I'm so sorry for the long delay. As mentioned before, sometimes updates may be sporadic due to health or job issues. My job I can usually workaround, but my health is another matter. I've been fighting an infection now since June that got bad again in October and just now have been able to look at a computer screen without falling over. My doctor is talking about surgery now. I'm hoping they'll do it soon because it should help a lot.
Warnings: It's shonen-ai, gay, slash, yaoi, it's chapter 7 do I really need to keep warning about this?
Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump
Chapter 7
Harry let out a happy sigh. His luck had finally turned around, if only for a moment. He would soon be able to talk with Sirius and get his Godfather's thoughts on everything that'd been going on the last few days. Remus might be able to offer some decent advice too since he was such a smart person and he tolerated Sirius. His mother put up with his father. If Sirius and his father could find people to be with, eventually Harry would find someone himself. Even if it wasn't with Tom.
I'll have to at least thank Tom.
Or, did he? The police were coming to retrieve him, why did he need to thank Tom? What had the other teen done beyond finding his location and sending a rabid owl after him? It wasn't like he'd actually showed up and saved him. Harry wasn't even sure if Tom had told his parents. If he had, his father and Sirius would have probably already come and claimed him.
Maybe he was expecting too much. Tom had located him, but Harry hadn't stayed in that location. Maybe it took a lot of preparation or time to complete the location spell. Finding a single person somewhere between France and Belgium couldn't be easy. If he'd known that Tom would use the spell and actually come to get him, he'd have stayed put. The other teen hadn't even believed he'd been missing at first, so he'd had no choice. He couldn't just stay in the forest for the rest of his life hoping for some kind of recuse that might never come. He still didn't know if Tom or anyone else was attempting to come to get him either. The teen had never actually said he was, he'd just told Harry not to get caught again.
Which I did, he thought. But, getting caught had turned out to be a good thing. The Muggle police were coming and from there he'd be able to reunite with his family. After that, he still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do. Part of him wanted to find out exactly what his parents had been thinking when they'd decided not to check up on him right away after he'd disappeared. Another part of him wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. Worse, part of him still wanted to pursue some sort of relationship with Tom even if it was just as a pen pal. Okay, what he really wanted was for Tom to continue to like him because Harry seemed to have gone mad with everyone else around him. Maybe that's just how it was with Tom. Once he stepped into your life, you didn't want him to go anywhere even if that meant your life would be in constant chaos.
Not that Tom had caused all the chaos that had assaulted his life lately. Tom had not made his parents forget about him or forced him to go to an awards ceremony or dinner with his mother's sister and family. No, most of his problems had stemmed from his family and a clear lack of communication. Even when he spoke with his parents, it felt like they were no longer listening to him, or they were, they just weren't taking his feelings into consideration. They were simply going around doing what they wanted, what they thought was best, and Harry had to deal with the aftermath, which only seemed to be an issue for him, not his parents.
He turned onto his side and tried to go back to sleep, but his thoughts kept assaulting him. He decided that a nice daydream about Tom to block out everything else was what he needed. In this fantasy world, Tom attended Hogwarts with Harry from day one where both of them were sorted into Gryffindor and by Harry's fifth year they were happily dating. The Dursleys were never an issue. His parents, Sirius, and Lupin couldn't wait for Harry and Tom to get married. Life was as simple as it had been before this holiday had started. About the time when Harry and Tom were spending an evening together watching a Quidditch game, he drifted off to sleep.
(X)
Harry awoke to the sound of the door opening. The blonde from the night before and two other men walked in.
"He does not look like a criminal," the first man said. He had short brown hair, a muscular body, and nice eyes.
The other man was nodding. He was just a few inches shorter than the brunette and more muscular.
"I do not believe he is," the blonde man said. "As I said, he told me he had been kidnapped."
"We have not received any kidnapping notices," the other blonde said.
"I'm from England," Harry said sitting up.
The three men looked at him curiously.
"You are far from England," the brunette said.
"I know. And I want to go home." I think. Harry wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to go home or not. He was still not happy with his parents and he was unsure about his godparents. While his mind told him he wanted to be with Tom, his sanity told him to shut up. Tom was not an option. He might have written Harry and located him, but he hadn't actually come to get him or sent any help. The teen was probably laughing at him for getting kidnapped in the first place. No, he would go home and do one of two things. Lock himself in his room and refuse to come out until it was time to go back to school or go to Sirius' house and do the same thing. He would spend the rest of his summer pouting, glaring, and wondering what in the hell he'd done wrong to deserve a holiday like this. He didn't think he'd gathered enough bad karma to justify a summer like this. He played fair at Quidditch and didn't cheat at school. He'd never harmed anyone. The worst thing he'd done was not study hard for his O.W.L.S.
"We will need to take him back to the police station," the blonde said. "We can call one of the English stations from there."
"If you let me call my parents we can get this straightened out fast," Harry said standing up. He dusted his clothes up and walked over to the men. "I don't even think they know I'm missing yet." The three men exchanged looks that Harry did not like. They were looks that said they thought Harry was suspicious. That a teen's parents should know immediately if he'd been kidnapped or if not, that he was at least missing. Harry agreed with the police. The reality of the situation was stupid and uncalled for, but that's what it was. "I know what it sounds like," Harry said tiredly. "I promise it'll make more sense when you get ahold of my parents." Harry didn't know what excuse his parents would tell the police or if they'd just use a memory charm on them, but that was their problem. He was done trying to figure everything out. They could explain everything and set the records straight while he watched.
"He does not look dangerous," the brunette said. "The two of us should be able to handle him."
Handle me? As long as my bad luck stays away, I'm harmless.
"Come along," the blonde said.
The three men stepped out. The sun was just coming up, the sky a bright pink. Perhaps that was a sign of good things to come. A new beginning.
"Thank you for your help, and the food," Harry told villager.
"It was nothing," he said smiling. "Do stay out of trouble?"
"I'll try," Harry said. He meant it to. He didn't want any more trouble, no more struggles, just a hot shower, and his bed. To hell with the rest of the world.
The police started down the village's main path. Harry followed taking in what little view there was of the village. Seeing the meadow from the village was beautiful. It spread out, a breathtaking sea of emerald green cusped within stone cliffs. He stared transfixed and wishing he could remain in the village if only for a little longer.
"Boy."
Harry turned at the firm tone. The brunette was already in a car behind the steering wheel. The blonde was standing next to it, the back door opened.
Another car.
"Coming." The car didn't belong in such a tranquil and simple place. It was as out of place as it would be parked beside Hagrid's hut.
He got into the car and fastened his seatbelt. The seat cushion was a blessing and reminder of the upcoming comforts that current society offered. Soon he would be in his own room, surrounded by his things, and with access to all the wonderful technology within his house. Mainly, hot water, soap, a proper toilet, and a warm blanket.
"Thanks for coming to get me."
"We could not leave a possible escaped prisoner."
"Right." He rolled his eyes and turned to the window. The two men began speaking in French. They were probably talking about him, trying to guess if he really was an escaped convict or a victim of kidnapping. There was no point in arguing his case here. As soon as they arrived at the station, he'd call the Auror's office and ask for Sirius. He'd at least listen to Harry and get everything sorted out.
They'd only been driving a few minutes when Harry frowned noticing a strange dark shape in the distance. It wasn't moving and seemed to be human in form. They passed it quickly, Harry's eyes widening. He turned as much as he could with his seatbelt on to get a better look. There was no denying it. Even with just that fast look, Harry and Tom's eyes met. Harry felt his heart flutter as well as an impending sense of doom as he turned around in his seat.
"Um-." Harry felt an odd pressure wrap around him and then he flew forward. The seatbelt dug into his body, his vision spinning, only it wasn't a normal spin. No, this was a forward angled spin. He watched the view in the windshield shift from the road and forest in front of them to just road, dust, and rocks. The windshield cracked and the car groaned as the car stood upright on its front bumper and grill. Harry could hear screaming, but he didn't know if it was him or the two policemen. The police car froze in that spot.
Harry brought his arms up to shield his face and shut his eyes tight. He felt the car lurch forward all the way swaying to the right as it went. The car slammed down on its right side shockwaves following.
The world suddenly stopped. Harry listened, too scared to open his eyes just yet. A minute then two passed. Harry allowed his eyes to open just a sliver. The windshield was almost gone, only jagged edges of glass left behind in the frame. The rest had showered the car in millions of pieces. Harry slowly moved his arms. Tiny pieces of glass slid to the floor.
"Ugh…" The noise vibrated throughout the car as he lifted his head up. More glass clinked as pieces fell from his hair. Slowly he took in his surroundings. Both police officers seemed to be unconscious. He was sure they'd taken the brunt of glass onslaught. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was floating. He looked to his right. The window was gone, replaced by rocks, one of them looked particularly nasty, and grass. If not for the seatbelt, he would have fallen and hit those rocks.
He turned his head unable to look any longer.
Calm down. He didn't think anything was broken, besides his nerves. He needed to get out of the car, but he needed a plan first. If he didn't do things just right he would end up sliding right down to the broken window. Harry decided the short fall without the power of the crash would not kill him and began fumbling with the seat belt release, but his hands were shaking so bad he couldn't even properly grasp it.
"Shite, come on…." He kept at it, his movements rushed, desperate. He could feel his face heat up as his movements intensified yet failed to work. "Please!"
CRUNCH.
Harry's head jerked towards the sound. Tom was looking down at him from the back window, his face inches from Harry's own.
"Are you okay?" He was so matter of fact it made Harry want to scream. Did he look okay!?
"Get me out of here!"
"Calm down." His face disappeared from the window and the car door opened, its hinges protesting every inch of the way. Tom came back into view. He seemed to consider something and gave a small nod. He wrapped one arm around Harry's waist, the other releasing the seat belt. He tilted his head staring at the seat belt when it didn't open. "Oh well." He whipped his wand out with his free hand and aimed it at the seat belt. Harry didn't hear any spell, but a knife-like cut broke the belt.
Harry fell a centimeter, Tom's arm holding him firmly in place. He pulled Harry up with ease. Harry gripped the doorframe, his other arm going around Tom's neck. Between the two of them, Harry managed to climb out of the car. Once he was free, and his legs were safely on the ground, he clung to Tom.
"Did you see what happened," Harry asked trying hard to keep his voice even. Things had been going so smooth. The police had come to get him and take him back to civilization where he could get a shower and sleep in a real bed. They'd treated him with suspicion, but that was fine. His luck had been holding out and then, this!
"Of course I did. I'm the one who did it."
Harry took a step back and stared at Tom, his mouth falling open.
"WHY!? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"
"I shielded you," Tom said rolling his eyes.
Harry didn't know what to do. The car looked like a bomb had gone off under it with the bottom blackened and pushed in. The car probably wasn't even worth salvaging. He couldn't believe the damage. The car was on its right side, covered in dents and scratches, glass everywhere. Harry took a step towards it, Tom grabbing his wrist.
"Don't."
"Don't," Harry repeated in disbelief. "There are two Muggle cops in there!"
"It's on fire," Tom said.
"All the more reason to save them!"
"They aren't Muggles," Tom said.
"Of course they're Muggles," Harry said. He tried moving towards the car again, but Tom held him back. "Tom-,"
"They aren't Muggles," Tom said again.
Harry glared at him. He'd known there was something off about this teen, but this, this was mental. How could anyone just cause a car to explode and hardly even react to it? Tom didn't seem to care at all or even understand the gravity of what he'd just done.
"They came to take me back to the city," Harry said through gritted teeth. "And you—"
"There are a total of seven escaped prisoners from Azkaban," Tom said. "And these were two of them." A groan came from inside the car. Tom released Harry's wrist approaching the car.
"Wh, wait," Harry said. His voice was weak.
"A shame they want them alive," Tom scowled. He aimed his wand, a bright red light shooting out of it. The man inside froze. A flick of Tom's wand and the man's body flew out of the car's windshield and landed on the road opposite of the car. A repeat of the movements had the second one sprawled out beside the first.
"What's going on," Harry demanded.
Rope emerged from Tom's wand and bound both men.
"I just saved you from being kidnapped, again," Tom said simply. "You are far too trusting."
"I usually don't have problems like this," Harry snapped. Never once in his entire life had he ever worried about being kidnapped or even harmed expect in a Quidditch match. His world was fast spiraling out of control. He moved away from the car sitting down in the grass on the other side of the road and just stared at the scene before him. The entire car was now burning steadily.
Tom sat down beside him.
"What happened to your wrist?"
Harry stared at Tom. How could that be his biggest concern in all of this? Tom had cast some spell and the car in front of them was in flames thanks to him. There were two paralyzed and unconscious would be police officers in the grass a few feet away from them. He didn't know what to say. The last few days had been too much. He'd been emotionally and physically dragged in too many different directions and truthfully, he still didn't know where he actually stood with anyone. There were too many what-ifs and craziest of all he was glad that Tom had found him. Tears began pouring down his cheeks as he tried to process everything going on around him.
"Harry?" Tom leaned forward and pulled Harry towards him. He wrapped his arm around him, Harry burying his face in Tom's chest. He began stroking Harry's back gently. "It'll be okay. I've decided I'm not letting you out of my sight again," Tom said. "You get into the weirdest situations when no one is watching you."
Like you're making things any easier, Harry thought. He tightened his grip around Tom. He didn't want to be left alone anymore. He didn't want to be in these kinds of situations either. He wanted his life to go back to normal. No more kidnappings, car crashes, or forced hikes through miles of forest. No more being chained up or held in decaying castles. No more being forced to eat berries and drink from ponds.
The tears didn't seem to want to stop. Harry tried, but the harder he tried to stop, the harder he cried. Tom talked to him, but Harry could not make out the words. When he managed to get himself under control, his head felt like he'd landed on the rock that had been taunting him from his seatbelt.
"Do you feel any better," Tom asked quietly.
"Yeah," Harry admitted. He moved out of Tom's arms and wiped the last few tears away. "Sorry."
"You've been through a lot," Tom said. "And somehow I'm going to make this whole mess up to you. I really didn't think you'd been kidnapped." He cupped Harry's chin with his hand.
"Why," Harry asked a partial laugh escaping his lips. "Who lies about that?"
"Unfortunately, a few people have." He removed his hand from Harry's face.
Harry felt his mouth open slightly.
"Seriously?"
"You'd be surprised what people will do to get my attention," Tom said.
"And you decided, without knowing me that well, that I was one of those people," Harry asked raising an eyebrow.
Tom looked mildly shocked before a smile slowly crossed his features.
"Okay, I apologize for the other night. I suppose we are both guilty of jumping to conclusions. I intend to fix that once we leave."
"How?"
"I'm spending an entire day with you so I do get to know you." He kissed Harry before the Gryffindor could reply. Harry melted when their lips met. When they pulled apart the reality of the situation they were in sank back in. It didn't matter if no one had seen them, Tom had definitely broken a few Wizarding laws concerning Muggles. "How are we going to explain this?"
"What's to explain," Tom asked looking curious.
"This," Harry said motioning to the two Muggles and the car. During his crying session, the car had turned into a black husk, the flames almost gone now. He wondered why the car hadn't blown up but decided now was not the time to dwell on that.
"Your father gave me specific instructions to find and bring you back unharmed," Tom said his look darkening.
"By blowing up a car and maiming two Muggles?"
"I told you, these aren't Muggles," Tom sighed. He stood up brushing some of the dirt from his pants and walked towards the two men he'd tied up. He went through the blonde's pocket and pulled a wand out a second later. "See." He held it up in front of Harry.
Harry blinked. What in the hell was going on?
"Why was I being kidnapped, again," Harry demanded getting to his feet.
"I told you, seven prisoners escaped from Azkaban the other day," Tom explained. "Two of which seemed to have kidnapped you. And two which attempted and failed." He smirked after he mentioned the failed attempt.
"That's why Sirius hasn't been writing me," Harry said frowning. His Godfather was not ignoring him; he'd been overrun with work. With seven escapees, Sirius would be working around the clock trying to return the prisoners to Azkaban. Remus might have offered to help too. He didn't always help the Aurors, but when they had a difficult case he would set aside his own work at the Ministry and join them. Even if Sirius had written him, the anti-mail charm around the decaying castle would have been in place. After that, his Godfather wouldn't have even known he hadn't replied. Sirius probably didn't even know what day it was and if Remus was helping, neither of them would give his lack of reply any thought. "Have I really been gone for six days?"
"Yes," Tom said.
"And my parents actually went to Switzerland without me," Harry said.
"Your parents were very surprised to find out you were not with me."
"And why aren't they with you now," Harry asked turning to face the other teen.
"Your parents were in Switzerland, for about a day," Tom said. "With the escapes from Azkaban, your father had to return to work. He asked me to find out what you were doing and to bring you back home." He hesitated a moment. "I didn't tell them you were kidnapped."
"Why not," Harry demanded. "You realize if you hadn't found me first these wizards would have taken me, again! I probably would have ended back up in that decaying castle," Harry said his voice rising. "If something had happened to you, it would have been months before anyone even realized I was actually missing!"
"…I was selfish. I wanted to save you myself," Tom said. "I knew I could handle it, so…." A slight blush had crossed his features.
Harry couldn't deny that Tom could handle it, but if something had gone wrong. If Tom had gotten hurt, had lost interest, anything, things could have gone horribly wrong.
"You—"
"I told them before I went to get you," Tom said looking away. "I know I should have told them immediately. I usually don't act in such an illogical way, but I wanted to impress you. I wanted to be your savior." He placed his hand over Harry's own. "I knew it was wrong, so before I left I told them. Your father seemed confident that I could bring you back myself."
"That still…" Harry couldn't believe it. If his father was chasing after these escaped prisoners, why wouldn't he or Sirius show up to help get him? Why just send Tom and risk the two of them getting hurt? How could his father trust his safety to someone he had just met, famous or not?
"I need to take these two back to the ministry," Tom said. He frowned when Harry didn't answer. "What?"
"Why didn't my father come with," Harry asked quietly. His father should have been there to make sure his only son was all right. His father should have been the one arresting his son's kidnappers, not leaving it to Tom who happened to be a highly accomplished researcher and a food critic.
"The Auror's office had no problem giving me a temporary position. After all, I'm an accomplished duelist and placed first in the regional championship when I was twelve."
"Of course you did," Harry sighed. Of course, Tom was a dueling champion and given temporary arresting powers. Why not? Tom was perfect in every single way. Harry was no match for that. He couldn't even win against the Gryffindor dueling captain. He'd been rescued by Tom alright, just to prove how flawed he was. He'd been kidnapped and lost his wand. His face burned at those thoughts. He should just climb into a hole and stay there so no one could see how unqualified he was as a wizard. "Just like you're going to be the next Ministry of Magic by the time you're twenty," he said shaking his head. "You're so perfect I want to throw you in the nearest mud puddle!"
Tom blinked at that and tilted his head slightly.
"I am by no means perfect, just skilled and a hard worker," he said approaching Harry. "I also believe that's the first time anyone has threatened me with that particular punishment." The left side of his mouth twitched as he if was trying to keep a smile off his face.
"Shut up." None of this was fair and he knew he was being unreasonable, but he was embarrassed, tired, and starting to get angry.
Tom sighed.
"Fine, would you like me to go back and tell your parents you wouldn't come with me? They can come rescue you if by chance, you are still here when they arrive."
"That's not…!" Harry growled and turned on Tom. "You don't get it!" While he wanted his parents to come to rescue him, Tom was already there and that's what he'd really wanted to begin with. He'd wanted Tom to save him. The reality of it was much different from what he'd fantasized about in his head though and that was driving him crazy.
Tom moved in front of him, eyebrow raised in question, his arms once again folded across his chest.
"You're right, I don't. Enlighten me before I decide I don't care and simply drag you back home by force."
"How could my parents trust someone they've just met to come save me," Harry demanded.
"Oh, I get it," Tom said, the annoyance fading in his voice. "You're upset at your parents."
Harry nodded. Who wouldn't be upset at their parents over something like this? Even if they trusted Tom, even if he was a famous duelist, didn't they care enough to come with and make sure that their only son was safe? What if all of the escaped prisoners were together holding Harry captive? Tom might be good, but was he good enough to take on all seven prisoners at once?
Like you're important enough to be held captive by all seven prisoners. His parents still should have come.
"Can we please go and deal with this later, before someone else tries to kidnap you?"
"O, okay."
"Then you'll come back with me," Tom asked.
"Yeah."
"Good." Tom moved towards the two wizards, Harry following behind him. There was no point in staying in the middle of nowhere again. He shouldn't take his frustration out on Tom either. He'd at least found Harry and came to retrieve him.
"What about the car?" Or, what had used to be a car. The only thing left now was a burnt shell.
"They probably stole it from the Muggle police. Let them deal with it. If they didn't have such faulty security, these two would have never gotten it in the first place."
Harry didn't think that was fair. A witch or a wizard could easily get past any Muggle security, but he was too tired to fight about it. He wanted to go home. He had so many questions.
After a very nauseating side along, the four of them were standing in front of the Ministry of Magic. Tom dragged the two wizards inside by magic without giving either of them a second look. The blonde hit his head a few times, once against a door frame and twice on the floor. Tom did not seem to care and Harry found that he didn't either.
Harry trailed after them wondering what he should do next. He wasn't sure which adult he should question first or if he should just find an Auror and beg them to take him home. That wasn't asking too much, was it?
Some of the ministry workers gasped when they saw Tom strolling by with his catch.
They took the elevator up to the second level. The door slid open, Tom exiting first. A short silence followed by cheers erupted in the office. Harry was about to step out and then stopped. He didn't want to face the Aurors right now. He'd wanted to be an Auror since he'd first understood what his father did and yet he'd let himself get kidnapped. He'd let his guard down, had believed someone he had a crush on was running after him and allowed himself to be taken. There was no way he could go into the Auror's office right now. Not with the knowledge that he was completely unqualified to be an Auror.
He hit the close door button, somewhat relieved when it slid shut. He pressed the button to go back to the first level. The doors opened to the entrance hall. He passed the giant fountain in the middle of the walkway. The fountain contained statues of different races, a centaur, a goblin, a wizard, and more. Usually, Harry stopped and looked at it whenever he saw it, but today he had had it. The only thing appealing about it right now was the clean water inside of it.
"Harry?" It took Harry a second to recognize the figure in front of him. The wizard in question was in need of a shave and from the looks of it, a long shower and a change of clothes. When his identity clicked into place, Harry grinned and rushed over to Lupin throwing his arms around him. "You're in a good mood," he said returning the hug. He pushed Harry out to arm's length immediately. "I know it's the summer holiday, but you still need to bathe," he said giving Harry a somewhat disappointed look.
"Didn't my parents tell you and Sirius what happened," Harry asked.
Remus shook his head.
"No, all three of us have been working nonstop on the Azkaban escape. Only seven prisoners got out, but the entire jail is in chaos. Aurors have been stationed around the building while it's being fixed. It's a real mess…" He frowned. "What happened?"
"I was kidnapped by two of those prisoners with a second attempt by another pair," Harry growled. "And my parents said nothing! I was held hostage in a decaying castle. I got out, but ended up being tricked and almost caught again. If Tom hadn't shown up…."
Remus's eyes widened at that. He examined Harry once again, his own haggard look seeming to fall into place.
"James and Lily never said anything…."
"Yeah well, we haven't been getting along so great this summer," Harry muttered.
"I'm sure they have…" Harry wasn't sure what kind of look he was giving his godfather, but he stopped voicing his thought. "Have you already told someone in the Auror's office what happened?"
"No," Harry said quietly.
Remus looked surprised at that but didn't push the issue. He started towards the entrance of the Ministry, Harry walking beside him. They stopped at the front desk where a wizard and two witches sat talking to a number of people. Remus waved his hand to get the nearest witch's attention.
"Mary, I'm going home for a bit if anyone needs to get ahold of me." Remus didn't wait for a reply from the witch, instead walking even faster towards the door. "That's how you get out of here without issue, you don't give them a chance to stop you," Remus said sharing a wink with Harry.
Harry managed a slight smile at that. At least one adult in his life was showing him some much-needed understanding.
Another side-along had Harry standing in front of Sirius and Remus's home. Sirius had inherited Number Twelve Grimmauld's place from his parents. It was a large home, even compared to Harry's own. Remus tapped the handle, a blue light surrounding the doorknob. The door shuddered in its frame before creaking open.
Remus pushed the door open and motioned for Harry to enter before him.
"Sirius didn't want to take any chances with the recent breakout," Remus explained.
"At least he's taking the situation seriously," Harry said. Not that the escaped prisoners were smart. Which only proves how dumb you are, Harry reminded himself.
He took his shoes off leaving them next to the door. He was surprised to see just how dirty his shoes were. He decided he should take his socks off as well and shoved them into his shoes.
"James is working hard with Sirius to…." Remus sighed shaking his head. "I can't imagine why he wasn't out there looking for you. Sirius and I would have been if we'd known."
"Tom didn't tell anyone until last night," Harry said. "He wanted to be the one to come get me."
"When you say Tom, you mean Dumbledore's son," Remus asked. They walked up the stairs together. They passed by the door that was basically Harry's bedroom and stopped in front of the bathroom door.
"Yeah," Harry said.
"Okay." Remus didn't seem sure how to process any of this any more than Harry did. "Go ahead and take a bath. I'm going to get a shower myself. When we're both clean we can try and put together what exactly is going on."
"Okay."
"I'm glad you're safe though." He leaned forward and gave Harry a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Make sure you wash your hair." He disappeared down the hall, Harry watching him. He knew if he could just get to Sirius and Remus that things would be better and he was right.
After one of the best showers Harry had ever had, he changed into a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt and collapsed onto his bed. It was by far, the most comfortable bed in the world right now. He examined his wrists. With just a small amount of healing ointment, the bruises and cuts had vanished.
Oh yeah… He'd left the building without telling Tom. He knew he should write Tom, but right now, all that mattered was the bed and that he was safe, and that Remus was here with him. He could deal with everything else, like his destroyed dreams, his parent's complete neglect, his own stupidity, later. After he'd gotten some well-deserved rest. Maybe Sirius and Remus could help put him on the right path to becoming an Auror. They could explain to him what he needed to do, because obviously he did not have the proper mindset. It was all too tiring to think about for now. Instead, he let his eyes close. His body seemed to sink into the mattress and pillow. The blankets were so warm. Everything was perfect.
(TBC)
This took far longer than it should have. I guess that's just what happens when you're constantly getting sick. Sorry again.
