Harry woke up feeling fuzzy. His body did not hurt anymore. He felt the sun on his skin and the softness of a mattress under him. He was hearing voices near him. He recognized two of them but one was foreign and yet strangely familiar. Remus Lupin and Dumbledore were talking with a feminine voice.
"Is he going to be okay ?" Remus's voice asked worryingly.
"Poppy and Miss Osborn are positive that he will make a full recovery Remus." Dumbledore answered quietly.
" I must thank you for being there Miss Osborn." Remus said
"You must also thank Professor Snape and Dobby. The elf went to find Snape. I just happened to be there when the elf arrived." The voice of the woman whom Harry thought must belong to Miss Osborn replied.
Harry coughed slightly which made the three adults turn around to look at him. So much for eavesdropping he thought. He tried to move his arm to pick up his glasses from the bedside table but winced in pain from the movement.
"Try not to move Mr Potter" the matron's voice came and she picked up the glasses and put them on Harry's face. His vision cleared and he saw that he was in the hospital wing. Remus was seating next to his head. The man looked even more worn than he had ever seen him. He had big shadows under his eyes but had a small smile on his face. Next to Remus Dumbledore was standing, he too had a smile on his face but looked as if he had age 10 years over the summer. Madam Pomfrey was busy whispering to herself, busy looking at scans she had perform on him.
The hospital wing was bathing in sunlight, it must have been midday. Harry tried to move but the firm hand of the medi-witch held him down.
"You are still in a bad shape Mr Potter. You cannot move yet. Be a good boy and don't make me restrain you please." Her voice was gentle but her grip on Harry told him that she would restrain him in a heartbeat if he did not behave. Dumbledore chuckled slightly.
"Well Harry, you gave us quite a scare. Thankfully Dobby was able to bring help."
"What happened sir ?" Harry croaked.
"You don't remember Harry ?" Remus asked, concern all over his face.
"Not really." Harry said. He remembered the wrath of his uncle. The sound of the belt on his skin still fresh. It made him shiver just thinking about it. He remembered thinking he was going to die and calling Dobby. He remembered the elf disappearing but nothing after that.
Dumbledore put a reassuring hand on Harry's leg and sighed.
"You called Dobby for help Harry. You were badly injured. Your faithful friend went to seek help. He found Professor Snape and Miss Osborn in the Leaky Cauldron."
"Snape ?" Harry whispered disgustingly. Of all the people in the world it had to be Snape that rescued him from the Dursley.
"Professor Snape Harry." Dumbledore went on. "Yes. You were very lucky that Dobby found them when he did. However were he alone, the outcome might have been different. Thank Merlin Miss Osborn is a qualified Healer." He gestured towards a woman that Harry had not noticed. She was standing at the foot of Harry's bed. She nodded at him when Dumbledore introduced her. She had bright red hair that reminded Harry of the Weasleys children. Her face was not as warm however. She also had big shadows under her eyes and looked in deep thought.
Harry suddenly felt very tired. His eyes began to close and he did not try to fight the sleep that was enveloping him.
When he woke up again the hospital wing was quieter that it had been the first time he had open his eyes. It was no longer daytime. The light coming from the candles was comforting and warm. Someone was sitting next to him. It was not Remus however. Not wanting to talk, Harry tried to fain sleep but heard a snort.
"I know you're awake Potter" the voice said.
Sighing, Harry opened his eyes and saw that someone was putting his glasses on his face. He came face to face with Miss Osborn.
"Yeah well I had to try didn't I ?" He said. The woman helped him get up on his bed and gave him a few potions to drink. Harry did just that, not wanting to protest. When he finished drinking Miss Osborn started studying him closely. He felt x-rayed.
"Tell me something Mr Potter" She said quietly. "Do you know how you came by to be in the state we found you in yesterday?"
"I don't know. I must have fallen. I'm very clumsy." He said not wanting to meet the woman's stare. "Clumsy are you ? Funny, I thought Seekers were not supposed to be clumsy. Quite the opposite actually." She suddenly picked up a bottle and threw it at Harry. His Quidditch reflexes got the better of him and he was holding the bottle before he could think about what he did.
"I rest my case" Osborn said, looking at him pointedly.
Harry sighed. He knew he was cornered. Osborn was clearly not someone you could lie to. The woman continued.
"Now. As you may realize by now, yours is not the first case of child abuse I've came to witness. I'm giving you a choice. You can either tell me everything I want to know or you can talk to someone else. I realize talking to a stranger can be difficult."
Harry was staring at her now. She was younger than Harry had first thought. She must be in her early twenties.
"Who are you ?" He asked defensively. It was easier to dodge her questions by attacking her.
"A fair question Potter." She said smiling. Her face seemed much more relaxed by the smile on her face. "I am the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Jane Osborn." She held out her hand to him. Harry shook it slightly. He did not know wether or not to trust that woman. She seemed nice enough but strict and clearly not someone you would want to mess with.
"So, now that we are all clear on who I am. I would like you to answer my question."
Harry was looking at his hands nervously. He was beginning to shake all over. His breathing was becoming difficult. His vision blurred and suddenly he was back at the Dursleys. His Uncle was screaming at him. Telling him he was a worthless scum. He heard a voice in the back of his head, telling him to breath. He felt a warm hand on his arm. He tried to breath deeply but his Uncle was becoming louder and louder. He was terrified. And suddenly he was back in the Hospital wing. Osborn was holding him and was whispering words of comfort. He felt his anxiety melt away as he concentrated on the voice. He was breathing slowly. He did not understand what was going on. Osborn let go of him and sighed.
"You had a panic attack Potter. I apologize for not seeing this coming. I had to give you a calming draught. Now don't you worry. I won't ask you to tell me anything tonight. But you do realize we are going to have to understand what happened at your relatives do you?"
Harry nodded. The calming draught was soothing and he quickly felt tired again. Before he knew it, he was asleep again.
The next morning, Madam Pomfrey came with a breakfast tray. Harry was hungry, he felt hungry for the first time in weeks. His body did not hurt that much anymore. He thanked the matron and began eating. The toast felt good and the hot tea was making him feel warm and comfortable. He was eating when the hospital wing door flew open and a very worried Mrs Weasley came in, followed closely by his two best friends Ron and Hermione.
"Oh Harry dear. We were so worried for you. When Arthur told us, I could not believe what I was hearing. Are you alright ?" She was hugging him tightly.
"Yes. I'm better Mrs Weasley." Harry reassured her. He loved Mrs Weasley, she was like the mother he never had. Always worrying about him, knitting him sweaters for Christmas and making a fuss out of everything.
When Mrs Weasley released him Hermione hugged him quickly and Ron patted his arm.
"Hey mate! Couldn't keep out of the Hospital wing more than a month huh?" He said trying to sound calm. He obviously had been very worried too. Hermione had tears in her eyes but she was smiling fondly at him.
"Dumbledore told us what happened Harry. We could not come to see you sooner, they would not let us in. But they allowed you to go home today so we thought we'd tag along" Hermione said.
Harry felt his stomach drop. He was going home. To the Dursleys. To the very people who had sent him here in the first place. He should have told Osborn everything. His realization must have transpired on his face because Mrs Weasley hugged him again.
"Oh Harry don't you worry. You are not going back to that horrid place. You're coming with us to headquarter."
Harry felt a wave of relief coming over him. He did not want to know what "headquarter" was. He was going back with the Weasleys. That was all that mattered to him.
Madam Pomfrey came back later to pick up his breakfast tray and began scanning him before releasing him. Once he was cleared he got dressed behind the screen and went to join Mrs Weasley, Ron and Hermione. They all got out of the Hospital wing and began walking to the Headmaster's office.
"Dumbledore wants to see all of us before we leave. Well probably you more than us mate, but then we can go." Ron told him.
They arrived in Dumbledore's office. The twinkle in the old man's eyes was back. He showed Harry a piece of paper that said "12 Grimmauld Place". When Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion he dismissed him and led the group to the fireplace. Mrs Weasley took a pinch of floo podwer and said very clearly "12 Grimmauld Place!" She disappeared in the green flames. Ron and Hermione followed her and Harry took their place in the fire. Dumbledore nodded at him before he too, clearly announced "12 Grimmauld Place!". The Headmaster's office dissolved and he was soon falling down on a dirty wooden floor.
The room was dark and dusty. It was not particularly welcoming, unlike the Burrow. Mrs Weasley was brushing his jumper to get rid of the dirt from the journey. Then a door opened and a voice Harry would have recognized anywhere came in
"Where's my godson ?"
Sirius came in and Harry felt his heart pounding in his chest. He threw his arms at the man.
"Sirius !"