Chapter 3

The Truth

As Harry stood near Hermione he felt scared. Just earlier he had seen Ron leaving the hospital wing from visiting Hermione. What had he told her he wondered? He hoped she would believe him when he told her what happened. He didn't think he could survive another rejection from his friends.

Hermione huffed as she thought back to what Ron had told her earlier. She had just been revived by Madam Pomphrey earlier when Ron had come to visit. She was overjoyed when she heard that the attacks stopped. But when Ron went onto talk about how Harry was just seeking more fame and had let his sister die on purpose she snapped. She had slapped him and told him in no uncertain terms was he to speak to either of them again or else.

So when Harry appeared before her timidly and without his usual smile she grabbed him and wrapped herself around him. "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry that you had to endure those horrors. Ron was a jealous arse. All he wanted was fame and glory. You're better off without him Harry."

As Hermione held him Harry broke down. He cried as the pain tore through his heart. The people he thought of as family were just as bad as the Dursleys. At least he still Hermione. As long as he had her he could survive. Without her he didn't think he could continue. He loved her. As the thought went through his mind he eased away from her and truly looked at her.

People complained about her unruly hair and bad social habits but they endeared her to him. He loved her for how she was and didn't care what others thought. He looked at her and decided that he had to tell her. He couldn't lose her so gathering his courage he took her face in his hands and uttered how he truly felt.

"Hermione, I've wanted to tell you this for some time but I've been afraid to tell you. I love you, I have for a long time but I was always too scared to tell you but after tonight I decided I couldn't pass up this opportunity to tell you." Harry stared at her and hoped he didn't seem like an idiot for what he said.

Hermione was shocked. The boy she had a crush on was confessing to loving her. She knew this was a huge step for Harry, especially after coming from an emotionally abusive home. She stared at before she grabbed him and kissed home. It was chaste but it conveyed all her feelings.

Harry sat there for a minute before a large grin spread across his face. "So, you also love me?" he asked after calming down. "Yes Harry, I do love you." Hermione told him. They spent the night there in the hospital wing getting to know one another even more.

In the morning when he woke Harry looked around in confusion before the previous day's events came back to his mind. He felt depressed but also happy. He was sitting there when Professor McGonagall arrived. "Mr. Potter the headmaster would like for you to go to his office and to take Ms. Granger along. Oh and remember he is fond of Debbie cakes." She said before leaving.

Harry remembered the appointment the headmaster made for him and rushed to get Hermione up. "Hermione get up. We have to see the headmaster in ten minutes" he said in her ear loudly.

She jumped up at that and grabbed him while running for the doors. "Harry how could you forget this. We have to hurry now or we'll be late" she yelled while running through the corridors. As they reached the gargoyle to the headmaster's office it jumped aside revealing the man himself and they ran straight into him.

"Children, what's the rush on this fine day. Come let us go have breakfast first before we retire to my office." He jovially said with his eyes twinkling. As he led them to the Great Hall for breakfast Harry and Hermione silently followed. When they entered the hall was already filled and they made to go sit at Gryffindor table when the headmaster gently steered them towards the head table. He led them up with the all eyes in the hall focused on them. They blushed as everyone stared, even the teachers sat there with surprised looks on their faces. Dumbledore just whistled a jolly tune and began to eat with Harry and following his lead while sitting on either side of him.

As the meal progressed the two children were wrapped up in a discussion with Dumbledore involving Snape, a bucket of chicken and the imperial march theme. To say the teachers were flabbergasted would be an understatement. Snape who was sitting near them was seething in rage, Flitwick was animating a visual of the scene, and McGonagall was hiding a smirk.

After breakfast was over they retired to the headmaster's office where things became grim. "Harry, it was not my intention to tell you this now but events have pushed this plan forward. Last year you asked me why Voldemort was after you. I told you to wait that I wanted you to have a proper childhood. That plan almost cost you your life. I won't let it happen again. From now on you and Ms. Granger shall be trained by me personally. But for you'll two to know these secrets you must learn to train your mind against attacks. To do this I shall teach you occulemency. To do this I shall first let you experience an attack against your mind."

"Harry you will go first, please look in my eyes." After that Dumbledore proceeded to look in Harry's mind. What he found in his memories of the Dursleys was horror. How could anyone do that to a child? He broke off from his mind and shakily stared at the young boy, no, young man in front of him.

"Harry, why didn't you tell anyone what the Dursleys were doing to you?" he asked the boy. Harry looked at him confusingly. "What do you mean sir isn't that how a family works?" At that question Dumbledore rose from his seat and asked them to wait there as he would be back shortly.

As he left the children in his office and flooed to Arabella's home he had only one thought in mind. When he arrived at their door he didn't knock, instead he cast some notice-me-not charms and blew the door open. "DURSLEYS! Come here now." His magically amplified voice yelled through the house.

As the Dursleys came running to the commotion, it was Petunia who spotted him first. She paled at his presence and tried to calm Vernon but it was too late. "Who do you think you are coming into our home you freak!" he yelled at Dumbledore. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and drew his wand before restraining Vernon. "I am Harry's headmaster at Hogwarts. I am also the one to send him here. Today I was examining his mind and saw his memories of your treatment. To say I was disgusted would be an understatement. After I'm through with you, you will wish you had never been born."

Dumbledore then proceeded to tear through their minds and forced them to experience what Harry did. After he did that he got up and Flooed the DMLE. After informing them of who they abused the aurors quickly responded and took them away to be tried in wizarding court within a few days.