I do not own harry potter, only the changes that I have made to the story line. The characters all belong to J.K Rowling's. That should be fairly obvious though.

Professor Flitwick followed his jumpy student seeing that he was injured and found him in the astronomy tower looking over the edge. The first year jumped hearing the door open but relaxed slightly realizing who it was. "Sorry Professor, you scared me."

Flitwick went forward to the student who was scarily close to his own height, "how did you get that black eye Mr. Potter."

Harry looked down and away shrugging. Refusing to look the professor in the eye as he answered. "Doesn't matter."

"Of course, it does," Flitwick protested since the poor boy had clearly gotten beaten up since the last time they had healed him which was only that morning. He showed no signs of having fought back n his own defense. He never showed any signs of having defended himself and tended to be the only one injured in the fights. "Mr. Potter you're a brilliant student. One of the best in the school. At least you were in the beginning and now you refuse to stand your ground. Why don't you fight back?"

Harry shrugged just continuing to look at his feet, "if I fight back it becomes a challenge and I can't fight that many of them. I'll lose, at least this way...they get bored quick enough. There's no fun in beating up someone who's not fighting back."

While Flitwick could see the logic, he also could hear only defeat in the eleven-year old's voice. It worried him. He was nothing like either of his vibrant happy parents. Both of whom found friends easily enough and were beloved by a large amount of the student body. No, this child was one who had given up. "You can't survive this way," Flitwick stated. "what does that mean for your school years Harry."

"I don't know," he admitted shaking slightly. "I... I thought magic school would be different. I thought I would fit in here. But I'm as much a freak at Hogwarts as I was at my old school. I can't seem to make anyone like me and now everyone's too scared to be my friends because they know it will get them picked on too. What am I doing wrong professor? I thought...everyone here would be the same. We all have magic. So, when weird things happen it's okay not like primary school, but everyone hates me."

"Oh Harry," Flitwick said since it did not surprise him at all that the boy had been bullied before Hogwarts, not with how broken down he was. He gave the appearance of someone who had been beaten down again and again until he just gave up. "I wish I had an explanation, a magic fix it that would make the other kids see you as one of them."

"What am I doing wrong? If I answer the questions right, then I am a know it all but if I answer it wrong then I lose points or am stupid. Snape...Professor Snape hates me and has made all my housemates hate me more cause he's always taking points and I just...what can I do better," Harry asked. "I tried answering things right when I was asked so I won back the points he took but it just made it worse."

"Professor Snape has been dealt with," Flitwick said feeling anger at his colleague for making the boys time at Hogwarts a hell that no child deserved.

Harry glanced at him through watery eyes. "But people still won't like me," Harry said. "I don't know why everyone hates me. It's not just Professor Snape. He hates me, and all the students do too. It's like everything I do is wrong."

"Students are cruel," Flitwick stated. "Sometimes adults are as well. I am a quarter goblin who went to wizarding school. I know how cruel the other students can be and I am sorry that there is no easy fix. I wish there was."

"So, what do I do," Harry asked. "I'm so tired...I just...a part of me wants to go back to the muggle word and just give up. At least there I expected it. I know why people don't like me there. Without my cousin picking on me maybe I can even make friends. A friend. All I want is one friend."

That was heartbreaking to the professor, that that was the child's only wish. "And you will," Flitwick said hoping he was not being a liar when he made the declaration. "You will make friends. Just give it a bit more time. Now tell me, what are you doing up here so late?"

"They locked me out of the common room again," he admitted. "They charmed the portrait so it only asks me really, really hard questions that I don't know. Like seventh year material beyond the riddles. I don't know the answers and there's no one here so no one can hit me or hex me. The other Ravenclaws don't like me in the library and they always knock into my table when I am trying to do work and I can't go outside cause the other students are out there and I don't want to run into a Slytherin or a Gryffindor. Sometimes its quiet up here. I really like up high. Sometimes people still get mad though...cause they want to hang out up here and they don't like me in their way."

Flitwick gave him another sad look since he had seen all of that but without witnesses or actually a single name he couldn't do anything about it. He knew by now Harry would not name names. "Perhaps I can try to get people to work in groups, is there another student you'd like to get to know, whose nice to you."

Harry shook his head. "No... they won't want to work with me. I always work alone. In potions, herbology and transfigurations because no one wants to pair up with me. Professor, what did you do to get people to stop picking on you?"

Now that was a question he wasn't sure he should answer as it would be condoning something against the school rules. Still, he hoped maybe it would give him a bit of hope for something different. An end to things. "I fought back until I no longer needed to," He admitted. "Until I earned a reputation as someone that despite my size you did not wish to mess with. I joined the dueling circuit after school and made friends amongst my colleagues. Actually," he said making a decision. "Come with me Harry."

He looked confused but picked up his books and followed behind the professor. "What happened to your bag," he asked.

"Another student sent a cutting spell at it," he admitted embarrassedly. "And I sent Hedgewig away cause some people were sending stinging spells at her because she was mine. So, I can't order another one."

"I can repair it," Flitwick said. "I will teach you some spells to repair your things. But for now, come with me," he suggested leading him to the classroom and through a secondary door. "One of the things that saved me in school was I had something to work towards. I, from the time I was younger then you desired to prove that great things come in small packages. I think that is something you need to prove to yourself. Sometimes, it is not about proving to everyone else that you are tougher than they are. Sometimes, you need to prove to yourself your stronger then you think. I did that through dueling."

"You won like three times the most difficult competitions, didn't you?"

"I did," Flitwick stated. "I have been asked dozens of times over the years to teach people to duel. But I have never taken on a student in the dueling arts for many many years."

"W-why not professor?"

"Because I never had a student worth teaching before," he admitted. "Most I would not trust learning dangerous spells at eleven or twelve. Most do not begin going in competitions till third year and even that is a rarity. See, the competitions are dangerous, people have died in them, at all levels. Because you are aiming to harm or incapacitate but they are a strong tradition in the wizarding world. See, most people choose to duel because they want prestige, acknowledgement. Dueling is not about what you can win."

"What is it about."

"Learning, the thrill of casting each spell, of learning and improving, failing and getting back up and trying all again," Flitwick stated. "You get a thrill every time you cast a spell don't you."

"I never even imagined you could do all this," he admitted. "And to feel the magic...when your casting and seeing everything your capable of. Things I never even could imagine before i knew magic existed. Like...a part of me that I didn't know I was missing till I was there."

There was a spark of fire, of joy in the downhearted boys voice and features that lit up showing Flitwick that there was still a part of him that hoped and strived for something better. He did not completely give up. "I do not want you to lose that chance," Flitwick stated. "To lose the chance to feel that by giving up on Hogwarts."

Harry bit his lip understanding his point but he still didn't know if it was worth all the hassle. "I don't know if it's worth it," he admitted. "I just am tired. I want it to be done. I am tired of being alone and afraid. I am so sick of being scared. Afraid to turn the corner in the halls cause I don't know whose going to be there to beat me up. Hexes hurt more than punches. I just...If I fight back I will get in trouble and people will be even more angry at me and they will realize I am a challenge and beat me up more. Now, if they hex me a couple times they get bored and walk away. If I send hexes back...I can't fight them all and I don't want to...I just don't know what to do. I... I just don't want to go back out there."

"I will tell you what Harry, first my classroom and office is always open, the password is Trident. Any time you need to get away from students, you feel free to come here. This rooms password is Spear. It is always open to you. When you need a safe place to do your homework or just to sit without worry, only you or another member of the staff can get in this room, currently myself, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore."

'You...you really wouldn't mind?"

"No, you can make this your safe place," Flitwick stated. "Anytime you want to escape you can come here. This is a safe room. It's a dueling chamber. A place where you can cast spells at the dummies which will show the results before repairing. Somewhere you can cast magic and not have to worry about who is watching. And if your interesting, I would like to teach you to duel."

Harry turned to look at him shocked, "but...but I thought you did not take students."

"I don't, but I would be honored to teach you Harry. You don't have to answer now but I would be willing, perhaps three evenings a week for sure, teach you dueling technique, maybe allow you to watch some duels in a pensive, train you up. I'd even be willing to sponsor you in tournaments."

Harrys eyes widened in shock as he stuttered, "w-why would you choose me," Harry asked. "Out of everyone at Hogwarts. There are so many people better than me."

"Because Dueling saved me," Flitwick said. "It gave me an outlet for my anger. It let me fight back. prove to myself that I was better then what everyone put me down to. I think you need that reason to fight. A way to be more than just a victim of the bullies at Hogwarts. You have potential. I believe you could be one of the greatest duelists if you give yourself a chance. You are one of the best students here. I would be honored to teach you."

"I'd really like that professor," Harry said amazed. "Thank you."

Come on lad. I believe the kitchens are open," Flitwick stated. "we will get you something to eat. Also, there is a doorway in these rooms to the dorms. I will take down the spells from the portrait but there is a safe entrance. I will also teach you some protection spells for your curtains on your bed, so you can get a full night's sleep."

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully.