A/N: Thank you mucho for the reviews/likes/follows. They make me giddy :-D
Chapter 2 - The World As Harry Knows It - Part II
His rushing adrenaline was slowing to a skip and a hop, and Harry suddenly couldn't ignore the intense ache in his shoulder and the left side of his collar area. The apparating had made it much worse and now it felt like his left arm may be broken, or badly sprained. The pain kept him about two beats behind the present moment, so Lucius Malfoy's demand to know what on earth were you thinking? was only now pinging his attention, causing him to sputter in indignation, "What was I thinking? Did you not hear what my uncle said to me just now?" He struggled to his feet. I'm really off kilter, he noted with a touch of worry. But he shook that off to glare challengingly at the vile pureblooded "example" of the upper echelon of wizarding society, who was currently kneeling in front of the fireplace, engaged in a floo call with Merlin only knew who. How is this even possible?
Lucius rose to his feet and turned back with the sneering expression that seemed to be his default. "Actually," he said, "I did not. I'd only just apparated to your house to begin my surveillance. And I've just been informed that whatever has occurred in your world today, Mr. Potter, has caused the wards around the property to collapse. It literally just happened." The lofty cadence of his declaration was like sandpaper on Harry's nerves.
"It's not my house," Harry ground out, but what the pompous older wizard had said caused a bling of alarms to go off in his head. "The wards fell…" he repeated nervously. That made absolutely no sense. His heart was pounding again, and a feeling of dread gripped his stomach. The dynamics between him and his relatives were the same as always. He reached carefully up with his right hand and rubbed the back of his head. It was sore from that smack from the spoon. That whack couldn't have released the wards, could it? He'd been dealt much worse punishment from his aunt and one of her kitchen implements numerous times in the past. Each time he had come away feeling as hated as he'd always done, but the wards hadn't fallen. Why today? Did Aunt Petunia come to a conclusion as I was leaving that she'd never dared to consider before?
"Are you injured, Potter?"
Malfoy's snobby enunciation made it sound like he was mocking Harry, probably resentful he was not getting nearly the acclaim he deserved for his role. "You've been carrying yourself oddly." Malfoy added. Then in afterthought, with a smidgeon of alarm, "Did I exacerbate it when I grabbed your arm to follow?"
Harry blinked. This concern was rather unexpected, coming from one of the ones responsible for Sirius' demise. As if a switch flicked on, he let loose on Malfoy, temper completely lost. "A lot you care! You've made everything more awful, all this time!" He gulped, unaffected by the way the blond wizard's expression flattened into stone coldness. "The shite you spewed to the Daily Prophet alone was pure bile, and it fed Umbridge's lies and made everyone at school vulnerable without proper defensive training!"
The fireplace roared to life as Harry sucked in another breath, yelling so loudly his voice cracked, "How can you possibly be in the Order?" Still off kilter, he was startled to silence as his favorite (former) professor and last surviving Marauder, Remus Lupin, stepped through. Remus was followed closely by Harry's least favorite professor, bloody Severus Snape. Both of them were dressed as muggles in jeans and bomber jackets. Harry had to do a double-take to recognize either one.
"Wha-?" Harry couldn't seem to live a full minute without another incomprehensible alternate reality showing up. If he had been in a better state of mind, he probably would have grinned. But he was in a horrible state of mind, and he stood paralyzed on the spot, his breathing labored under the weight of his rage and the awful pain that seemed to be increasing. His shocked senses couldn't process what he was seeing. The adult wizards moved further into the parlor, inadvertently forming a loose semicircle by flanking Malfoy Senior, all eyes on Harry. Bloody hell. This was his first face-to-face with them since the events at the Ministry, and his stomach completely plunged downward to somewhere beneath the floorboards. Something was off. Why was Lupin standing with Malfoy and Snape as if they were mates? Why did Snape seem like an impostor? His hair was shorter, and clean, and he was unshaven. Unshaven? Harry also registered that Lupin looked positively ill and beaten up, only to remember that the full moon had just subsided. And he's just lost his best friend for a second time. He guessed they'd been engaged in some sort of mission that was now interrupted.
Short of having had to have endured more whacks from his aunt earlier this afternoon, Harry couldn't think of a way that this day could have gotten any worse. Now he was really going to catch it! Lupin or Snape could tear into him right now for his stupidity, and he'd have nothing to say for himself. Guilt rose up in Harry's chest, making breathing even harder. He gulped loudly, and darted a glance around at each of their faces. Each of them had a different expression. Snape, of course seemed livid; Lupin, drained and disappointed; Malfoy, indifferent.
"You will need to answer some questions, Potter, and you will need to be moved to a safer location," Snape finally declared in his coldest tone. The look on the Boy Wonder's face as he had sized Severus up and down had both amused and unnerved him. If there was a chance that something in the boy's assessment had yielded a positive opinion of Severus, he did not want to know. He pointed to one of the two sagging sofas that were set facing each other beside the fireplace. "Have a seat. Now." He was in no mood for Potter's temper or antics. He used that tone that had served him well as a professor. "You can begin by explaining why the wards around your aunt's house have failed."
Harry looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Do you think you're in charge of me now?" he asked ironically. "I didn't come here to have you decide what's next. It's not up to you. It's not up to the Order, either. None of those so-called protections ever protected me, especially not in that house!" His voice cracked from another surge of rage that was so powerful it was causing his throat to close. He tapped his chest. "I know I'm safe from your bloody Dark Lord while within these walls, so I'll stay right here until it's time to return to school."
Severus held his tongue because Lucius had leaned forward to rasp in utter exasperation, "Potter! there is much at stake! We are on the same side, but you-"
"Bugger off!" Harry blared at him. "Don't talk to me about sides! I've no idea what you're playing at, but you're only ever on your own side." He stood with his fists clenched, left shoulder tilted downward, breaths still heaving, fully cognizant of how bold he was being. He had no idea how he'd defend himself if one of the two Slytherins decided to come after him. He gulped again, powerless over his loss of control, and how badly he was shaking. And yes, Malfoy Senior looked like he was ready to conjure his own wooden spoon and use it on Harry.
"Harry," Lupin said quietly, moved by how upset Harry was, but shocked at his behavior nonetheless. He stepped a little closer and tilted his head while he held eye contact, "Clearly something horrible has occurred with you. That you are in turmoil is very clear. But there is a multitude of other factors, which we have to help manage, you see. Many of which are about to begin running amuck, as news that those wards fell gets out. The Order is spread very thin-"
"That's just fine," Harry quickly. He tried very hard to soften his tone, but he would not be told what to do, by any of them, even the wan Maurader. Those days were over. None of them is a parent, and none of them has any say about what I do.
"This is bigger than your spat with your aunt and uncle," Snape was saying coldly. He'd removed his wand from a hidden pocket in his black leather jacket. He saw Harry's eyes widen and sneered. "If you'll sit, I'll perform a scanning charm to gauge the extent of your injuries."
Harry blinked. His shoulder really did hurt, especially now that the feral energy that had emboldened him to escape his wretched relatives was officially abated. Exhaustion from emotional drain and two intense weeks of hardship had kicked in, as had fear, and both were about to overcome his bravado. Dumbledore is going to blame me for the wards. His hand reflexively gripped the strap of his rucksack, his mind telling him to rummage through it again. Make sure the proof of my pending freedom is still there, his inner self begged him. But he couldn't take a chance with any of them finding out his plan. Not yet! He clenched his jaw and weighed the risks of letting Snape check him over.
Snape was looking at him expectantly. Fine. Harry sighed and sat on the nearest sofa. And that motion hurt a lot. His eyes blurred and he had to blink rapidly to clear the moisture, so that he could return Snape's narrow-eyed stare, almost-but-not-quite daring him to Legilimize Harry. It felt like almost everything was on the table anyway. He had real injuries that he suddenly felt no inclination to lie about or try to hide. If he didn't stand his ground with every adult in his life from now on, he'd be right back in that cupboard…. I can just see Dumbledore telling Aunt Petunia to find something else to do with her spoons.
"Injuriam Quaerere," Snape incanted quietly as he waved his wand in a horizontal figure eight over Harry's head. Harry looked over at Lupin, and then at Malfoy, both of whom were watching the revelations being displayed over Harry's head by the injury revealing spell. "What in the hell have you been up to, Potter? You've got a concussion and a dislocated shoulder," Snape concluded in disgust. He turned to Malfoy Sr., "Lucius, are you still as well versed with this type of healing, or should we risk a call for a healer?"
"I said I'll wait until Monday!" Harry said forcefully. He flashed a look at all three of the adults, but immediately found that he needed to keep his eyes focused on the carpet and his jaw clenched. His senses were swimming and the hiss that escaped him was inadvertent.
"You must be in great pain," Malfoy said quietly as he cupped a hand over Harry's good shoulder, but Harry hadn't been aware that he'd moved closer, and he startled only to let out another hiss. "Easy," Lucius soothed. He was beginning to feel genuine sympathy for young Potter. "I may be able to overlook the way you just spoke to me, in light of this news." Lucius continued as he carefully took Harry's left wrist to guide his arm so that it was bent at a right angle and positioned in front of his stomach.
"I didn't ask you to overlook it," Harry whispered through gritted teeth. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Malfoy was being gentle and seemed to know how to spare Harry unnecessary pain, but it still hurt like hell. He kept his head ducked down just in case his eyes leaked.
"Careful, boy, I've got your dislocated shoulder right where I can either help you or harm you," Malfoy said with a touch of irony. When Harry's breathing turned to agitated pants, Malfoy added, almost kindly, "this will indeed hurt quite a bit, but it will be brief, alright? Nothing like the cruciatus curse you endured last summer, anyway."
"Take a deep breath, and then exhale." Lupin advised. "Focus on the exhale." He'd moved off to the side so that he was in Harry's peripheral view.
Harry closed his eyes and struggled to reclaim that place of calm he'd discovered while confined in the cupboard. He drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. There was a horrible popping sensation as Malfoy turned Harry's arm to bring his fisted hand out in front of his body, as if opening a doorway. "Ahhh!" Harry's voice cracked. It took every nerve in his body to stop himself from bawling in shock and pain.
Malfoy's hand was now cupping Harry's left shoulder, "Well done, lad," he said, almost kindly, again.
Severus found himself wanting to resolve Potter's remaining aches and pains. Watching him suffer like this was… difficult. He supposed the years of fervently wishing he could wring the brat's neck might have been in bad form, in light of this reality of witnessing the boy's struggle to hold himself in check. He moved closer and addressed Potter again, and heard a considerable shift in his own tone. "But you are still in pain." It was a statement of fact, not a question.
Harry opened his eyes expecting to see the carpet again and nearly jumped out of his skin when he instead saw Snape kneeling in front of him with his wand raised to conjure a vial of potion. "You will drink." It was an order, and he passed the vial to Malfoy while he repeated the injury scanning charm over Harry's head. "Your collarbone is cracked as well. You'll need Skelegro."
Malfoy, in the meantime, uncorked the pain reliever potion and held it to Harry's lips. Harry allowed this because he was terrified of bringing that same pain back in his shoulder with the wrong move of his hands or arms just yet. Seconds after swallowing the potion, he noticed a shift in both his body and his awareness. "Thank you," he said, because even though he reviled both Slytherin wizards, he appreciated this unexpected help. He acknowledged Snape's last comment. "That could wait for Madam Pomfrey, couldn't it? The pain potion helped a lot."
The sofa shifted as Lupin took a seat beside him. "What happened today, Harry? Do you know what caused the wards to fail? Does it have something to do with these injuries?"
"Dunno," Harry said softly. A wave of defeat was threatening to overtake him again.
"Do. not. lie." Snape warned. He'd stood back up now and was facing Harry with his arms folded. Malfoy had moved to stand beside him in a similar stance.
"It's not a lie!" Harry seethed. "Unless my uncle dislocating my shoulder is the one thing that can cause the wards to fail?" He added that latter thought as if he was also considering it as a possible answer. "Could be. It certainly didn't happen from the broken arm or black eye, summer after third year…"
"You also have a concussion," Snape reminded him, his tone now suggesting that Harry was trying his patience, and yet the increase in the tempo of his respiration did not escape Harry's notice. "Your scan reveals a blow to your temple, one to the side of your head, another on the back of your head, a bruise on your behind, and dehydration. What else occurred at Number Four Privet Drive?" Snape's voice was very controlled, but still sounded accusing or hostile in some way, and it irked Harry enough that he shook his head and refused to answer. "I can Legilimize you," Snape suggested.
Harry forgot his fear of reigniting his shoulder pain as he shook his wand from his sleeve. "Try it," he said coldly. "When the Ministry comes after me again for underaged magic, I'll let them know exactly why I used it. Exactly what you've been up to under the guise of teaching me."
They faced each other, a battle of wills contained within their nearly identically narrow-eyed stares. As far as Harry was concerned, Snape and Malfoy could both bugger right off, any time now. He was going to seek out the room he'd shared with Ron last summer and have a long sleep. His stomach growled. He needed a hot shower and a large meal.
"Harry…" Lupin tried again. He tilted his head when Harry turned to look at him. "Tell us what you've been going through." He looked sad.
That got to Harry. "No daylight, not enough food, and counting the minutes until I could use the loo. I was allowed two 5-minute visits a day," he said flatly. "Lucky for the lot of you that I was finally allowed a shower this morning. I only got three altogether." He jiggled his leg, all at once questioning his sanity in having shared any of this with any of them.
"And the knot on your forehead?" Snape asked again, softly, and like less of a bastard, as if he'd noticed that Harry had been more forthcoming in response to Lupin's kinder way.
"Right after Uncle Vernon slammed the door on you that night, he grabbed me and slammed me into the cupboard. I hit my head on the way in. Saw stars and have felt woozy ever since."
"And the other two blows to the head?" Snape prompted, still being careful.
"Aunt Petunia chose a wooden spoon to make her point today. Sometimes it's a spatula, mostly it's a frying pan."
Lupin stood up and began to pace. Harry watched him warily. He glanced at Malfoy and couldn't read the blonde ponce's expression other than to register he was not pleased.
"What are you saying, Potter?" Snape demanded, as if the suspense was killing him.
Harry glared up at him. "I told you not to take me back there!" He felt his mouth quiver, and stopped himself for a moment to reclaim his composure. The adults were all waiting for him to continue. He could feel the feral rage building in Lupin through the shifting energy in the room. He clenched his jaw, and said in a very tight voice, "I just spent the last two weeks locked in the cupboard under the stairs." There. He'd said it. There was no turning back. "A chance to escape came up and I took it." He struggled to stand up. "I'm going upstairs to sleep."
"Potter," Snape grated out warningly. "We have not yet confirmed that you will be staying here. In the meantime-."
Harry had turned back carefully, because he was still afraid of making the crack in his collarbone worse. But he cut Snape off, summoning the last of his courage to say calmly and resolutely, "It's not up to you. You are not my parent. None of you are. Nor is Dumbledore. I've done things his way all this time, and it's been nothing but shite." He'd kept eye contact with Snape throughout, watching the older wizard's expression harden, but feeling absolute conviction that he would not allow them to force him to do anything that he did not want to do again. "Thank you for helping me just now," he turned to look Malfoy in the eye. "I feel much better." Then to Lupin. "I just wish you were still my professor."
"Actually I've just accepted an invitation to resume my post as DADA professor, Harry," Lupin told him with a small smile. "I've moved back into Hogwarts."
That made Harry light up and grin briefly. "Brilliant! Now, I'll be glad to go back." He started to turn.
"Potter!" Snape barked (again) in exasperation. "You still have a concussion that needs to be addressed. You shouldn't sleep unattended. Your obstinance about accepting further help could lead to your early demise, you little fool."
"I've slept with it for two weeks already, sir," Harry returned, "if it hasn't killed me yet, it likely won't. Good night." He made his way out of the parlor and quietly past the portrait of Madam Black, all the while expecting to be grabbed or at least shouted after, but they let him go. He climbed the stairs carefully and sought out the room he'd shared with Ron when he'd been here last. Once inside, he closed the door. "Dobby!" he called out. Dobby popped into the room a moment later, happy as ever to assist in any way he could.
"Do you think you could get me some things from my school trunk, and bring me some dinner, please?"
0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0
The three adult wizards stood facing each other with grim expressions. None of them knew where to begin with this sudden turn of events. The very tentative, very new camaraderie between Remus and Severus especially, but also between the one Gryffindor and the two Slytherins when in a group, had been the results of concerted efforts on all three of their parts in the past two weeks since the Ministry debacle. The common unifying realization among them being that there could not be another loss of life because young Harry Potter was left to face his challenges alone. The three of them had bonded over their individual frustrations with Albus Dumbledore's secretive control of the information shared among those opposing Voldemort's rise, and his determination to keep each player in his lane. Harry wasn't the only one who was fed up with unanswered questions and with being expected to blindly follow Albus' leadership on faith alone.
"We've just entered a minefield of touchy subjects, haven't we?" Remus commented after Harry was out of earshot. "I already blame myself for not trying harder to help him last term, and because I need to compensate somehow, I'll be hard pressed not to go over to the Dursley's to deal with them in the same manner that they've treated Harry." He'd addressed his comments to Severus, who was avoiding eye contact just now, his face very pinched and pale.
Lucius turned away and took a few steps to put distance between them, as his conflicts battled to be voiced, against the better judgement of his ego. "I honestly would never have guessed Harry Potter has been raised with such blatant abuse and neglect," he said, keeping his back to the other two wizards. "I have much to atone for with that boy already, but now hearing that I've stood guard outside that house for two weeks without noticing that he was suffering…"
"None of it can be undone, Lucius," Severus said quietly.
"Perhaps it would be best to treat the entire topic as facts, and not make judgements?" Remus suggested. They'd all had a role to play at some point. "It's quite clear that Harry's been through an extreme ordeal."
"Yes," Lucius agreed. "The Dark Lord himself would have been hard pressed to create a more hostile home for Potter."
"We are going to have problems with him," Severus declared, his efforts to squelch the stifling guilt he suddenly and rather unexpectedly felt made his tone come across as openly hostile. He saw the wolf flash a warning look his way but didn't acknowledge it directly. Instead he attempted to alter his tone. "And I am inclined to refuse to leave him here, as he desires, but rather bring him back to Hogwarts, now. I advise we keep him off the train, and out of reach of the Dark Lord's handlers. He'll have to stay on the school grounds for the rest of the school year." He waited to see what the werewolf would have to say to that. It was rational, and made the most sense. Lupin was already settled into his quarters there as well and needed to focus his time this weekend preparing lessons for the coming week. Allowing Potter to stay here until Sunday meant disrupting time that was already allotted to important tasks. "There is no point in Potter staying at headquarters, unattended, and ever inclined to venture off into danger at his own expense, and at the expense of those tasked with watching out for his safety."
Remus and Lucius nodded in agreement. Severus raised an eyebrow at Remus. Remus smirked slightly, "I've no reason to oppose your logic, Severus." He tilted his head, as he added, "We each must endeavor to treat him better. I'm not interested in watching you antagonize Harry for sport, Severus. It will serve no purpose, and it will add fuel to his distrust of any in authority over him."
Severus did not acknowledge Lupin's accusation. "We need to make a plan, and design it to appeal to Potter so that he'll cooperate without any of us needing to take a stronger tone with him. And we need to decide how much of what we've learned, and what we intend to do about it, to be shared with Albus."
"I'll likely be called in to see Fudge in the morning," Lucius added. "I'm surprised to not yet have received a missive from the Ministry, since my surveillance of Privet Drive will conclude on Sunday anyway. I'm inclined to suggest to him that he assign me to monitor the school grounds."
"That would be a favorable turn of events," Severus approved.
The fact that the Ministry of Magic had been keeping surveillance on Privet Drive while Harry had been back there for the holidays had actually been a blessing for the Order. Lucius had been playing not just a double agent, but a triple one, these last two weeks. He'd managed to convince Fudge that his involvement in the battle between the teens and the Dark Lord had been as a mole for the Ministry, so that he could then report to Fudge all that he knew of Voldemort's assembling power. He'd also managed to convince the Dark Lord that he was monitoring the Ministry for him. But in truth, Lucius had embraced the light three years ago and had secretly aligned with Dumbledore after Voldemort's resurrection last summer.
Severus tapped his lower lip with his index finger. "My first impulse is to begin working with Potter on his defensive skills. The three of us could each schedule time with him, and also bring him in on our practice duels."
"Yes," Remus concurred with approval. "He's a fast learner, and he responds well to that kind of focused attention."
I wouldn't know… Severus acknowledged to himself. But this idea actually held a lot of appeal. Potter had the aptitude to be quite formidable with his magic, if he would just apply himself. Severus at least knew that of all of his school subjects, Potter had always excelled in his DADA classes.
"Severus." Remus had been watching Severus' contemplation of wherever it was that his thoughts had gone to just now. "I hope you'll refrain, henceforth, from indulging in your habitual tactics of targeting Harry." At Severus' withering look, Remus finally let an edge creep into his voice. "He's been struggling all term with being ravaged on all fronts, not the least of which was his connection to-" he glanced at the two Death Eaters, knowing his naming Voldemort in their presence caused an activation of awareness on the Dark Lord's part, "-him. The letters he wrote to Sirius were full of conflict. And whatever he saw of your memories, Severus, rattled him severely." The cold disdain that Severus normally displayed in his resting expression shifted into more of a lethal warning of dire consequence should the subject be pursued much further. But Remus was not dissuaded. It was time to confront all of that past behavior. "Yes, Severus, Harry violated your privacy like an insensitive and entitled brat. But did you ever stop to wonder why? Did you ever question how long that boy could go on trying to live among peers who were experiencing the normalcy of their teen years, while he had to constantly withstand the brutal violation of his senses and his person? You do realize your lessons in Occlusion were exceptionally cruel? That he suffered for hours afterward." He paused to see if Severus would protest but the dark haired Slytherin simply glowered at Remus. Now Remus sighed and said sadly, "He's said nothing to me, nor to Sirius about the physical abuses he's suffered-" he held up his hand when Severus' sneer turned to defensive outrage. "- but Hermione has kept me informed. Your methods left him with agonizing headaches that lasted hours. Dolores Umbridge gave him lines to write with a blood quill. And Albus ignored him when he wanted to talk things out. There's been no one to help Harry. No one to turn to. I've taken this information to Albus, but he's not been at all forthcoming with his reasons for isolating Harry all this time."
Severus kept his mouth shut, thoughts reeling. There was a lot to unpack from what the werewolf had just dumped on him.
0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0
An hour later and oblivious to the fact that it was only mid afternoon, Harry was running hands through his still damp but clean hair, already finished consuming a huge early dinner, and wearing his favorite pajamas as he crawled into a freshly made bed that Dobby had prepared for him while he'd been in the shower. He was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow.
His overwhelmed mental state protected him from reflecting that the last time he'd slept here, Sirius had been alive. It stopped him from associating the musty old smells with his godfather. It also stopped him from assessing how awful this place still was, in spite of Dobby's efforts to spruce the room up a tad. In fact, it stopped him from realizing the wards could only have failed as he ran out the door because he'd made the choice to move on from being bullied and harassed, bugger all to anyone who got in his way.
0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0
They'd aligned their intentions, and decided to withhold Harry's revelations about how he'd been treated by his relatives from Albus, until they had permission from the boy to share what they knew. The current plan was to allow Harry to sleep for a couple more hours, and then wake him and convince him it was best that he transfer to Hogwarts for the rest of the weekend.
"You should return to Hogwarts, Lupin, there's not much more to be done tonight," Severus advised with a tone that suggested Lupin was underperforming anyway, so he should just cut and run.
Now Remus gave Severus a withering look, and when he flashed a glance at Lucius and saw that the blonde wizard was amused, he realized Severus was taunting him without cruelty for a change, so he simply bowed and stepped into the floo.
"Shall we have a look inside Potter's school bag?" Lucius asked.
A/N Thanks for getting on board with EM-HI. I've got some great ideas, and hope to start getting into some peril and mayhem soon, so stay tuned!
