Shattered Illusions Chapter Seven: Flying and a Trip to the Hospital Wing

It was a nice sunny day, and all the first years were outside waiting for Madam Hooch, they were about to have flying lessons. Harry was excited, he had a hard time believing that you could actually fly on brooms. The more Ron talked about flying and Quidditch, Harry was more and more interested.

Finally Madam Hooch showed up and she told them all to stand along side their brooms, hold your hand over it and say 'up'. Harry was a little worried. This morning he had managed to say his first word since coming to Hogwarts.

He had gotten up early and was sitting in the common room writing when Ron came in. Ron had said hello and Harry opened his mouth to say hello back, at first nothing came out. Harry's throat felt scratchy, so he cleared his throat again.

"Hi" Harry said. It sounded very hoarse and painful, and sounded more like, "I". It had sent Harry into a coughing fit, he covered his mouth in the inside of his elbow. When he was done he happened to glance down and noticed a small amount of blood. He had been puzzled but told nobody. Every attempt at talking, he bled. So he tried not to.

But now, he had to say 'Up' to his broom. He shook his head and held out his hand. Attempting to say 'up', he only managed something that sounded like, 'uh'. His broom shot to his hand anyway and his eyes widened. Everyone else was struggling. Hermione's broom just wiggled around on the ground and Ron's shot up and hit him in the face.

Then Madam Hooch told them to mount the brooms, but something with Neville's went wrong and his started rising. Neville tried to get it to go back down, Harry could tell he was scared, and Hooch wasn't happy. She kept telling him to come down, but Neville's broom started flying away.

It shot through the air really fast, and Neville was hanging on really tight, screaming the whole way. It was hard to watch as it crashed into the side of the castle and he fell off and hit the ground with a 'thud'. Hooch rushed over and helped Neville to the hospital wing.

As she was leaving, she said that they were all to stay on the ground or they'd be expelled. Well, she actually said something about being out faster than anyone could say 'Quidditch', but Harry got the idea.

Harry saw Malfoy walk over and pick up a ball that had fallen out of Neville's pocket and say,"Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his fat arse." Harry pushed his way to the front. He never liked Malfoy, but he felt anger suddenly rip through him when he heard Malfoy bad mouthing on of his friends.

He faced Malfoy and held out his hand.

"Give." Harry ground out, he could already taste blood.

"No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." Then Malfoy got on his broom and went into the air. Harry had never flown before, but he went with his gut instinct and got on it and followed. Flying didn't seem to be that hard at all, but it was a little scary being that high up.

"How about on the roof?" Malfoy asked and threw the ball, then Harry was speeding after it as fast as the broom could go. He caught it and pulled away, inches from flattening himself into the castle.

When Harry saw McGonagall walking towards him, he felt his stomach drop. He done it, he had gotten himself expelled and now he would have to go back to the Dursley's. He told him to come with her but Harry soon found out that he wasn't getting expelled.

Harry ended up getting a detention for that night with Snape, and he got a place as Seeker on the Quidditch team. Harry was so excited he didn't even care about the detention.

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Professor Snape had a frustrating day. Five melted cauldrons, three explosions, and many ruined potions that day, and Potter was really getting on his nerves. How dare the brat think he can walk around, thinking he to good to even talk to everyone else?

Snape entered the Great Hall sneering and took his place for supper. His spot was by Madam Pomfrey and Quirrell. He didn't like Quirrell at all, the stuttering idiot. Poppy on the other hand, he had a deep respect for. She saved his life many times after death eater meetings, and never judged him at all. He was brought out of his thoughts by Poppy.

"Severus, I never noticed it before but..." She trailed off, staring at somebody at the Gryffindor table.

"What is it?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"It's Harry Potter, I hadn't really looked at him, but there's something not right." She mumbled, still looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"He's just trying to get attention, just like his father." Snape grumbled.

"No." She said suddenly, "I think he's wearing a glamour." Snape's head snapped up to look at Potter, he indeed looked like he was wearing a glamour. How did he not notice it before? Was he really that blind with hatred?

"I would have noticed it before." Snape said, doubting himself deep down. "Why would he wear a glamour anyway?"

"Can you think of no reason?" Poppy asked. "I remember a certain shy Slytherin that used to use glamour every summer." Snape's heart thudded in his chest. Surely Potter hadn't been treated as he had as a child, Potter was most likely spoiled worse than Draco Malfoy.

"Surely Potter isn't abused." Snape said. "He's probably spoiled rotten."

"Find out please, Severus." Poppy said, "I don't want to see another death resulting from abuse and neglect."

"He has detention after supper, I'll talk to him then." Severus said.

"Is...Is he using sign language?" Poppy asked a minute later. Snape looked up. He used to know sign language, he had a friend that was deaf so he had learned, he was a bit rusty on it now though. That had been years ago.

"It looks like it." Snape said confused.

"Is he deaf?" Poppy asked. "I've only known one deaf person in Hogwarts."

"He isn't deaf, he pretends that he cannot talk." Snape said.

"Pretends?" Poppy asked, "Are you sure that he really can't talk?"

"Positive." Snape said. "He only wants attention."

"Have you heard him ever speak?" Snape thought for a minute.

"No..."

"Talk to him tonight." She said, then left the Great Hall.

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When Harry finished his supper that night he said good bye to his friends and left for detention. He always hated detention with Snape, he always made Harry remember how stupid he actually was and made him feel horrible inside.

When he got there he knocked lightly on the door, hoping that Snape wasn't there and he could do the detention at a later time.

"Enter." A deep voice said from inside. Harry took a deep breath and entered.

"Shut the door." Snape growled from his desk. Harry shut the door and walked slowly up to Snape's desk.

"Start scrubbing those cauldrons." Snape said. Harry walked over and started scrubbing, he could feels Snape's eyes on him the whole time.

Snape never noticed it before, but Potter had a small limp. It was so small that it was almost not there, but it was none the less. And the way Potter held things, it was like he couldn't bend his fingers correctly.

The more Snape watched Potter, the more guilt he felt. He also felt like something was very wrong, very wrong indeed. Something inside of him kept saying that Potter was just looking for attention, and there was nothing wrong with him. But another part of him knew, another part of him recognized the signs from his own experiences and from treated his abused Slytherin's.

"Potter." Snape said. "Come here." Potter stood immediately and went over to Snape.

"Sit." Snape said pointing to the chair. "Can you talk?" Potter bit his lip and shook his head, tears already forming.

"How do you communicate?" Snape asked, he already guessed the answer of course, but he wanted to know what Potter would do. Potter looked uncertain and held up his hands.

"Sign language?" Snape asked. Potter nodded. "Alright then, sign your answers. I know a bit of sign language." Potter nodded again.

"Why can't you talk?" Snape asked.

"I don't know." Potter signed. "If I try, it only comes out in croaks." Snape accepted that answer.

"Why are you wearing a glamour?" Snape questioned. Potter looked confused.

"I'm not." he signed.

"I think you are." Snape growled. "Don't lie to me." Potter shrunk back.

"Sorry." he signed. "I don't know what that is." Snape narrowed his eyes.

Harry looked confused so Snape raised his wand and took down the glamour. He gasped in horror at what he saw.

"What happened?" Snape demanded.

"What do you mean?" Harry signed, looking very confused again.

"Your face, what happened to it." Snape asked, then looked at the rest of Harry. "And your neck and hands."

"I don't know, what's it look like?" Harry signed. Snape pulled open and drawer and pulled out a mirror, then handed it to Harry. Harry looked at Snape then glanced into the mirror, then gasped himself.

His face was full of scars, and not just the lighting bolt on. He had a huge, red, angry looking scar by his mouth. The corners of his mouth look like it had been melted, and then it ran down his cheeks and all over his chin. The scar didn't stop there though, it continued to run down his neck and stopped a little passed his collar bone.

Then he looked at his fingers, it was no wonder he had trouble signing sometimes, half of them were crooked and his palms had the same angry red scars. Harry carefully put the mirror down and looked back up to Snape.

"I don't know what happened." He signed.

"Those look like burn marks, Mr. Potter." Snape said, "You don't remember being burned?" Harry shook his head.

"What is your life like at home?" Snape asked. Harry looked startled.

"It's fine." he signed.

"Does your family ever hit you? Do they starve you, you are rather small." Harry shook his head. As far as he knew he didn't get hit, and he wasn't starved. Sure, he never got enough to eat, but he wasn't starved.

Snape sighed and stood up. "Come with me, Mr. Potter, we have to go see Madam Pomfrey."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"We have to get you a check up. Now come."

They silently made it to the Hospital wing. When the went through the door, Snape told him to sit on a bed while he got Madam Pomfrey. They both entered a few minutes later.

"Mr. Potter!" Poppy gasped, "What happened to your face?" Harry shrugged and looked away.

"Alright, lay back please so I can scan your body." Harry layed back and waited. After a few minutes she had him sit up again.

"When did you stop talking?" She asked gently. Harry thought about it. He never really talked much.

Harry shrugged.

"Do you know where you got these burns?" She questioned. Harry shook his head.

"These burns are from grease." She said carefully, "It looks like somebody tried to force you to drink it." Harry's eyes widened.

"Are you sure, Poppy?" Severus asked, Poppy nodded.

"It looks like you pushed most of it out and down your face, but some of it you swallowed."

"I'm sorry." Harry signed.

"Don't apologize." She said softly, "Have you tried to talk?"

"Yes." Harry signed, "But when I do, I sometimes cough up blood. Just a little."

"Alright, try not to talk then." She said then pulled out her wand and mumbled "Lumos".

"Can you open your mouth?" Harry opened it as wide as he could and Poppy and Snape both peered inside.

"Alright, you can close your mouth now." She said after a moment. "Is your taste ok?"

"I think so." Harry signed. "Maybe not. I don't know, things kind of taste...dull."

"Most of your taste buds were completely destroyed." She said, "Your mouth is scared terribly, I'm surprised it never got infected. Now, about these other injuries. How did you get them?"

"I don't know. I don't remember ever getting them." Harry signed.

"I'm going to have to keep you for at least a week." She said. "You've had five broken ribs, a broken leg, and a broken collar bone. You've also shattered all the fingers in your left hand along with nerve damage from the burns on your hands. All the broken bones have healed, but they didn't heal correctly and I need to reset them."

Harry looked upset, but he just nodded his head.

"Mr. Potter, you really cannot remember?" Snape asked.

"I don't remember." Harry signed a bit forcefully.

"I wonder...Would it be ok if I went into your mind?" Snape questioned.

"Why?"

"If I could, I could go in and look through your memories and find out how you got these." Snape said. "But I wont without your permission." Harry thought about it for a minute.

"Alright." He signed. Snape raised his wand.

"Ligilimens."