I Own Nothing!
"About what Mrs Weasley?" Harry asked, looking quite nervous and eyeing the door.
"Call me Molly dear. And we are going to talk about your family." Molly said with a solemn look which suggested that it wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. The tone with which she said family, also suggested to Harry that this was only going to be about his living relatives. Harry inched away.
"What about them?" He looked to Hermione, who was just as confused as he was, and then to Ron. Ron had a peculiar look on his face, much like Fred or George used to have just before a prank. Harry immediately tensed and looked at Madame Pomfrey. "Why is Madame Pomfrey here?"
Molly took a deep breath, and decided to just lay her cards on the table. "Harry dear….We want to know what your home life was like with them. Whether they loved you enough….fed you enough….or if they ever hit you." Harry froze, and panicked.
"WHAT!" His voice came out sounding very high pitched, and he wasn't shocked at the room's winces. He coughed and tried to regain his composure. "I mean no! No they never actually beat me! Not like what you're thinking!" He looked to Hermione, whose face was suddenly whit and she whispered.
"What did they do then Harry?" Harry fidgeted.
"Well, I used to get smacked when I did something wrong, and Aunt Petunia once threw a frying pan at my head- but I'm sure she aimed wrong in purpose!" Harry in fact was sure she'd meant to hit him, but he wanted to get of this conversation as soon as possible.
Ron looked pale, and Hermione was fighting back tears. It was Molly that spoke next. "What about food- did they ever starve you?"
"No…I never got to eat as much as I'd liked and occasionally I was sent to bed without dinner but I wasn't ever starved…" Molly frowned and looked him up and down.
"Well you certainly weren't far off it!"
Crossing his arms over his chest Harry scowled. "Why are you interrogating me?"
Molly looked taken aback by his temperament. She spoke her next words carefully, trying to keep the younger boy calm. "Something that was said earlier caused Arthur and I some concern about how you were brought up. We just wanted to know if it was true."
"Why should that matter now! It's not like I'm living with them anymore." Harry was thoroughly irritated with their concern.
"We just wanted to know so that we could be sure. There may be some lasting effects, mentally and physically….You know it's never too late Harry. The Dursleys can still be prosecuted under wizarding law."
Harry felt an inner turmoil, and what was a humorous and embarrassing day was turning out to be very awkward and difficult. "I don't want them prosecuted. They never hit me, and they might not have loved me but I swore that I would have nothing more to do with them. I'll answer any of your questions, but I don't want to hear about it again." This time his voice was firm, leaving no doubt that he had meant what he'd said.
Molly looked resigned and simply asked Poppy to ask what she needed.
"Did they ever beat you?" Harry mentally decide he'd water down what had happened to him.
"No. I got a smack at the most. Dragged upstairs at the least." Hermione reached out to him, and Ron put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tightly.
"Did you get at least two meals a day."
"Usually, sometimes I'd only have one, but that was very rare. I never went hungry for a whole day."
"Did they lock you in your room?"
Harry hesitated. "They locked me in the cupboard for the first couple of years, and put bars over my bedroom window at the beginning of my second year. After fourth year they mostly just left me alone."
"Did they ever call you names?" Poppy's voice was considerably more strained.
"Uh...I got called 'Boy', 'Freak', or just 'you' mostly. Sometimes Vernon swore at me."
"I see. Did they ever give you any form of affection?"
"Aunt Petunia said sorry the night she left with the order. Dudley looked sorry too." By now on was trembling and Hermione was shaking.
"Did the boy ever bully you, Dudley?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"….When I was smaller he and his friends used to hit me, but that stopped when I went to Hogwarts."
"STOP IT!" Hermione had seemingly burst. She poked Harry in the chest, almost deafening him. "STOP ACTING SO CALMLY ABOUT THIS, AS IF IT WAS ALRIGHT! IT WAS NOT!" Ron stood up alarmed.
"Hermione calm down-"
"CALM DOWN? WHY?"
"You're not helping this Hermione. Just stop." At these words Hermione seemed to wake up. She looked around, and then back at Harry, before sniffing slightly and walking off. "Mum, could you go help Hermione please? I want to talk to Harry…"
Madame Pomfrey followed Hermione leaving the two boys in peace. It stayed like that with neither boy looking at each other before Ron spoke. "You should've told us."
Harry laughed bitterly. "I did remember? All those times, you thought I was joking. Besides it doesn't matter now. I just want to move on from it Ron."
"But we could've helped! We could've got you out of there!"
"No you couldn't. I needed the blood wards remember? There was nothing you could've done short of killing Voldemort." Ron glanced down, now thoroughly ashamed that he hadn't figured it out before now.
"Alright." Then noticing Hermione's continued absence, he moved closer to Hary and whispered. "Have you noticed anything weird about Hermione lately? Mum noticed it first but no that I think about it dies she seem a bit more…."
"High strung than usual? Yeah." Harry answered. "What's wrong with her?" Ron leaned back with s sad expression his face.
"I don't know mate, I thought you might." It was at this point that a rather ruffled looking Hermione went to sit down in her previous seat, muttering things Harry could barely catch.
"Honestly!...As if I- Never would we- Stupid nosy...Cannot believe this!" Harry gave her a few seconds before whispering.
"Hermione? Are you alright." The girl stiffened as the two older woman walked into the room and nodded briskly before exclaiming.
"I'm terribly sorry for my behaviour earlier Harry, I was just upset about hearing what your life was like outside of Hogwarts. You didn't even seem that upset, and it just made me wonder if could've fixed it. If only I'd noticed, but what with the disasters every year…" Harry laid a comforting hand on hers.
"It's alright Hermione. Ron's already said and we both agreed that there wasn't anything to be done. It's in the past."
Hermione eye's watered and she threw her arms around him. "But you'd already been through so much! It just wasn't fair!" He patted her on the back awkwardly and sighed.
"We all went through so much we didn't need to. We all grew up before our time, and I'm sure we all had issues. Mine were just a little different to yours and Ron's." Ron mimed cutting his throat before glancing at his mother, who was frowning again. Hurriedly Harry added. "But we're fixed now, and that's all that matters. It's pointless and painful to drag up the past." Hermione nodded into his shoulder and Harry told Madame Pomfrey she could ask the rest of her questions.
"Okay Harry, only a few more now. We you ever put down by your relatives? Emotionally I mean. Did they ever insult your work or anything of the sort?"
"Err….they weren't ever really interested to be honest."
And my final question Harry, did they ever try to prevent you going to Hogwarts?"
"Err. Well we moved to avoid the letters first year, and second year they locked me in my room…that's about it I think. What are you going to do with the information."
Madame Pomfrey finished writing her notes, and stood up with a grim expression on her face. "I'm going to give it to Minerva. Then I am going to sit back and watch sadistically as she mutilates Dumbldore's portrait." Those present winced.
"But Professor, it wasn't his faul-"
"He could've done something-anything to make sure that you were treated better than this! I won't have it Potter, you may have forgiven him, but after all of his meddling there are a few things that needed to be said!" Madame Pomfrey looked quite fierce.
Molly stood, and gestured for them to begin walking along the corridor. "And while I give the note to Minerva, you three will be going to that hospital check-up that Poppy mentioned earlier." There was a scary glint in Madame Pomfrey's eye as she raised her wand.
"After everything I've heard about today, you will be accompanying me. There is no choice. It is now, or when we've finished the questions. Choose."
"When we've finished!" They chorused. Obviously thinking of buying their time to escape, because once Pomfrey got her claws on them, she wouldn't let go. Before she changed her mind about their choice, they skimmed around the nurse and walked back into total chaos. Hermione grinned.
"What happened here?" There were now currently no less than 9 people in the room, all less than 3 feet tall with bright purple skin. They looked to wearing a disturbing menagerie of clothes, such as knitted hats and lederhosen. All were even more purple in the face, from what looked to be alarm, and they were crowded around one person in particular, who seemed to have kept his bright head of hair.
"It wasn't me I swear!" By now Hermione was unsuccessfully stifling her giggles and both boys turned to her.
"You…?" She nodded, and picked up an éclair, biting into it.
"It wasn't even George's idea. I was inspired by the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the chocolate factory." She grinned again, offering them a tart. Both boys ate.
"How did you do it?"
"Oh…I put a charm n the food before we left. I of course have the counter curse placed on me, so I can eat anything." Harry laughed, then stooped. He was starting to feel funny. They both looked around in time to see Poppy and Molly both turning varying shades or purple. By now Hermione was wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. They looked at her in horror.
"Hermione!" They started to shrink, and their voices became high pitched.
"Oh don't worry boys, it'll only last an hour. I think this is good enough revenge, don't you?"
"No, no I don't!" She laughed and told them how cute they sounded.
"Hermione! How could you!" Some of the others had heard her confession. She put on an innocent face.
"It's only a prank Professor, I thought the charms work was puuurfect."
The now diminutive Professor McGonagall screeched. "How long will it last?" She ignored Molly trying to get her attention.
"Well, yours should only last fifteen minutes if I'm not mistaken. Then you can give her the note Molly."
"Must we wear these ridiculous outfits? We look like children!" Professor Flitwick squealed.
Hermione merely grinned and cooed. "Aww, but you look so cute! This is definitely going in my penisive." Ignoring the angry squeals of humiliation she set back and ate lunch. "Don't worry, eating the food again won't make it last longer. Anyone who helped cats the spell will last and hour, those who knew about it half an hour and those who laughed fifteen minutes." She was surprised at the tug on her sleeve. Looking down, she saw Neville's features.
"Hermione? We can't reach the table." That was too much for her, she roared with laughter as she conjure little tables and chairs, and levitated the food down. Watching them eat, she was reminded of the Smurfs.
Eventually some of the teachers started turning back, still in their uniforms. "Oh, that was George's idea for your prank. It'll stay like that for an hour." Seeing her Professors dressed as children was quite amusing, however she handed Minerva a cloak when Molly gave he the paper. Watching as her Professor's face turned back to that shade of magenta, she followed her out of the room to make sure she didn't blow up the portrait. As she burst into the headmistress's office, Hermione ducked for cover.
"ALBUS DUMBLDORE, COME HERE THIS INSTANT!"
"Minerva dear?"
"DON'T YOU MINERVA ME, YOU OLD COOT! I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THOSE DURSLEYS, AND YOU HAD THE GALL TO TELL ME IT WAS 'SORTED'?"
"I'm afraid I don't follow."
"HARRY POTTER! WE KNOW!" a stray teacup smashed against the wall.
"Really? How?" Hermione watched as Minerva reached to strangle him, but was met with the canvas.
"No doubt Potter's done something stupid and Minerva's questioned him. It must have slipped out." A familiar voice drawled. Hermione decided it was time to intervene. She walked up to the portraits, wand at the ready.
"No Professor, we found out by asking him. We were actually being asked questions by ourselves….Some were curious you see and we offered to answer one question for each person."
Albus looked interested, Snape bored.
"A meeting you say? Could we join in? I certainly have a few questions myself….I'm sure Severus does too." Snape suddenly looked like a hungry predator.
"Yes…"
"You. You don't get to join in until you explain yourself!" Minerva had changed tactics and was now speaking in a dangerously low, menacing voice. Albus looked unfazed however.
"Minerva my dear, I don't think that now is the time or placed, so if you'll excuse me I already have an inkling of where you are…" With that he turned and vanished. Severus accompanied him muttering about how he was a fool.
For a few seconds Minerva was still. Then her eye narrowed, and she seized Hermione's arm before dragging her out and back to the room of requirement. "I'll get that old man…Add some dragons to his portrait…ohh yes! Thinks he can walk away from me does he?" She looked quite deranged so Hermione didn't struggle.
When they returned back to the room, several more people were back to their normal selves, although the four teachers were still wearing their playsuits. Minerva left Hermione, charging and being sat in her chair.
"Well my oh my, this does look like fun!" Albus's voice was chipper as ever. It seemed that he had already introduced himself and why he was there in the time it took to get the two women back there. The two former headmasters now sat in their regal looking portraits, looking over the whole proceedings.
"Looks more like a bunch of idiocy to me. Weasley I presume?"
"Hermione actually." Snape raised an eyebrow.
"I die, and the whole world falls to chaos. Fantastic."
Harry scowled, obviously not happy with their newest guest. "Shall we continue this then? Who's next?"
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