As the previous memories ended Madam Bones clearly looked caught between wanting to shake Harry or congratulate him. Harry, not wasting a moment to be captured by his Slytherin family members, scurried over and handed over more of his memories. This time they were of the Acromantula nest in second year, the Dementors on the train, at the Quidditch match, and when they tried to KISS Sirius in third year. As an after thought he added the Dementors in Surrey that had nearly killed him and Dudley over the summer.
Harry stumbled into one of the Aurors and jostled him. As they both fought to regain their balance an egg fell from the man's pocket, catching Harry's eye as it dropped towards the hard stone floor. His seeker reflexes kicked in with a vengeance and Harry dived for the glittering silver and white egg, snatching it away from the hard stone floor. Falling into an instinctive roll he wrapped himself protectively around the baseball sized egg.
"Keep it," the Auror whispered as he helped the teen back up to his feet. Harry nodded and pocketed the egg with barely a glance, hoping to have time later to look at it properly. The glare he received from his father and Family Lord as he returned to his seat spoke volumes.
The opening sequence to the Acromantula nest showed Harry and Ron following the fleeing spiders into the forbidden forest. Severus growled at the sight of his students entering the dangerous woods. Harry just sighed. It wasn't like he was doing it just for fun or to explore.
The sight of the increasing number of giant spider webs had both elder Slytherins tensing as they watched the interrogation and subsequent flight from the forest.
"I should have killed the beast instead of letting Hagrid help it escape in favor of capturing him!" Voldemort spat as the memory wound down. "Such a nest of man-eaters near the school! Unacceptable!"
"The board refused to pay for their removal and Dumbledore refused to do anything either," Severus reported quietly. "He claimed that they were already in a forbidden area so there was no point in antagonizing them by attacking the nest."
The next memory started with the Hogwarts train slowing down and the confusion of the students in the compartment. As the memory was from Harry's point of view everyone heard the words of Lily Potter nee Evans and Voldemort from the fateful Halloween night.
"You... remember that when the Dementors...?!" Severus said hoarsely, openly horrified. Harry said nothing even as they watched Lupin chase away the overly enthusiastic Dementors and ply the students with chocolate.
Harry stoically sat through the Dementor swarmed Quidditch game. He absently noted that he had been the obvious single target from the very start. It had also been Severus' patronus that fought off the majority of the Dementors that got too close to him. He had passed out just as a few got in position to try and deliver the KISS.
The following memory of the Shrieking shack and the events after it finished only once the time loop was complete. Before anyone could assume that they were done the memory of the incident in Surrey over the summer played into the silence of the room.
After watching these memories the entire room turned to look at the sheepish 5th year student in open shock.
"You have got to have Liquid Luck in your veins!" Severus spat harshly, making Harry flinch. He didn't get far before he was practically dragged into his father's lap and half crushed protectively against the man's chest.
"I take it that Dumbledore failed to inform the staff of these events or twisted them into something far closer to harmless?" Voldemort drawled, his voice menacing in its suppressed fury. He had nearly tried snatching up the troublesome imp himself but he trusted Severus with Harry. Having to watch Harry's soul nearly being eaten by the Dementors had been horrifying.
"That would be an understatement," Severus told him forcefully. "The troll was the closest to being accurate but all of the rest... Well let us just say that I am clearly one of the only people remotely keeping a close enough eye on him and he still managed... Impossibility! Its as if his natural magic is doing more to bend reality than what it is supposed to even for protective accidental outbursts!"
After winning free enough to spit his father's robe out of his mouth Harry confirmed that guess. "That sounds about right. Sometimes its like my magic is so alive that it wants to play and my wand forces it so small that it almost feels like it hurts at times. The time I accidentally apparated when I was 8 to get away from Dudley and his gang I thought the wind had caught me and lifted me up when I jumped. Then there were a couple of times I could have sworn that my magic brewed a nasty storm outside."
"Your wand is restricting your magic?!" Voldemort demanded, eyes sharp and intensely interested in this new tidbit.
"Er, yes?" Harry said cautiously, deciding that he was safer hidden in his father's billowy robes than facing the Dark Lord just then, even if the fabric kept trying to creep into his mouth.
"Gringotts would like to offer training for the young warrior mage," the goblin representative offered quickly. The word Mage practically froze the breath of those present.
"Its a wonder he didn't develop into an Obscurial!" one of the unnamed Aurors present breathed in horror.
"The owl..." Severus breathed in realization before letting his son up enough for their eyes to meet. "Harry, when did you recieve Hedwig?"
"Hedwig?" Harry blinked his bright emerald eyes in surprise before he answered honestly. "Hagrid gave her to me for my birthday when he took me to Diagon Alley for my school things. She was the first present I ever got. Hagrid told me I was a wizard just after midnight when I turned 11... why?"
"Well, this definitely explains the natural familiar bond and why he was so badly affected when that stupid boy killed her," Voldemort scowled harshly. "The owl was helping him with his magic. Instead of becoming an Obscurial he bonded so strongly with his owl that a natural familiar bond formed."
"Hagrid taught you about our world? No teachers visited you for the basic introduction and going over the laws for interacting with muggles?!" Severus demanded, completely aghast at the situation.
"No, why would they?" Harry asked, openly confused.
"Perhaps I should see about getting a law passed that requires an Auror to accompany a teacher to all students that have been muggle raised," Voldemort growled. "At least with two magicals it should make it safer for all involved and reduce the risk of this happening again. Of course I, personally, wouldn't have put it past Dumbledore to arrange for all of this on purpose, including the abuse."
"Enough," Severus scolded the irate Dark Lord. "That is a matter for later. Our imp doesn't need to be dragged into it yet and we can get further details out of him when we are safely back at the manor."
"We will now take a break to absorb what we have just learned and allow for anyone to use the bathrooms or claim refreshments," Madam Bones announced. She directed their gazes towards the just appearing buffet table and small door that was clearly marked as a restroom.
Harry didn't waste any time bolting for the bathroom, much to everyone's quiet amusement. The humor of the young man needing the restroom broke the upset air that had covered the room as they relaxed enough to let the memories really settle into their minds.
"Now that my son is out of the room... I think we can all agree on being horrified by what he has been forced to face," Severus pointed out severely. There was a rumble of agreement that echoed in an outraged growl around the room.
"That's an understatement," Voldemort muttered resentfully.
The Dark Lord had noticed a disturbing trend even with the very careful time editing on the memories. Dumbledore and Harry's friends very clearly tended towards pushing Harry into the incidents. Each "adventure" also closely resembled what a "hero" might do with liberal prodding in the right direction by his two friends who had some very convenient answers. It greatly bothered the Dark Lord and deeply angered him. Harry had, unknowingly, protected a piece of his very soul. No one should be able to do such things to him.
It was most obvious in the memories regarding the Basilisk and the time loop incident. Largely, he suspected, because of how complete those sets happened to be even if a few of them had been shown slightly out of order.
"Can we at least hope that his memories will get better?" Madam Bones asked with cautious hope.
"I doubt it," Severus grimaced. "I am not exempt from having mistreated him and my previous misinformation on his situation and character is no excuse. Right now what truly bothers me is how he appears to have been led into many of the incidents that he didn't stumble into naturally. If he was being shaped into a hero than what else was done to him? It could have been as simple as misinformation but I rather doubt that even with his memories thus far and the health report that we have seen everything that he has suffered."
"You're right, you haven't and you wont," Harry said bluntly from the doorway to the restroom. "I am not dumb but I also didn't see much choice except to play to the expectations. At least it let me come to Hogwarts."
Harry didn't elaborate further as he re-took his seat and pulled out the odd silver egg the Auror had given him to examine it properly. Now that he had a proper look at it he could see and feel a sort of engraved pattern on the silver shell. Waves and swirls and bubble like designs covered the egg as he felt it warm beneath his finger tips. It wasn't an unpleasant warmth but there was enough of it that it was a shock to suddenly feel it go ice cold. He watched in fascination as icy tendrils of frost formed in the valleys of the carved surface, attaching to his fingers only to melt away and leave a misty fog that rapidly disappeared.
Harry watched in quiet awe as the silver melted away into a solid fog before dispersing into nothingness, leaving an adorable white baby bird chick nestled softly in his hands. Oblivious to the world around him Harry lifted his baby bird to his face and gave the small head a soft kiss. The power that instantly surrounded the pair sent his two family members sprawling and brought the room's attention to him. They watched in open shock as the powerful familiar bond formed between the two spontaneously.
"Hullo again Hedwig," Harry greeted the very awake chick as she chirruped in his his hands, beaming a brilliant and sunny smile as his first friend had been returned to him.