pumpkin juice, grimacing at the flavor. Had it always been this sweet, or had Harry just grown out of it? He had ignored the goblet of juice after that and drank water instead.
He avoided Dumbledore and disappeared along with Hermione and Ginny to Gryffindor tower. Some haggling with Dobby delivered his bed, which was missing from the dorm, along with some uniforms, pajamas, toiletries, and everything else he would need for a few days. Zen had claimed a spot in Harry's bed to stay warm and had talked to Harry until he had fallen asleep.
Harry had woken early and spent an hour in the Room of Requirement stretching and running before going back to Gryffindor tower to plan his strategy of "how avoid Dumbledore" for the day. He had narrowly escaped being discovered by a group of actual Protectors wearing strange outfits like one Harry had found included among his provided things. Harry was not going to give Dumbledore the satisfaction of shoving Harry into any lessons he didn't want. There was no way Harry was going to be a Protector. No way.
Harry broke out of his thoughts as the door opened, and Professor Zareh entered the room. Harry had reserved judgment about this professor until he saw the man in action. His record with Defense teachers had not been the best, and, except for Sensei, all of them had tried to harm Harry, either willingly or unwillingly. He couldn't, however, blame Remus for his actions in third year.
"Good morning, class." Professor Zareh set his books on the desk and looked about the room. "We are going to have a guest speaker today, but I'm afraid that he has not arrived yet." Zareh told them. "Is everyone here?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." The class chanted as one.
"Even Harry Potter!" Ron's voice rang out from the back of the room, where he was sitting with several Protectors. Harry had steered clear of Ron so far, putting off the inevitable confrontation. He knew Ron was a little brainwashed by all of that Protector nonsense, having heard first hand accounts from Ginny about how "important" Ron was now, especially since he was the "Boy Who Lived Expert". Harry turned his attention back towards the professor to see his reaction.
Professor Zareh arched an eyebrow and nodded. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Weasley. I am well aware that I have a new student today. Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Potter." He said as he turned to Harry. "I'm interested to see which of the stories about your defense skills are true," he told the boy.
"I'm sure you have access to my file, sir." Harry answered. "Don't trust anything Professor Umbridge said, and you'll be fine." Harry told him with a shrug.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Zareh nodded and turned to the class. "Class, I do believe that our guest speaker has arrived." The entire class looked around, obviously searching for their guest speaker. Harry looked up and was shocked to see a man sitting on one of the rafters directly above him. The man smirked at Harry and held out a hand as though to say 'this is a defense class?' Harry smiled. He liked the man already, whoever he was.
"Professor, there is no one here!" Seamus Finnegan called out from his seat. Harry cringed. Had they learned nothing at all? One should always look up! Harry watched as the man shook with silent laughter, and Harry's smile widened. Was he the only one who could see this visitor?
"Are you sure about that, Mr. Finnegan?" Professor Zareh asked, one of his eyes twitching at the corner. Harry knew that this Professor was well aware of the location of his guest speaker, and that he was greatly amused as well.
"Yes, Professor." Seamus answered.
"I suggest you all keep looking." Zareh said, amused by his students to no end. Did none of them know when to look up? His eyes scanned his class, and he noticed Harry Potter staring at the man in the rafters with amusement written on his features. Well, well. Five points to Gryffindor.
"Come now, William!" The man's voice rang out in the classroom. "The children cannot possibly be this bad!" He stood from his seat and crouched on the rafter. "You only have one who could find me!" He pointed down to Harry. The entire class shifted their eyes up and stared.
"Alright, Khalid, you've had your fun. Get down here and introduce yourself properly before my students run away." Zareh was surprised to hear the Potter boy snort, as though entertained by the thought of students running away.
"You ruin my fun, William." The man jumped from the rafter and landed directly behind Harry. Harry twisted on the bench and looked at the man. He was surprised to find that the man had green eyes and black hair like him, but nothing like his own. He was pale beneath his olive skin and a smile played about his lips as though he knew why Harry was amused and found his own amusement in Harry's mirth. "There is always hope, I suppose." The strange man identified as Khalid said as he moved towards the front of the room and away from Harry.
"Class, this is my good friend, Khalid Haven, to be addressed as Mr. Haven unless he tells you otherwise." Zareh paused for his friend's snort. "Five points to anyone who can tell me why Mr. Haven is here today." Zareh said with a smile. No one in his class moved. "Someone must know." He moved his eyes to Hermione, who only shrugged with a wide-eyed look. "Anyone?"
"And hope is crushed underfoot." Haven muttered under his breath. Zareh shot him a glare. "I think, William that one of your students knows." He said, pointing to Harry with a finger.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Zareh hoped that at least one student could tell him.
"I am not sure, sir, but are we going to learn about vampires today?" Harry said, having an odd feeling that he was right. There had been something…off about Khalid Haven.
"Five points to Gryffindor!" Zareh said with a smile. He could continue to hold to his thought that his students were smarter than they displayed during class. "What tipped you off?"
"Er, I'm not sure." Harry hedged. He knew what tipped him off, but he wasn't about to announce to the class that his wandless magic had flared around him in protective waves due to the vampire's appearance. "He was not in the room when we entered, but he managed to appear silently during the first few minutes." Harry stopped and tried to come up with another reason. "He felt cold when he was standing behind me, and I know of only two creatures that do something like that. I do not feel the need for chocolate and he's not sucking out my soul, so I think it is safe to say he's not a dementor." The class had many DA members in it, and they all let out a chuckle at Harry's statement. His reaction to dementors was well known among them, and he often joked about it to take away focus from his infirmity. Laughter was the best medicine in the strangest ways.
Harry tilted his head to the side as the vampire rattled off something in a language that he did not recognize. He was even more surprised to hear Zareh answer in that language. Interesting. More importantly, could they teach him that language? It was beautiful, and it called to him in the same way that Bleys' original language did.
"Yes, Mr. Potter. You are quite right. Khalid is indeed a vampire, and two of the traits are silent movement and a feeling of cold when a person is near to them. Can anyone else tell me something else that will identify a vampire? Yes, Miss Bones?"
"Vampires are unable to be in direct sun." She said, and then frowned. "He is, though, so he can't be a real vampire." She said with a sigh.
Zareh turned to Khalid and raised an eyebrow for an explanation. The vampire smiled and bared his fangs. "Wonderful invention, sun block. It enables me to feel the sun for about fifteen minutes or so." He shrugged as though to say "what can you do?'
"I assure you, Miss Bones, that Mr. Haven is indeed a real vampire." Zareh told her with a smile for his friend. "Anything else?"
Harry allowed himself to fall into his familiar pattern in taking notes, upset that he had already read this chapter in his text (never allow Hermione Granger to send you homework assignments; you would be ahead by at least a week). He scratched down the latest fact about vampires (fangs) and had to smile to himself. Bug would put his thoughts very articulately: "duh!" His quill slowed, and he felt eyes on him. He blinked and looked up to find the vampire looking at him.
It wasn't a creepy kind of look. No where near the level at which Harry felt creeped out. No, this was different. Khalid Haven's head was tilted just a bit to his left as though he heard something the rest of the room did not, and he carried a smile just about the corners of his lips. Those lips twitched as he discovered Harry looking back at him. The two locked eyes for a moment, and Khalid's smile grew wider before he blinked and looked at the next interrogator.
Harry studied his notes and decided that the vampire meant no harm at his point, or, if he did, he would wait to attack later. Harry heard laughter inside his head as he finished that thought. How can I attack one who has already died? Harry dropped his quill, cursed under his breath at the mess, and pulled out his wand to get rid of it. What was that?
Another gift. Harmless, I assure you. Harry stopped and stared at the vampire. You are very observant.
Harry decided to ignore the voice in his head. After all, hearing voices, even in the wizarding world, was never a good sign. He heard laughter in his head. Looks, brains, and a sense of humor! Harry was not crazy. He was not! Not crazy, no. Why did these things happen to him? These things happen to you because you are so special, lightening child. Why does everyone keep calling me that? We call you that because it is who you are.
Harry had enough of the voice and threw up his Occlumency shields to the third level. The voice seemed to pout at being denied access but left him alone. Harry maintained his shields throughout the rest of the lesson and ignored everyone around him in favor of going over his Dracula lines in his head. He had only mastered the first part or so, but he wanted to be ready when he returned to St. Jude's. The rehearsals were not set to start for another two months, but he wanted to be ready to start when he returned.
"Alright, class. I want a roll of parchment on what you learned today, as well as a list of questions, anonymous questions, mind you, of what you were too afraid to ask today." Harry gathered up his parchment and quills (he would never like quills again after having gel pens) from his desk and placed them in his book bag next to his journal. He smiled at Hermione's enthusiasm over the assignment and started following her out. "Mr. Potter, please stay behind." Harry froze as Hermione stopped at the door. Stay behind? "You've done nothing wrong. Do not worry." Hermione looked at Harry, gauging what the danger level was.
"You can go ahead, Hermione. I'll meet you at the next class or back at the Tower. Whichever comes first." He said with a shrug. Hermione nodded and put her hand in her bag as she left. Harry knew what that meant. Help was only a scratch away in the Mini Messenger. She would be camped down the hallway.
"I am very impressed with your performance today, Mr. Potter." Zareh told Harry.
"Thank you, sir." Harry said, shuffling his feet. "I had a lot of time to read." He said as a means of explaining his knowledge.
"Hmm, yes." The vampire said with a smile. "That does not explain a few things I find curious." Khalid said with a smile. "Your Occlumency shields, for instance." It was a sign of how surprised Zareh was that he dropped his wand. "Or your impressive control. The scent of death just beneath the surface." The vampire said as he practically hugged Harry. "It's intoxicating." He said as he breathed deeply, obviously tasting Harry's scent.
Harry jumped as he felt a warm snake body start wrapping around his wrist. He stared down at Zen. "Back off, bloodsucker! This is my human! Mine, mine, MINE!" Zen challenged the vampire with a hiss. The vampire looked down at the tiny snake in delight and crooned at it. Harry rolled his eyes as Zen kept up the verbal abuse towards Khalid and pulled Zen from his wrist to put him back into the specially warmed pocket of his satchel. "I'm the Champion!" Zen hissed from his home.
"I'm sure you'll forgive me if I don't thank you for that as a compliment." Harry said as he backed away a pace. He hated being close to others! Loathed it. The vampire's lips twitched as he took two large steps back from Harry and gave the boy a smile.
"Occlumency?" Zareh gasped out. "You know Occlumency?"
"Yes, sir." Harry answered. He tapped his forehead. "It's a useful tool when the Dark Lord has a link to your head." Harry said with a rueful smile.
"So, you're the one I was supposed to teach!" Zareh said as though he just made the connection. He jerked for a second before turning to look at the vampire. "Really?" He asked his friend, almost curious. "Odd."
"What's odd?" Harry could not resist asking. He knew that life was too good to be true, and he would be normal.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. Khalid was just telling me that your shields are strong enough to lock him out of your thoughts." Zareh explained to Harry.
"So I'm not going crazy." Harry said. "Good."
The vampire found this amusing and threw his head back to laugh. Harry chuckled a little bit as he realized that the man was really amused and the laughter was not mocking. "Oh, no, Harry Potter. You are not crazy, no crazier than I."
"Should I be worried, sir?" Harry asked his teacher. This question led to more laughter from both men.
"Oh, William. You never told me that your students could be so entertaining." Khalid said with a lot of mirth still present in his voice.
"This is the first time I have had the privilege of meeting Mr. Potter. He was away at another school until recently." He explained to his friend. "I would love to continue this over lunch in my office, Mr. Potter, if you have time right now." Harry knew that he was free until two o'clock that afternoon. Dumbledore did suggest that Harry get to know the defense teacher. Harry knew that his headmaster felt that a love for the subject would lead to a bonding moment for the two of them, as Remus had told him some time ago. Harry was also curious about this vampire who seemed to become more cheerful each second Harry stood there deliberating over the idea of lunch with a teacher and a vampire.
"He shall have to tell his little friend in the hallway that he will be here for quite some time." Khalid said with a smirk. Harry gave a sheepish smile and nodded.
"I'd be glad to stay, sir. I'll just go and tell my, um, friend that I'm staying." Harry put his satchel on a nearby desk and went to the door. He poked his head out. Hermione dashed down the hall and looked him over.
"You're still alive." She said calmly. "Good." She said it so matter of a fact that Harry had to laugh. "What's going on?" She asked him.
"Professor Zareh has invited me to lunch." Harry told her. Hermione's eyes went wide as she studied Harry. "Don't worry. No spells have been cast." He promised her. "I'll see you in Transfiguration, alright?" He asked her.
"I'll meet you here. We can walk together." She told him. She gave him a quick hug around his neck and then disappeared.
"Your friend loves you." Khalid said from directly behind him. Harry turned and found himself nose to nose with the vampire.
"You enjoy sneaking up on mortals, don't you?" Harry asked as he inched along the wall and took a few steps away from the vampire.
"The sense of their panic is always comical." Khalid said with a smirk. He tongued one of his fangs and offered Harry a smile. "You, of course, are not panicked at the sight of a vampire. Just the idea of someone that close to you." Khalid winced as Harry's Occlumency shields locked down firmly on Harry's thoughts. "No need for that." Khalid said as he rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. "That conclusion was from observances only, and not by digging through your mind." Khalid relaxed as Harry relaxed his own shields. "Thank you, Mr. Potter."
"I've missed something." Professor Zareh said from his desk where he was closing his case. "No matter. Lunch, gentlemen?" He opened the door to his office and gestured for Harry and Khalid to enter. Harry allowed the vampire to go first, but the professor refused to enter. Harry followed the vampire and his magic tightened around him. No one and nothing could harm him now. At least, not through magical means. Physical means, well, Harry would have a few seconds warning. Khalid shot him an amused look and languorously settled in an armchair in front of the fireplace.
"Sit where you like, Mr. Potter." Professor Zareh said with a wave. "Make yourself at home." Harry nodded and looked around for a chair.
"What my dear friend means, is: 'Relax. No one here is going to try to kill you.'" The vampire said from his chair. He waved his hand and a goblet appeared at his elbow.
"Er, yes." Zareh said, looking a little uncomfortable. "Did you really think that, Mr. Potter?" Zareh said as he took his own chair. "Did you think that I meant to harm you?"
"I've not had the best track record here at Hogwarts. My third year is the only year where the Defense teacher did not consciously try to harm me in some way." Harry told him. "I have learned to be cautious."
"Paranoid." The vampire commented.
"That, too." Harry agreed. "It's saved my life." Harry looked from one to the other and sighed. This was an uncomfortable situation. He did not know these people and in fact could not pin down a reason as to why he had agreed to it in the first place. "Perhaps this was a bad idea." He said as he shouldered his bag. "Thank you for the invitation, sir, but perhaps another time?" Harry moved to the door and opened it. He vaguely heard Zareh calling him back but increased his pace until he was safely in the hallway. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up a front.
Okay, it was starting to get to him. Dumbledore cornered him at different times during the day to 'check in with him'. Harry knew that the other professors, especially McGonagall and Zareh, had been asked to watch him. He wasn't allowed outside at all, even on the stairs. He would feel sick if he tried to leave the castle. The further the distance, the worse he became. He even started losing his vision at one point. He had crawled back to the school and trembled in a dusty corner for a few minutes before regaining his ability to stand. Dumbledore had missed him there and for good reason. Harry loved invisibility charms.
His eating had declined. It was a trial now, to sit at the Protectors' table (Dumbledore had ordered him to sit there at every meal without fail) and pretend to be cheerful and interested in the exploits of Aurors from the past. He listened with half an ear as he recited Dracula lines in his head. Water did not seem to exist at the table of the Protectors. They wanted pumpkin juice and butterbeer at every meal and the headmaster indulged them. His only consolation was the fact that Neville was at the Protectors' table. Harry claimed him as eating buddy from his first meal and fought to sit next to him, easily ignoring the person on his other side.
Sleeping wasn't so great, either. The bed felt like it was smothering him with its many hangings and pillows. He had trouble finding a comfortable spot and then staying asleep once he reached that state. A shift from one of his roommates woke him. He knew that there was no real reason to be paranoid while sleeping, but he'd had more than one dream about Dumbledore doing something to him while he was asleep. He didn't trust the dormitory to be safe, even with concrete proof of Dumbledore not being there. It never hurt anyone to be cautious. Add his worry about Voldemort calling him for a lesson, and his sleeping patterns were completely out of his control. He could snatch odd moments of sleep while he was in the library with Hermione and Drake or during free periods, but it was not equal to the amount he lost every night.
Harry had also found himself joining the others in their morning workouts...at Dumbledore's insistence, of course. It was ludicrously easy compared to a Sensei workout. A few spell castings, a few laps around the room, and ending with a history or strategy lesson. He hesitated to figure out his exact feelings about the lessons, but the word 'pathetic' hovered on his lips when asked what he thought of them. DA had been a little harder than these lessons. These were to protect the entire school? Neville agreed with him, but "Dumbledore himself planned the lessons with Moody" and nothing else could be said about them.
Sensei would kill him. He knew Sensei would like nothing more than to close his hands around Harry's throat and choke the life out of him for not taking care of himself like he should. Harry couldn't help it. He couldn't help that he had no appetite that potions couldn't help, or that he was too scared to get a full night's sleep. Yes, he was scared. Absolutely terrified. He just wanted to go home or back to St. Jude's. It wasn't possible. He had cornered Draco in the hallway and demanded every last bit of information about the magical guardianship. Drake told him everything again and Harry found out one thing that greatly disturbed him.
He had no real rights. The ritual would take over no matter how he fought it. He couldn't break it. He couldn't change it, even with his own magic. The ritual would last until he was of age or taken over by some outside force. As long as he was the 'child' in the ritual, he would be unable to do anything. The ritual was done to protect both him and his magic. His body would shut down if he used too much. He'd just pass out and Dumbledore would be the one to wake him up. He wouldn't be able to wake up without Dumbledore's magic. Albus Dumbledore had complete control of him and his magic. It wasn't fair.
Remus had spoken with Harry's lawyers about the ritual and sent a message to Harry via the Mini-Messengers. The news was not as Harry had hoped. They actually managed to agree on something: the ritual was completely binding, whether Harry's magic was out of control or not. Both lawyers had lodged complaints with the Minister of Magic on Harry's behalf, but Fudge was unwilling to listen. Dumbledore had told him that Harry's magic had caused Harry's heart to stop and that was all the excuse Fudge had needed to allow Dumbledore take complete control. Okay, so they had evidence, but that didn't mean they had the right!
Harry tossed his gold "Protector" pin into his borrowed trunk and sneered to himself. If he had one more first year walk up to him and ask how he was going to defeat Voldemort… "Harry, my boy." Dumbledore's voice said a moment after Harry's magic warned him. "Are you busy?"
"I have a bit of homework…" Harry said slowly.
"Never mind that. I'll let the professors know you were with me." Dumbledore said, motioning Harry closer to him. "Where is your badge?" Dumbledore asked in a worried voice.
"It's in my trunk." Harry said. What are you playing at, Headmaster? Harry thought to himself
"Get it on, dear boy. You must always remember to wear it." Harry returned to the trunk and retrieved the badge, attaching it to the front of his robes, feeling a little heavier with its weight. "Come along, Harry. We have much to do." Dumbledore said as he led Harry from the Protectors' dorm.
"What are we doing, sir?" Harry asked as he loosened his tie.
"Just a small meeting." Dumbledore answered absently. Oh, it must be that meeting with the professors he mentioned yesterday. Harry followed him, wondering when he could go to bed. He was exhausted. He frowned when he realized that they were outside the Great Hall. This isn't right. "Okay, Harry?" Dumbledore said as he turned towards Harry. He reached out and fixed Harry's tie. "Just stay close to me and you'll be fine, my boy." Dumbledore's wand removed non-existent wrinkles from Harry's robes and Dumbledore smiled at Harry.
"Yes, sir." Harry wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen. What kind of meeting was this going to be? Dumbledore flicked his wand towards the doors and they opened.
Harry nearly bolted. The Great Hall was filled with far too many people for Harry's comfort. "Go on, Harry." Dumbledore said, nudging him in the shoulder. Harry took a deep breath and tried to talk himself into thinking this was nothing more than a performance. He drew himself up and felt himself shift into Edmund. He strode forward and saw Dumbledore motion towards the head table. Harry nodded and started that way, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, let me introduce you to the Minister of France, Laurent Devereaux. Minister, this is Harry Potter."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Potter." The minister said as he extended his hand. Harry nodded and shook the minister's hand.
"Likewise, Minister." Harry said before Dumbledore ushered him along what appeared to be a receiving line. You have got to be pulling my leg. I'm being bandied about like some sort of celebrity. Er…never mind. Harry met far too many people to keep them straight. Note to self: Get tape recorder when learning peoples' names. What followed was an almost twenty minute ordeal of being introduced to various 'important people'. He ignored his ire at Dumbledore and acted like a gentleman, but he wanted nothing more than to run out of the Great Hall and leave Hogwarts altogether. The introductions finally ended when they reached the head table, but Dumbledore did promise more later. Oh, joy.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming on such short notice. As many of you can see, Harry has finally come home." Scattered applause flew around the hall. Yeah, I was kidnapped and am now being held against my will. "Don't worry if you haven't met him yet. There will be plenty of time after the meeting." Dumbledore motioned for Moody to step forward, where the paranoid Auror began a presentation of what they knew about Voldemort's latest activities. Harry had to practice a calming exercise to keep from laughing. Their information was horribly out of date. Harry glanced over at Zareh and wondered what the man was telling the Order to have such horrible information. Even Harry was better informed than this lot…of course, that could be due to Voldemort's belief that Harry was slowly turning dark.
"I see that grin." Harry heard Remus whisper behind him.
Harry turned and smiled at Remus. "Hello, Remus." He whispered back.
"We'll talk after." Remus told him as he sat back in his chair. Harry nodded and returned his attention to the Bulgarian Minister, who had a fascinating report about Dark Magic in general. Someone save me. This feels like story circle from primary.
Harry zoned out during the lecture and recited his lines for Dracula in his head. "Ah, listen to them…children of the night…what music they make!" Harry could not understand why Dracula liked or did half the things he did. He wasn't 'becoming' Dracula like he had with Edmund. "I never drink…wine." Yes, but why? Why did Dracula phrase things that way? Harry frowned. He couldn't understand his part. He hated to admit it, but he needed Bevie.
"Harry, my boy?" Dumbledore said in a quiet voice. "Are you well?"
"Yes, Headmaster. Just tired." Harry told him with a small smile. Grin and ignore it, Harry. Just grin and ignore it. You'll get out of here…eventually. Harry didn't have a chance to talk to Remus after the meeting, or anyone else he knew. He was led and pushed from one group to another without a chance for protest. They were all oh so pleased to meet him. He wanted to vomit. They were pleased to meet the Boy Who Lived. No one could care a bit about 'Harry'. One more offer, just one more offer of a job of Quidditch, law enforcement, teaching, or writing and I might just show everyone why Dumbledore bound me to him…to control my magic.
Harry finally had enough and pulled away from the latest person. "I'm sorry. I still have homework." He said with an embarrassed laugh. He dodged away from Dumbledore's hands and fled from the Great Hall. He felt the bond start to activate and ignored it while he ran up the stairs. You can pass out in bed. He pushed himself to the second story and snarled as his stomach rebelled. You want to play it that way, Dumbledore? Harry smirked and changed his course to the Hospital Wing. He had a feeling that the nurse didn't know about the bond and would treat the symptoms. That would give Harry some peace from the meddling old coot for a little while.
Harry certainly felt ill by the time he forced himself through the doors of Madame Pomfrey's domain. He retched, but nothing came up. "Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey asked in concern. "What's wrong?" She drew out her wand and levitated Harry to a bed. He tried to straighten out and relax, but found himself needing to curl around his rebelling stomach. "You don't feel well at all, do you?" She asked as she conjured a basin. Harry could only shake his head as she went over to the potions' cabinet. He wondered how much good the potions would do in his state. He decided he would chance it. He didn't think Dumbledore would argue with Madame Pomfrey about her actions. She certainly didn't know about the bond. She would have said something about it.
Harry released the basin and allowed her to transfigure his uniform into pajamas. "There we are." She said in a kind voice that reminded Harry of Aunt Petunia. An unfamiliar lump raised in his throat. Was this…homesickness? "Take this one." She said as she passed a vial to him. Harry swallowed it and felt the nausea decrease to a manageable level. "This to reduce your fever." She said. Harry took it from her hand and nearly dropped it in shock when she reached out and smoothed back his hair. Harry swallowed hard, trying to ignore the persistent lump that made it hard to breathe. "Go on. Take it." Pomfrey said kindly. Harry did as he was told and then covered his face with his hands to calm himself. "Mr. Potter? Harry? What is it?" Pomfrey demanded. "What's the matter?"
Harry took a deep breath to fight back the tears that threatened to destroy his last shred of teenage dignity and lowered his hands. "I want to go home." He said honestly. "I miss my aunt."
"Five years of avoiding her like a dementor, and now you want to go home?" Pomfrey said in a skeptic voice. "What's changed?"
"She did." Harry answered. "May I go to sleep now?" He asked.
Pomfrey eyed him for a few seconds before nodding. "I'll check on you later. Do not leave this bed." She ordered. She gave Harry a look that promised certain death if he decided to do otherwise.
"No, Madame. I'll stay right here." Harry told her. He pulled the blankets up to his chin, put his glasses on the bedside table, and shut his eyes. He could see the light dim behind his eyelids. He turned over into his pillow and let out all the frustration, fear, and anger he had ignored since he woke up here. He didn't see or sense Madame Pomfrey watching him.
Author's Note: Phew! Okay, remember the forums if you have any really pressing questions or if you notice a typo. Thanks for reading!